Posts In: stress relief

1. How does yoga show up in your life right now?

Yoga shows up as a savior. I completely appreciate the break it gives me from my daily stresses. Right now, I’m teaching more than practicing for myself, but teaching yoga is such a wonderful way to decompress and to focus on other people’s comfort for an hour. That gives me life. Yoga has always given me life, this is just the new way it’s showing up right now. 

2. Where are you experiencing growth as a yoga teacher and/or practitioner?

I’m experiencing growth recognizing that teaching is not what it was 4 months ago. I can’t see all of my students, or their whole bodies, and it’s challenging to not give as many personal cues. I’m lucky to have known most of my students for awhile. With new students, I’m working to offer all that I could in person and making those personal connections. Of course it’s a bit harder online. I’m growing and adapting and striving to offer comfort through my teaching and conversation.

3. What’s your favorite kind of burrito and why?

Right now, it’s the one my husband makes. When we first started dating, he worked at a deli. He knows how to wrap sandwiches and burritos so well, I’m always impressed. Also, he makes them with love and intention, you can tell the difference. 😉

To me, the meaning of Yoga is the meaning of Love!

It can take a lifetime of practice and I will still have so much to learn.

I am continually drawn to Yoga and all the yogic principals, striving to gain more openness, strength and stability, purpose, knowledge, acceptance and awareness.

With a focus on what is really important in life I can calm my entire being.

This is what matters: love, inner peace, being present, non-attachment, non-judgement, the ability to still the mind to relieve stress and anxiety.

With Yoga I open my heart to grace as I also strengthen my Spirit, Mind and Body, preparing me for the world and filling me with love and gratitude for all life has to offer, good and bad.

Bringing balance to my life, yoga helps me flow through all that comes my way.

Yoga’s true definition is “union” and it helps me feel more united with all I do and everyone I meet.

Yoga helps me spread the Love!

Take Robin’s class on Tuesday mornings at 6:30am, see our full schedule here.

Book a private session or come to our Community Acupuncture sessions on Wednesday afternoons from 3-5pm. (Last appointment available is 4:30pm, treatments last 30-45 minutes, cost: $20.) Check out our Acupuncture FAQ for more information on this incredible healing modality.

1. Why did you decide to become an acupuncturist?

My undergraduate major was Athletic Training, which dealt with injuries and their related examination, assessment, and physical interventions – basically, injury rehabilitation. After I graduated, I worked as a personal trainer for three years while I was figuring out what my next step was and that’s when acupuncture found me, in a way.

In the span of three months, I met over a dozen people who were graduates or current students at the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine. One was the mother of a close friend; a girl from a weekend workshop; three students in a Mandarin class I was taking at a Buddhist temple (because “why not?”) and several other friends of friends.

As soon as I enrolled in the 11 semester master’s program, I knew that I was in the right place. Through my education and beginning my practice, I have been able to see the beautiful and profound way that acupuncture can change lives. I get to help people, day in and day out, and that’s why I became an acupuncturist.

2. What benefits have you or your clients received from regular acupuncture treatments?

Every patient has a different treatment plan and set of goals, but there are several things that most patients will experience with regular acupuncture treatments. There is an overall sense of calm, relaxation, and de-stress that comes from acupuncture – it is felt during and after a session, and can carry on into the rest of the week.

Whether it is headaches, back pain, muscle soreness, or menstrual cramps, most patients notice an alleviation of pain in their body. Acupuncture can improve digestion and establish greater regularity of bowel movements, especially the morning after a treatment.

Many patients experience improved sleep patterns: falling asleep easier, staying asleep longer, and waking feeling more refreshed. Better sleep often leads to more energy and a greater ability to “get everything accomplished” on a day-to-day basis. There is often a more clear sense of mental clarity and ability to focus at work and at home.

Overall, every patient gets up off the table and walks out, “feeling really, really good right now.”

3. Describe what acupuncture means in your life using just 6 words: My purpose in helping other people.

4. Something interesting your clients might not know about you is:

I have been an athlete all my life, through several sports and many different acute and chronic injuries. I’m grateful to combine my personal experience with an acupuncturist’s extensive, detailed knowledge of the body in order to better treat patients experiencing pain, injuries or other physical ailments.

5. What would you say to encourage someone who has never tried acupuncture?

For starters, acupuncture is safe. The FDA approved acupuncture needles for use by licensed practitioners in 1996, and requires that sterile, single-use needles be used only by qualified practitioners. To become an acupuncturist, one must attend an accredited Acupuncture college (3000-4000 hours of study – approximately 4 years, full time study) and pass a licensing exam which includes standards of hygiene, clean needle technique, and anatomical knowledge.

Acupuncture doesn’t hurt. Receiving an acupuncture treatment is nothing like getting a shot or having blood taken. An acupuncture needle varies in diameter from 0.16 mm to 0.46 mm, which is just a fraction of the thickness of a typical hypodermic needle. You may feel a slight prick as the needle enters the skin, but there shouldn’t be an residual discomfort.

You can be a skeptic! In fact, I more than welcome hearing your questions and doubts – acupuncture doesn’t require belief for efficacy. The modern study and practice of acupuncture combines thousands of years of empirical knowledge about how to treat the body with western medicine’s current understanding of how the body works and functions. And acupuncture does work!