Be Where Your Feet Are

Image: A handwritten note reads “Where are your feet? Is the rest of you there too?”

Dear Patient,

Recently I got to speak to a group of second-graders at a local elementary school for Career Day. It was fun—second-graders are naturally curious about most things, and especially so about the notion of sticking tiny needles in the body as a form of medicine.

My talk took place in the school counselor’s classroom, and during the few quiet moments to myself before the students filed in, I browsed the bookshelves and took note of the inspirational posters on the wall. One in particular stood out:

Image: a child stands with one hand pointing at his head and the other at his feet. It reads “Be where your feet are! Give yourself a mindful moment, and make your feet and brain a team.”

Be where your feet are! When I first read it, I had to pause and check in… Wait…am I where my feet are? Are my feet and my brain a team? It’s one of those statements that seems obvious at first, but after you take a moment to think about it, you realize how badly you needed the reminder.

How much of our days do we spend not being where our feet are? We’re thinking about a conversation from yesterday, or dreading a looming deadline, or daydreaming about some nebulous future vacation. We’re in the car and we’re thinking about the grocery list. We’re at the grocery store and thinking about work. We’re eating dinner and distracted by the television. We lie down to sleep and our brains are everywhere at once.

When’s the last time your brain and your feet were a team?

Let’s talk about the feet from an acupuncturist’s perspective. Some of our most powerful and frequently used acupuncture points are on the feet. Why? These points ground us and root us in place. They pull down excess energy from the head and upper body and anchor it. They help concentrate our qi, and effect profound change.

When you want to check in with yourself, or feel more centered in your own body, or draw in nourishing qi from the earth…try being where your feet are.

When we stand, feet firmly planted, we claim our place on this planet.

When we step, the passing union of our foot with the earth allows us to receive its gifts, and leave behind what we no longer need.

Qi from our bodies reaches down through the soles of our feet to remind us of the interconnectedness of all beings.

We stand strong, move confidently, and make our mark.

But only if we can be where our feet are.

Love and gratitude,

Your Acupuncturist