Community Zen Acupuncture

08/28/2026

05/20/2026

Qi Gong Routine to Improve Flexibility and Reduce Pain - 8 Pieces Brocade

This is a Qi Gong routine I do each day without fail. It is great for loosening up fascia and circulating lymph. I find it quite adequate at preventing mild neck and lower back pain. The different exercises cover movements in many different directions. In just a few minutes, you can do this comprehensive exercise to improve flexibility and circulation.

Community Zen Acupuncture
D&D
Centered

May 1, 2026Qi Gong offers a simple yet effective way to keep your body feeling loose and energized every day. This daily routine focuses on loosening fascia—the connective tissue surrounding muscles—and improving lymph circulation. Many people experience mild neck and lower back pain from sittin...

02/27/2026

Nutrition

I recently came across the advice that consuming a diverse array of plant-foods is good for your gut microbiome.

For those who do not know, the gut microbiome is a vast and complex ecosystem of trillions of microorganisms—including bacteria, fungi, and viruses—living primarily in your large intestine. Often called a "forgotten organ," this community plays a critical role in your health by breaking down dietary fiber, synthesizing essential vitamins, and training your immune system. When this delicate balance is thriving, it supports everything from smooth digestion to mental clarity; however, an imbalance (dysbiosis) can contribute to inflammation and various chronic health issues.

So the simple idea is to consume 30 unique foods from plant sources each week. This makes sure to feed the good bacteria in your gut. Turns out this is a great way to get more fiber, consume more healthy fats, and reduce consumption of processed foods. But my favorite thing to come out of all this?

Avocado Toast on Ezekiel bread -
1. Slice and mash one avocado. Spread it on the toasted Ezekiel bread.

2. Add sliced red onions, Sliced Cherry tomatoes, and Bean sprouts.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Counting the Ezekiel bread (whose nutrition could be a post all its own), that’s 5 plants in one meal. Feel free to modify it how you see fit. I thank you for putting suggestions in the comments below.

Enjoy.


Centered MBS

02/20/2026

Meditation

I talk to a lot of people about meditation. It seems a lot of the time, people will say, “I can’t quiet my mind”, or “I can’t sit still that long”. Unsurprisingly, I feel these are the people who would benefit from meditation the most.

I think where a lot of people get stuck is that they expect to enter this elevated state of mind. This blissed out, floating on a cloud, one with the universe feeling. While sometimes that can happen, I think expecting it is the first obstacle to doing meditation. I always recommend you start with simple goals in meditation. Start by “just sitting”.

While you sit, you can observe your thoughts. Try not to judge them as right or wrong for meditation. What’s more important is to observe them and just sit with them for however long a time you’ve set. Even just a few minutes is a good start. Set a timer for 5…3…2…minutes. Whatever you can manage to start. Try to just sit for that time, even if it’s difficult. In fact, it likely will be difficult. This is the start of progress.

Do this regularly, and like a muscle, your patience will get stronger. In time, you’ll get to know your own mind better. As you do, you will notice more and more stillness within. As you sit for longer periods, you’ll become more in touch with your peaceful observer mind, and less so with your mind of racing thoughts. Then you will start to experience Zen.


Community Zen Acupuncture
Centered

01/23/2026

Gratitude

Focusing on gratitude is one way to tap into the present moment and experience joy. You become happy for what you already have, and do not attach happiness to what you may have or accomplish in the future. Don’t postpone your happiness!

Accept that - things change. What we have may not last. All the more reason to appreciate it now. This grounds your feelings in the present. This is a way to have more energy. We drain so much energy looking forwards and backwards excessively.

We give thanks, in return for the things we cherish in life….for what we have received that is a blessing.

Think of one person, event, or thing - big or small, that enriches your life. How do you feel when you consider that thing? Can you sit with that feeling and let it last?

12/26/2025

Winter is a great time for inner work on yourself.



https://www.communityzenacupuncture.com/post/nei-gong-wei-gong-inner-work-outer-work

12/19/2025

Here's a feel-good story for the season. (I didn't write it.)

The Red Scarf
The winter of 2012 was particularly bitter, and for Sarah, a single mother working two jobs, the "Christmas Spirit" felt like a luxury she couldn't afford. Between the rising heating bills and the cost of winter boots for her growing son, Leo, there was nothing left for a tree, let alone gifts.

On a Tuesday evening, just days before Christmas, Sarah was waiting for the bus in a swirling snowstorm. She noticed an elderly man sitting on the bench, shivering. He wore a thin windbreaker and no gloves. Without thinking, Sarah unwrapped the thick, hand-knitted red scarf from her own neck—a gift from her late grandmother—and draped it around the man.

"You need this more than I do, sir," she whispered. The man looked up with misty eyes, squeezed her hand, and simply said, "Kindness is the only thing that doesn't freeze."

The next morning, Sarah arrived at her shift at the local diner to find an envelope with her name on it. Inside was a $500 tip on a $10 coffee tab from a "Secret Santa," and a small, handwritten note:

"My father came home last night wearing a red scarf and a smile I hadn't seen since my mother passed. Thank you for keeping his heart warm. Merry Christmas."

That year, Sarah and Leo didn't just have a tree; they had a reminder that when you give what little you have, the universe has a way of making sure you have everything you need.

Enjoy the holiday!