Hey Reader,

I had a wild experience in my first week of graduate school.

It was a master’s program in Chinese medicine, but before we could even touch an acupuncture needle or think about an herb, we had to learn how to hone our ability to perceive.

In one of our first classes, my classmates and I were told to partner up. One partner laid down on a treatment table, and the other was to stand at their feet with hands gently placed on the reclining partner’s ankles, and the only instruction that was given at that point was for the standing partner to “feel into” the reclining partner's body.

My teacher, Dr. Bob Quinn, had just discussed the advantages of what Buddhist’s call the Beginner’s Mind.

He told us that over the next 4 (or in my case, 5) years, our minds would be filled with all sorts of new information.

We were going to learn about every organ, every muscle, and every joint in the human body. We were going to memorize the location and function of 12 meridians and more than 361 acupuncture points. We were going to become intimately familiar with dozens of herbs and medicinal formulas.

But all of this heady information can only exist within the backdrop of conscious awareness, (aka the empty space in which thoughts appear). And before we started forming static, limited ideas in our minds about health and healing, Dr. Quinn was guiding us to tap into the Beginner's Mind, a realm of knowing that is much more expansive and alive than what the analytical mind can perceive.

I softened my gaze as I stood at my partner’s feet, settling my eyes on the space just above her diaphragm, and as I did, I let my awareness travel up her legs, into her hips, into her belly and chest, shoulders, arms, and head, to see what I could find.

13 years later now, I don’t remember much of what I reported afterwards, but I do remember that something inside of me urged me to tell her to dance. This was odd, as I’m not much of a dancer myself, and I don’t usually think about dancing unless I’m at a concert, but she mumbled something about looking for a studio since she had just moved to Portland, and I thought nothing more of it. It was only later that I found out that dance was this woman’s passion, it was her heart language, her deepest source of fulfillment, and she spent most of her free-time in ballroom dance studios.

I knew none of this when I told her I had felt that she needed to dance.

It’s important to point out that I do not consider myself to be psychic. As a teenager, I went to a very analytical, science-oriented, no-nonsense prep-school, where critical thinking was hammered into me as non-negotiable.

And it was this very skepticism that allowed me to be open minded enough to question what I previously held to be true: that what we see in the physical world is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

I now understand that physical perception is only one aspect of reality, and when we allow ourselves to perceive beyond the physical, the world opens up to us in new ways.

Nowhere is this more relevant than in healing, Reader.

Every sign, symptom, and emotion that arise in your mind and body are clues as to what is going on beneath the surface, energetically.

And part of the reason conventional medical practices so often fall short of helping people heal is that they are too focused on what’s appearing on the surface, in the physical realm, and completely overlook the underlying energetic cause of disturbance or harmony within the human system.

In truth, both modes of perception are helpful and necessary.

If you have a heart attack, please, by all means, go see a cardiologist immediately.

But I would also urge you to meet with a practitioner who is holistically oriented —and tuned into what might be described as the realm of spirit— to help you heal the underlying issue that caused you to have a heart attack in the first place, (hint: it's never just about eating too many steaks.)

The analytical mind allows us to gather and synthesize information in incredible ways, and when we clear our mind and perceive from a deeper conscious awareness, we gain access to insights that we otherwise wouldn't be able to see.

This isn't just woo-woo nonsense, [FIRST NAME GOES HERE].

Because the truth is that the image of matter you were taught in 9th grade physics is incomplete.

It turns out that when we zoom in on an atom, we don't just find a solid nugget of protons and neutrons with electrons swirling around. We can now recognize building blocks that are the foundation of even these essential particles, and these building blocks are called quarks.

What are quarks? Energy.

Even more fascinating, is that quarks only appear as one-pointed particles when we try to freeze them in time. In actuality, subatomic particles are really more like clouds, existing in multiple points of space at once. And in order for this energy to exist, it has to arise within the backdrop of empty space.

Without empty space, there would be no room to move, just as thoughts can only arise within conscious awareness.

What this means is that there is nothing inherently solid about matter at all. Our bodies and other objects around us only appear solid because we perceive them that way, and perception can be changed.

Physical symptoms, thoughts, and emotions are nothing other than expressions of energy moving through your system.

There is a saying in Chinese medicine:

"Where there is pain, there is no flow. Where there is flow, there is no pain."

Put simply, when life-force energy can't move freely, it hurts and symptoms start to appear.

But it's by stepping back into the realm of the observer, —by tapping into the Beginner’s Mind and moving our perception back toward the very space in which life's energy flows,— that we can identify deeper blockages that are causing those symptoms to arise.

So as you move forward with your tasks today [FIRST NAME GOES HERE], see what happens if you shift your focus back, behind your thoughts.

When you notice your mind looking for problems and solutions, see what happens if you just take a moment to let those thoughts go, and focus instead on the spaciousness you feel in your body.

When you notice stress or other uncomfortable emotions, your muscles tightening, your heart rate going up, see what happens if you just stop pushing against those feelings for a moment, and simply allow yourself to be, as you are.

As the Dao De Jing suggests, see what happens if you allow the muddy waters of your mind to settle.

I can’t wait to see where it takes you!

Warmly,

Katerina

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P.S. Want to set yourself free?

I specialize in helping clients identify and move past the mental, emotional, and physical blocks that are holding them back from showing up for life the way they want to.

If you'd like to figure out the root causes of your stress, anxiety, and associated symptoms (like headaches, insomnia, menstrual irregularity, digestive trouble, fatigue, etc.) I'd love to help you find the strategies that work for you.

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P.P.S. In case you missed it:

Be sure to mark your calendar, because I'm hosting a free talk on Instagram Live on Wednesday, June 21st, at 10 a.m. PST. We'll talk all things summer wellness, including diet, lifestyle, mindset, and more.

If you'd like to click "reply" to this email and send me your questions ahead of time, I'll be sure to include them in the discussion. I hope to see you there!