01/09/2025
In the Chinese calendar, Chǒu (丑) represents the Ox. The Ox is strong, steady, and dependable, yet it also carries the heaviest of loads. Recently this image has been echoing in my clinic, reflecting how often patients arrive feeling as though the whole world rests on their shoulders.
Many of us know this feeling well. We carry responsibility for our health, our families, our homes, our work, and even the happiness of others. These weights build quietly over time until the body begins to ache and the spirit feels heavy. Muscles tighten, joints stiffen, and headaches appear, while joy and lightness seem harder to reach.
Through acupuncture and the healing space of the clinic, these burdens begin to soften. As energy flows more freely, the body and heart create more space for clarity, ease, and freedom. Spiritually, this can feel like breathing room, a chance to remember what it feels like to move without being weighed down.
Autumn is a powerful season for this work. It invites us to let go of what no longer serves, to set down the burdens we have been carrying, and to create space for what truly nourishes us as we move into the stillness of winter. Gentle movement, small rituals of release, or journaling with honesty and reflection can help us step out from under the weight we’ve been holding.
At the same time, the Ox reminds us of our own resilience. There is something remarkable about our ability to keep moving forward even while carrying so much. It asks us to embrace both strength and surrender, to honor what we can hold while also recognizing what we can release.
If you are feeling heaviness in your body or spirit this month, may this be the moment you begin to put some of it down. I am here to help you find ease and lightness, and to walk into this season with a strong back, an open heart, and space to welcome what is yet to come.
