(written by Sara Beth)

In a recent blog post, Julie shared the story of her journey into Chinese Medicine, and I thought I’d take a chance to share my own story about why I love this work so much. I could start by telling you that it’s because I love helping people feel better, that I love the holistic aspect of the medicine, and many other things you would expect your acupuncturist to say. They’re all true, of course, but I recently realized that what means the most to me is one simple thing – seeing the light return to someone’s eyes.

Some background…  I love to dance. Lately I’ve been performing with a Bollywood dance group, and we’re in the process of putting together a new theatrical show about a woman who is unhappy with her current path in life, and discovers a new path which brings her joy and puts the light back into her eyes again (and it wouldn’t be a Bollywood production without a lot of dancing along the way).

At a recent script read-thru, it hit me. That’s what I love most about being an acupuncturist. It’s seeing the light come back into the eyes of my patients as they recover from a condition they’ve been struggling with. It’s amazing how deeply physical and/or emotional pain can drain our energy (our Qi) and dim our inner light bulb. Whether it’s physical pain, depression, a chronic disease, or infertility, it often consumes us to the point where we’re unable to see the joy in life. I love that acupuncture can give hope for change in our lives, and I love seeing the changes happen. And most of all, I love the way someone’s eyes light up when they tell me “I feel better than I’ve felt in a long time!” or “I’ve been pain-free for longer than I ever thought I could be” or a simple “I’m pregnant!”

But it doesn’t stop there…  When we hear those comments here at Selby Acupuncture, we’re able to take that joy and carry it over to the next client we treat, and share that spark of healing light with the next person who comes in our door. THIS is what I love most about acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

I encourage everyone to take some time today to think about what other activities light your inner spark. Now go out, do them, and share that light with others!

For those of you who are curious, here’s a clip of a Bollywood dance performance I participated in at the Festival of Nations over the weekend! (And for those who might be looking, my entrance is at the 2-minute mark.)