I had the most incredible experience today receiving a Watsu Therapy session from Leigh Downing at Austin Watsu. My best guess is that the term Watsu comes from a hybrid term of water + shiatsu because that’s basically what it is - an amazing massage while floating in a 94-96 degree pool of water.
Read moreAmazing (and free!) Community Wellness Hour & Acupuncture in Austin, TX
As of 3/4/2020 the Wellness Hour has been paused due to CDC recommendations for academic institutions with onsite clinics. Please check the AOMA website for updates on when we will begin again.
Whoever said that good things don’t come easy was a liar. At least in this case. Because, there is an easy & free community resource right in your backyard. Well, assuming your backyard is Austin, TX. AOMA is a fantastic school for aspiring acupuncturists and traditional Chinese herbalists. But, beyond training the next generation of alternative medicine practitioners, the South campus offers an incredible Community Wellness Hour. It happens every week, is totally free, and there are zero catches - you don’t have to be affiliated with the school in anyway, there is no tip jar available even if you wanted to pay, the only thing you have to sign is the waiver. It’s crazy - the Community Wellness Hour is honestly just focused on. . . community & wellness.
Now, I may be biased because I’ve been one of the folks inserting and removing the acupuncture needles for over a year now, BUT, this is one of the sweetest, most healing, special places in Austin. Before I get going down a very mushy path, let me give you the details:
Community Wellness Hour & Acupuncture
WHEN: Every Wednesday, 12:45-1:45pm
WHERE: AOMA South Campus (careful - there are two campuses, so don’t go north!): 4701 Westgate Blvd in E1
WHERE +: The campus is small and has plenty of free parking in multiple lots. Find a parking spot, and walk towards the center of campus where you’ll see a koi pond. E1 faces the koi pond. Ask for help if you can’t find it and don’t worry about coming in late - you’re welcome anytime.
WHAT: Free NADA* (auricular acupuncture), guided meditation, short (optional) sharing.
WHAT +: Wear anything you’re comfortable in (earrings are fine!), find E1, go to the sign in desk and sign the waiver, get an alcohol swab and wipe both ears, quietly find a seat in the circle and put away your cell phone. This is a quiet time and the acupuncturists (led by the fantastic Robert Laguna) will be coming around the circle to insert five needles into each ear . If you don’t want needles, just let us know and you can sit quietly and meditate needle-free. The acupuncturists remove the needles at 1:15 (sometimes you’ll see us peek in your ear to check for bleeding and, if there is any, we will hold a q-tip against the point for several seconds) and then the guided meditation begins led by the amazing Julia Aziz. At 1:35(ish) the meditation ends and there is a chance for each group member to say their name and a bit about their experience.
*What the heck is NADA?
Briefly, NADA is a protocol that is used to relax and calm down the nervous system. It includes five specific points in each ear. It’s great for relaxation, emotional trauma, substance abuse issues, and every day life. Sometimes the ear points can sting a bit when first inserted, but that sensation quickly goes away and is usually followed by an intense feeling of calm. If you are uncomfortable at any point, or if a needle drops, just flag down one of the acupuncturists and we will help you out. For more information about NADA, click HERE.
Some side notes:
Yes, it’s common to partially nod off. Yes, sometimes that means your head slumps forward. Yes, occasionally someone snores. Yes, sometimes tummies rumble. It is lunch time after all. Yes, you can leave whenever you want - but we must remove the needles before you go. Yes, you can decline the needles. Yes, you can bring a friend. Yes, you can take a selfie - but be sure no one else is in the photo (#privacy) and then put your phone away on silent mode. Yes, it feels like the best nap and the most rejuvenating cup of coffee and is incredible. Yes, please say hi to me when you come check it out.
xo,
Jenna
Secret Societies Sound So Much Cooler
A friend and I recently traveled to Cuba. True to form, we made as few plans as possible and decided to go wherever the trip took us. Very zen style travel. There was one exception: a fellow acupuncturist mentioned a secret Chinese-Cuban medicine society. WHAT? I’m already fascinated by Chinese Medicine, but if you tell me there is a secret society of any genre I am going to want to find out more. Armed with only an email address, and too much curiosity, we set out to uncover this mystery.
Turns out, it’s not so secret. Chinese Medicine is legal in Cuba, but has a tenuous history due to social and political issues too complex for my brain. Although, more information can be found HERE:
What we found was the loveliest woman conducting research on the Chinese-Cuban history who brought us through a nondescript door into a beautiful traditional Chinese herbal pharmacy. There was beautiful containers, sculptures, and signs. It’s unclear how accessible these herbal formulas are and we didn’t see any patients utilizing the various treatment rooms for acupuncture and tuina (need a reminder on what tuina is? Click HERE), but it was incredible to be in the space. There was a stained glass taiji symbol (what most of us in America call the yinyang symbol) in the ceiling letting in healing natural light. There were posters (oddly in English) outlining various tuina maneuvers. I was mesmerized and, also, overwhelmed trying to understand as much of the rapid fire Spanish explanations as possible.
My general take aways were: Chinese medicine is mostly accepted in Cuban culture (at least in Havana), but is mostly utilized by Chinese-Cubans. Maybe the locals know how to find the pharmacy, but it would have been impossible to locate if we didn’t have our pseudo guide. Don’t bank on getting an acupuncture session when your in Cuba unless you know people who know people. But, do plan on visiting the China Town in Cuba and experiencing this random merging of cultures.
Also, here are some random Cuba travel tidbits to take the secret out of a successful trip:
Make sure you have the required health insurance to enter Cuba (usually included in airfare).
Know that you’ll need to get a travel ticket (similar to a visa) to enter the country and determine a ‘reason for travel” - usually “Support of the Cuban people.”
Don’t bring American Dollars as you’ll be taxed an extra 10%. Euros seem to be the best bet, but leave 48 hours for your bank here to get the desired currency. Also, we found out that the airport in Havana did not accept the Cuban currency -only certain foreign currency. Which was weird, but be sure to save some extra money for airport snacks. Well, there was no food available except beer and yogurt. The employees for the currency office also hadn’t shown up that day, so we are now stuck with the Cuban currency (good reason to go back!).
There are TWO Cuban currencies: one is for the locals, one is for the tourists. Be sure to ask what the price is listed in and use your common sense. We ate at a small stand, it initially looked like it was $12 for a roll, but it was like .20 cents in the local currency. You have to ask the bank to give you a mixture of both.
Your American credit cards and debit cards won’t work. Bring as much cash as you think you’ll need and download the western union app just in case.
WIFI is available at the nice hotels but you have to buy the internet access cards from the staff there and they only work at that location. Be sure to sign out of the internet/wifi or the card time will keep running even if you aren’t using it.
The yellow taxis are so much more expensive. We used a mixture of random cars and the classic cars. Some were sketchy and run down, most were fine. we got where we needed to go. BUT, always ask the price (negotiable) AND if they have change. Otherwise, you’ll end up over paying. One driver said he didn’t have change, but when we pushed back he suddenly had change available. . .
We felt safe the whole time. But, there is a strong hustle to make money. This shows up as lots of taxi drivers approaching you to give rides, people selling show tickets, and people saying they have access to cheaper Cuban cigars and rum. Do what you want with this. We respected the hustle, probably got scammed a few times, laughed a lot and didn’t take anything personally.
Bring your favorite digestive support because you won’t be able to find it there. Also, take your own bandaids, small medical kit because there aren’t CVS/Walgreens on every corner. I was super grateful for the protein bars, instant coffee, digestive meds, and tissues that I brought.
Most bathrooms don’t have toilet paper or toilet seats. Expect to squat (this is my theory on why all the Cuban women have such great butts!) and byo-toilet paper.
Have fun. Slow down. Don’t expect amenities. Observe. Sit on lots of benches. Feel the aliveness of this fascinating country. Let me know how it goes and if you learn any new secrets.
Talk-Sick is Toxic
Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash
We know that we should avoid drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, excessive sugar, etc. We have a Poison Control Center to call if we ingest certain chemicals. But, who do we call when what we are ‘ingesting’ isn’t a material? What about when it is negative talk from others or —even worse — from ourselves. It’s a phenomenon I’ve started calling ‘talk-sick.’
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