Last weekend I went to the beach with my friend Mary. I am always inspired after hanging with Mary - they wear bright colors, loud prints, and lots of sparkles. This Saturday they donned a sparkly orange suit and glittery jelly sandals - the kind you probably wore as a kid (hello, it’s called inner child work…)
It was a thick 95° in NYC and I had spent the morning lugging bags and a clunky beach umbrella on the L train to meet Mary in their car. I had a slight headache from staying up too late the night before, and it was overcast at 9am - I was wondering if it was a good day for the beach after all. But when we arrived at Riis an hour later, greeted by the sweetest seaside breeze, I felt great about our decision. It was a spectacular beach day.
We dumped our stuff and ran straight into the cold sea, bobbing over waves and diving under frothy surf. We kept exclaiming, “This feels sooo good.” I told Mary, “It feels like the gunk is being pulled out of me”, to which they replied, “Yup, like none of the bullshit exists!”. It was a moment of such joyful embodiment, I was giggling and stretching my hands to the sky.
Saltwater does that. More specifically, salt does that. I often tell patients to take epsom salt soaks for an emotional and energetic cleanse. In Chinese herbology, the salty flavor is said to “soften hardness”. More literally this means that salty herbs can transform hard nodules (scrofula, goiter, hernia, etc.). More figuratively, and when it comes to saltwater, it feels like the saltiness is softening the hardness of life itself. This is what Chinese medicine has always done for me, and what I hope I can offer to others with my practice. Acupuncture especially, has always helped to gently and lovingly nudge me back home towards myself.
Working with a trusted practitioner can soften the edges of physical and emotional pain. I believe deeply in the power of therapeutic touch, nervous system regulation and nutritional and herbal guidance. I believe that support in these areas can ease our difficulties, making space for more resilience, expansion and joy. You deserve all the ease and joy, and you deserve a good frolic in the sea. It’s some of the best medicine we’ve got.