Recently, as our household prepared for the adventure that is back-to-school 2020, we decided to have our piano tuned. I didn’t really think it needed tuning, frankly. It sounded ok to me. But as the piano tuner began to methodically check and sweeten every single note, interval and tonal relationship inside our familiar family instrument I became fascinated by not only how wrong I had been about it being in tune, but by the whole tuning process.
Of course, as a healing artist, I was immediately inspired by the metaphor of “tuning up” the body as a technician would tune a piano. Often, we feel “fine”, meaning there is nothing emergently wrong. None of our strings are broken or jangling. We don’t have any radically sour notes in our accustomed routines or our familiar daily songs. So, why seek a tune-up if nothing seems distractingly wrong?
The demotion that self-care, equitable health care access and the concept of optimal personal wellbeing is given in our social and national consciousness too often encourages us to “leave well enough alone”. After all, who said life was easy, or a proverbial “bed of roses”, right? Working ourselves to the point of exhaustion is considered virtuous, while seeking rest or relief of nagging discomfort is indulgent. We are rewarded much more by society for overriding fatigue or imbalance in the service of achievement and accumulation of wealth. So many people are being so hard on themselves during this Pandemic for not achieving more like learning a new language or perfecting a new workout, as if remaining healthy and productive at all were not already massive victories.
What could be a more precious achievement than those moments in which we find ourselves optimally aligned with our mind, body and spirit in the service of our passions and of those we love? What is more extraordinary than a beautiful day on planet earth in which you not only have the energy to enjoy and move through and experience every sight, sound taste and touch of it, but also the presence of mind to realize you are truly and deeply joyful and in love with your life? Those are moments of pure harmony, when every note in us is resonating with our surroundings and every interval we have in our instrument is balanced and sweet and ringing.
Now, I am not saying I am a miracle worker and that optimal health is just a tune up away. But what I am saying is that we can become complacent. We can perceive our state of being like I did our piano at home, as just fine, and let our wellness slide when, with a few changes and some good internal and external care we could feel entirely different, more vibrantly alive.
Think of your nerves like the strings of a piano. Think of an acupuncturist’s needles as the fingers on the keys, and the tuning element. Through the needles the tuner is listening for where your vibrations are being dampened or blocked. With each session we learn your instrument and what more it has to give. I am here to help you remember that you are a unique and beautiful virtuoso, and that you deserve an empowered and well-tempered instrument.
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