Aloha 🌺

This past week, I had the joy of visiting the sacred land of Hawaii. It was a place beyond time. It appears to move backwards and certainly slows way down.

It was a gift to witness the old, ancient turtles; everything they need is right there on their back. They are in no rush as they hold deep wisdom of trust. They exude such a gentle, soft magic. I’m in awe of these creatures and the medicine they hold, the lessons they can teach us without words. When we witness, we can listen. They are great wisdom keepers for all us and remind me of the importance of knowing that what we need will be right there for us if we have trust.

Above the clouds At Haleakalā the presence of Holy Spirit, Creator angelic energy was omnipresent.

It took me a moment to acclimate and feel worthy to receive the healing mana of this magical island. Who am I without the hustle bustle of being a single mama business owner? Who am I to rest? When it feels like you have to always be on the go, working, running around a busy schedule - that sudden shift to deep rest, nourishment of the soul, and pause can feel overwhelming. But once you sink in, the sweetness is there to hold you, to welcome you home.

The turtle showed me how to rest. The ocean made me rest.

When I spoke with a local about how I was feeling, I told her that I wasn’t used to that feeling of everything being so slowed down and that it felt uncomfortable. She told me that there is a term for that called “Polynesian Paralysis”. When I looked up the term it was described as: “a term describing the relaxed lifestyle in the Hawaiian islands and the spirit of aloha reflecting the love of the Hawaiian people. Far away from the haste, anxiety, and impatience that makes the rest of the world stressed and frantic, people in Hawaii live life a little slower and believe that they will get to where they need to go and do what needs to be done in good time. Visitors to the Hawaiian islands can fall in love with this more relaxed state of life and feel the effects of "Polynesian paralysis". - WOW!

I made a connection when reading this, that patients leaving their acupuncture sessions seem to experience something similar to “Polynesian paralysis”. We don’t have Polynesian paralysis, but we do have “acu-stoned”. While not an official term, it is something that many, many patients experience!

Being “acu-stoned” is experiencing a level of deep relaxation, a feeling of floating, immense euphoria, or even a subtle disorienting feeling like “there is no way one hour is already gone!”.

I am writing this blog to emphasize something very important:
You do not have to travel across the country to experience this gift. The gift of rest. The gift of slowing down. Wherever you are, that medicine can be. If you are open to receiving the gift of rest, I invite you to come and rest on the acupuncture table. Slow down for self care, sink deep into relaxation, and leave feeling rejuvenated. Let our clinic be your own sanctuary for peace. Come and get your own dose of Polynesian Paralysis in the mountains of NC!

Land Acknowledgement

• I would like to acknowledge that the beautiful land I was visiting is part of a larger territory recognized by Indigenous Hawaiians as their ancestral grandmother, Papahānaumoku. It is essential to remember that we are visiting this sacred land and that it is not ours. The medicine is potent if you can first honor and respect this. I know and recognize that her majesty, Queen Lili’uokalani, yielded the Hawaiian Kingdom and the territories under duress and protest to the United States to avoid the bloodshed of her people.

• In acknowledging this land, I recognize the immense gifts and nourishment she provides. The oceans, the foods from her soils, the medicine of slowing down. I further recognize the generations of Indigenous Hawaiians and how their traditions and knowledge shaped Hawaii so that I may enjoy these gifts today.