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erin telford

Guest Posts

Remembering How To Be Human by Erin Telford.

June 5, 2013

Remembering How To Be Human

I had a glorious, profound experience this past weekend.  I flew to Oregon to surprise my amazing mama for Mother’s Day.  Since my visit was unexpected, she was already on schedule to volunteer at Occupy Medical in the center of downtown Eugene.  We decided that I would come with her and volunteer my acupuncture services.

This is a fantastic setup to provide free medical care and a myriad of services to the underserved population in Eugene.  They have doctors, nurses, fresh food, an herbalist, and even a person to cut your hair!  It was a gorgeous warm day and I had a nice little line-up of people to treat.

I have never worked with underserved populations.  Underserved by my definition are people who don’t get enough.  They don’t get enough food, they don’t get enough medical treatment, they don’t get enough comfort, warmth, nurturing, empathy or love.

My second patient of the day was a transsexual prostitute who was afraid to be homeless on the street because of her sexual identity.  She told me a lot of stories, most of which left me slightly stunned and sad.  I usually feel like I have some things to say when I’m working with patients.  Some pretty reasonable, helpful, relatable things to say.

I like to have a golden nugget here and there that someone can take away and feel uplifted by.  It might be ego-y but I feel good making other people feel good.  So when this fellow human says to me, I sell myself for money when I’m depressed, I’m stumped.

I felt kind of like a jerk.  I don’t have a pretty bow to put on this one.  I can’t say, “Yeah, we’ve all been there” and have a laugh because we haven’t.  I had nothing.  Nothing.  I started and stopped.  Silence.  Awkward?  A teeny bit.  But then we just looked at each other.

Okay, I thought.  Let’s just be here.  Because THIS is what is happening right now.  This is her reality.  I didn’t need to make it better or make it different.  My reality and her reality were crossing over and we were just being humans together.  So we just sat for a minute or two looking into each other’s eyes.  I’m saying I hear you, I understand you, that sucks and I love you in my mind.  I hope she felt that.  I think she did.

I treated a young woman who was kicking a speed addiction and was grieving three babies gone on Mother’s Day.  I treated a woman with a painful bunion who was craving more connection with her family of origin.  I treated a very sweet man who wanted to propose to me with a ring made of a pinecone and string.  All were in heavy transition with very loose foundations, all were very anxious, all really, really needed to tell their stories.

The Dalai Lama had just been in Eugene the day before and everyone was quoting him.  It was a bit surreal.  The major theme of his talk seemed to be around compassion, nurturing and the responsibility and power of the feminine.  We were putting these teachings into direct action on this day.

My mother is a registered nurse so she was camped out on the bus checking vital signs and taking care of wounds.  I’m in my own little section of an outdoor tent with just a few battered folding chairs and a metal table that we pulled off her deck and covered with a pretty cloth to use for a workspace.  There was no glamour.  No flannel sheets, no table warmer, no aromatherapy, no music.

It was still perfect and functional.  When you strip away all the bells and whistles, there is just the work.  You just give everything you have to give.  Nothing else is necessary.

Mother Theresa said that the problem of the world was that we have forgotten that we belong to each other.   We are humans.  We are all doing this together.  It makes no difference if I live in a 2 million dollar apartment on Park Avenue or I sleep on cement steps with my dog to protect me.

We will all take hits in this life.  You will never know by looking at someone what kind of trauma they have had to endure.  It does not matter.  We all deserve to give and receive each other’s kindness and utter humanity.

It’s easy to see other humans as annoying, frustrating obstacles.  They are in your way.  They aren’t giving you what you want.  They are frustrating, shady, slow, entitled, etc.

It’s a choice to remember that we are all made of the same stuff.  We all need warmth and touch and sweetness.  Be in it together-even with “strangers.”

Connect and serve.

photo_about

Erin Telford, MSTOM, L.Ac.

Radiant Heart Acupuncture PC
Licensed Acupuncturist | Certified Herbalist
radiantheartacupuncture.com | Phone: 646.266.4019
214 W. 29th Street, Suite 901 | NY, NY 10001

Follow Erin on Twitter!

Erin Telford holds a Masters of Science degree from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York City-a rigorous four-year program that included acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, Western disease diagnosis, and treatment of over 300 patients. She is a licensed acupuncturist, board certified herbalist and is trained in Constitutional Facial Acupuncture RenewalTM. She has a private practice at the Classical Wellness Center as well as a practice at Yin & Tonic Acupuncture, a clinic focused on women’s health and infertility.

Erin believes in the powerful healing dynamic between patient and practitioner and the body’s innate ability to move towards balance. She uses a blend of traditional Chinese Medicine and 5 Element techniques to gently bring patients into harmony within their body, mind and spirit. Erin believes her role as a practitioner is to nourish life and relieve suffering of the body as well as the heart.

 

Guest Posts, How To, Inspiration

The First Day Of The Rest of Your Life. Guest Post by Erin Telford.

March 9, 2012

Today’s guest post is by New York acupuncturist, herbalist and writer Erin Telford. I highly recommend you checking her out next time you are in NYC if you do not already live there. 

I love the name of her company: Radiant Heart Acupuncture. I have truly been living my life with a radiant heart lately, and her post today, reminded me of what has already been lying dormant inside of me. Inside of all of us. 

As I write my book “I Am-ness” ( due out in 2013) I read posts like these and am reminded why I am called to write that book. She talks about becoming an agent of change in your own life.

I love that. Agent of Change indeed!

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.”  ~  Martha Graham (revolutionary modern dancer & choreographer)

How do those words feel to you?  Wow?  Hopeful?  Comforting?  Inspiring? 

Give them a minute to sink in.  Like really sink in.  They are big words and they hold one of the most important messages you may ever receive.

There is only one you.  ONLY ONE.

Your soul’s expression is shining and shimmering like sunlight skipping over an ocean.  It’s hanging out just waiting for you to give it a portal, a venue, a vintage typewriter, a ridiculously expensive pen, a string to pluck, a giant power desk to sit at, a dance floor, a strong throaty voice.

It’s 2012 and this year is not meant to be taken lightly.  We are sitting on a literal goldmine of personal alchemy right now.  If this was ever a year to make a major shift, this is the one.  The opportunity to burn through old karma and invite major transformation is absolutely available.  The atmosphere is charged with unprecedented ways to silence the internal critic and quiet the anxiety that has kept you in a holding pattern.

So in real world terms, when I’m talking about a ‘holding pattern’, I’m talking about “that thing”.  You know the one.  The thing that keeps you from just walking out of the-office-you-can’t-stand-going-to and moving towards your weird, seemingly impossible, brilliant career idea.  The thing that keeps you from going to the gym.  The thing that keeps you on Facebook until 2am so you are sleep deprived and depressed the next day.  The thing that keeps you in a relationship that’s not helping you thrive. The thing that makes you stop yourself before you tell someone how you feel.

These holding patterns are all about fear and anxiety about the unknown.  Uncertainty is VERY uncomfortable.  Trying a new lifestyle on for size can feel terrifying.   I get it.  I would consider myself a big risk taker but I am right there with you on this wild ride.  My vow to you is to support you in whatever way I possibly can on this journey.  Because we can’t stay in these holding patterns anymore.  They aren’t helping us.  They are worn out, tired, outdated expressions of ourselves.

It’s time to put on the big girl panties and step into our new shoes.  Our power-FULL shoes.  You know what your “thing” is.  You know you are tired of it.  Shake it off.  Slough off the old skin.  Detach from the old.  Radiate.  It can truly be that simple.  Baby steps are absolutely allowed.  This is life long learning.  Initiating is the key.  Just begin with grace.

The energetic tension that exists can feel uncomfortable.  This is good.  Lean into it. 

Work with it.  It’s a bit of a pressure cooker but this is how change begins.  You need to be sick enough of the old habits to form new ones.  Comfort is not a container for growth.  Think of it this way-the more discomfort you feel, the more you are growing and stretching those boundaries.

Step #1 Calls for radical self-honesty.

How will you step out of a rut if you don’t recognize the one you are currently in?  Take a peek at those areas of your life that aren’t flowing.

Where is the dis-ease?  Where is the struggle?  Get really clear with yourself about what you want and where you want to go.  Then get real with yourself, maybe even a little brutal, about what’s holding you back.  If you can identify those two pieces, you are on the road to becoming an agent of change in your own life.

I wish you-my fellow spirit in this life-joy and abundance in all its beautiful forms and fortitude for your soul’s journey!

Erin Telford

Erin Telford, MSTOM, L.Ac.

Radiant Heart Acupuncture PC
Licensed Acupuncturist | Certified Herbalist
radiantheartacupuncture.com | Phone: 646.266.4019
214 W. 29th Street, Suite 901 | NY, NY 10001

Follow Erin on Twitter!

Erin Telford holds a Masters of Science degree from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in New York City-a rigorous four-year program that included acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, anatomy and physiology, nutrition, Western disease diagnosis, and treatment of over 300 patients. She is a licensed acupuncturist, board certified herbalist and is trained in Constitutional Facial Acupuncture RenewalTM. She has a private practice at the Classical Wellness Center as well as a practice at Yin & Tonic Acupuncture, a clinic focused on women’s health and infertility.

Erin believes in the powerful healing dynamic between patient and practitioner and the body’s innate ability to move towards balance. She uses a blend of traditional Chinese Medicine and 5 Element techniques to gently bring patients into harmony within their body, mind and spirit. Erin believes her role as a practitioner is to nourish life and relieve suffering of the body as well as the heart.

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Jennifer Pastiloff will be teaching at the Tadasana International Yoga & Music Festival over Earth Day weekend on the beach in Santa Monica, CA, April 20– 22. Click here to check out the festival website and purchase tickets. Enter the code Pastiloff for a $50 discount! (Please note that discount codes expire April 1.)