Previously I wrote about how community is like medicine. Our circle of fellow humans goes through this amazing journey with us . . . encouraging us, witnessing us, screaming with… Read More
How You Hold Yourself Can Change Everything
Imagine you’re brought to a beautiful place where you’ll be meeting a person with whom you’ll share an incredible, lifelong love – a romantic love or a powerful friendship, or… Read More
Community is Medicine
It was my birthday party in May and before we all started eating, Briana asked if I wanted to say something to my guests. Unbeknownst to them, I had been… Read More
The Science Behind Our Pain: Inquiring Minds Want to Know
A couple weeks ago, I wrote about the differences between acupuncture and “dry needling” to alleviate pain, and in that article I explained a bit about the phenomenon of myofascial… Read More
A Double Serving of Light
I feel the more we celebrate, the better our quality of life. And there are two holidays worth taking time out for this week. Today, June 19th is Juneteenth, and… Read More
Happy Birthday, Briana!
June 22nd is my wife Briana’s birthday. She’s the Dragontree’s founder and fearless leader. On the way to art school at age 18, she was in a car accident and… Read More
What’s the Difference Between Dry Needling and Acupuncture?
I am often asked, “What’s the difference between acupuncture and dry needling?” So, I thought I’d answer the question for everyone in our community who might be interested, and offer… Read More
Fixing Our Relationship with the World and Ourselves
If you were birthed by Earth, then every pebble and plant is your sibling. Last week I wrote about animism, the belief that all things possess a spirit. Animistic cultures… Read More
What if You Were Always Surrounded by Friends?
Unbeknownst to most Americans, the world is full of animists. According to Professor Stephen Asma of Columbia College Chicago, “Pretty much everywhere except Western Europe, the Middle East, and North… Read More
It’s Okay to Mind What Happens
Last week I shared a quote from spiritual teacher Jiddu Krishnamurti: “Do you want to know my secret? I don’t mind what happens.” Then we looked at the differences between… Read More
Can We be Misguided by Spiritual Truths?
There’s a well-known spiritual quote from philosopher and teacher Jiddhu Krishnamurti. The story goes that he was speaking to a group of students (who saw him as an enlightened master),… Read More
That’s Very Big of You
As a weight-obsessed culture, we don’t often want to think of ourselves as big, but there’s an expression you hear once in a while – “That’s big of you” –… Read More
Freedom and Peace Regardless of Your Circumstances
A few weeks ago I wrote about the “gaps” in everyday reality when the spiritual dimension peeks through. Sometimes they’re so profound they change us forever. Like opening the curtains… Read More
My Favorite Kind of Pain
I had been hearing about an impressive tai chi teacher named Gregory Fong since moving to Portland in 1997. It was about five years later that I convinced Briana to… Read More
A Free Pile of Presents Just for You
During a particularly hard break-up in my 20s, a friend advised me, “The more present you are during this process, the bigger the present you’ll get out of it.” And… Read More