My approach to acupuncture is highly influenced by my Taoist master, Dr Jeffrey C. Yuen. In the early days of apprenticeship, Jeffrey taught in Chinatown, at the local elementary school in the evenings, and in a spacious loft on Canal Street, where Tai Qi and Qi Gong were practiced alongside the Master. All ages, ethnicities and backgrounds were welcome, and on a given night there could be anywhere between 3 and 30 students.
One would often silently observe his pulse-taking, advices and treatments, as patients arrived through the long evenings year-round, seeking healing for many malaises from martial arts injury to cancer. Patients were laid out upon mats, or onto the little tables in the Children’s cafeteria. Jeffrey’s meditative, healing presence suffused the humble atmosphere, and his sparkling eyes and genuine smile reassured many who were suffering, and as well re-assured we novices that if we devoted to the art, profound results were possible. After time, the numbers of his followers multiplied, as word spread of his genius, compassion, and indefatigable devotion to sharing his wisdom. Soon we were filling the Auditorium at the school. And not long after, he was encouraged to develop a formal curriculum.
The years of close contact with Jeffrey are a timeless treasure, a great blessing that lives inside me and informs every aspect of my life and work. The Way of listening, of holding space, and of gentle yet intentional treatment move through me. Early on, Jeffrey encouraged his apprentices to focus on branches of Medicine and healing modalities, as the art of Chinese Medicine was so rich with possibility. My love of children, and of Women’s Health became the specialties I embraced, with his blessing. We shared a deep love of the power of essential oils, an interest which led me onto the path of Endobiogeny, which resonates deeply with the ancient wisdoms of Chinese Medicine. I still practice on the floor, laying my patients as close to the Earth as is possible in our urban lives, to ground us, and remind us of our profound connection to nature. I keep a slow pace, and try to maintain an atmosphere of Sanctuary, to create permission to move inward and to experience simply Being.