In an age of constant movement, nothing is so urgent as sitting still.
- Pico Iyer

Through 16 years of acupuncture practice, I've encouraged and coached many on the caretaking of one's inner landscape - the mental, emotional and spiritual realm of internal experience. Some people are ready and hungry to explore the implications of tending to this realm, others are surprised as they come to realize how neglected their inner world has been, and some just want their sciatica gone; "less talky, more pokey please." Each is perfectly fine, and I aim to meet every patient where they're at without expectation or excessive advice. In this case, since I have your eyeballs here, I'll assume you're open to my two cents on this subject.

In my role, I am privileged to be with people in their vulnerable and seeking states. To reveal a fuller picture of their conditions, patients often must share their story, their weaknesses and fears, their mistakes, their hurts, their hopes and desires. People get real and expose the workings of their internal processes. What I've learned is that many people's inner worlds are imbalanced and underserved, and it has a significant impact on their overall wellbeing; sometimes even in those nasty sciatica cases.

The foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture theory incorporate the emotions and spirit (overall quality of energy and awareness) of the individual into the core understanding of human physiology. Practitioners ask, observe and intuit around these subjective pieces for each patient; then we build a diagnosis and treatment that incorporates those factors. Sometimes, people have significant shifts in emotional states or spiritual connectedness just from acupuncture therapy. However, I often see that the day to day actions patients take to serve their inner realms are equally, if not more important, in creating faster more complete healing for both their mental and physical challenges.

Sometimes I joke that the best health advice I give to patients is to tell them to take a real, fulfilling vacation. Like most jokes, they contain some element of truth. With that in mind, I’d like to share some other seemingly true guidance that might just unstick and nourish your inner landscape. These strategies are not scraped from some online listicle article; this is what I see working in my patients’ lives, many of which I adhere to myself. 

* Meditate or mindfully breathe, every day if you can
* If applicable; Pray, study spiritual teachings or philosophy, every day if you can
* Engage with a psychologist, coach or other trusted guide
* Move your body every day if you can; outdoors in nature is even better                                                
* Be in community, connect, reach out
* Volunteer, be in service to something bigger than you
* Create. Express. Make something new
* Lean in to challenge and discomfort if you want to grow
* Journal
* Skip the junk food (mostly); aim for fresh, whole and varied in your diet
* Be vulnerable, be real, take off the mask 
* Ask for help
* Have the hard, uncomfortable conversation
* If unfulfilled in your work, speak up and take action towards change
* Define your needs versus your wants
* Know your terms or boundaries and uphold them
* Remember, only this moment is real. Breathe it in and let go, over and over. 

All of these ideas and many more are within your agency to help yourself heal both inside and out. If one or more of the above suggestions elicits a response in you (excitement, tension, fear, goosebumps, etc), maybe now is the time to pull on that thread and see what happens. Remember this please; you have far more power than you know, and the balance of your inner realms is integral in leveraging that power for your good and that of the world around you. 

Thank you kindly for reading. If you think this message might be of interest to someone you care about, feel free to forward it on. 

I hope to see you soon at Vibe Health & Spine. You can book a visit online or call in and speak with Janice or Dag 403-266-2283.

I also welcome an email update to hear how you’ve been doing or to answer any questions you might have regarding this email or your health. 

Kindest regards,

Dr. Mitch Wegmann, DrAc, DTCM
Doctor of Acupuncture 

Dose of the Tao

Can you coax your mind from its wandering
and keep to the original oneness? 

Can you let your body become
supple as a newborn child’s?
Can you cleanse your inner vision
until you see nothing but the light?
Can you love people and lead them
without imposing your will?
Can you deal with the most vital matters
by letting events take their course?
Can you step back from you own mind
and thus understand all things? 

Giving birth and nourishing,
having without possessing,
acting with no expectations,
leading and not trying to control:
this is the supreme virtue.

Tao Te Ching, Chapter 10 - Translation by Stephen Mitchell