Sacred rage? Biohacking the body? What is it? Grace Van Bodie, an acupuncturist and herbalist with a Master of Science in Traditional Oriental Medicine, will be hosting a workshop for women on June 1st from 3-6pm at Altitude Fitness in Blue Jay. The workshop will explain anger (or anger + stress), help you transform it into love, and help you heal your body. A fourth generation acupuncturist and herbalist, Grace specializes in helping women understand their own infradian rhythmic cycles, as opposed to the male circadian rhythms that typically dictate the course of life in society. Drawing on her own 10 years of healing and learning experience, Grace empathizes with women struggling to overcome trauma. She draws on ancient wisdom and modern research to help women learn from their mistakes and utilize the tools they have acquired. She believes that “the greatest wounds can be the greatest gifts.” According to her, physical illnesses almost always have an emotional component as well, and Grace seeks to address both. Here’s what she has to say about the workshop: “In this workshop you will learn tools based on acupuncture and modern science using tapping, movement, breathwork, voice, acupuncture and acupressure.” To sign up for the workshop, Venmo money to @graceandmedicine for the class and include your name in the comments ($70 including acupuncture).
She noticed that women going through the biochemical changes of pregnancy and postpartum adjustments seemed to be coping quite alone, as their biological families often did not live nearby, and she felt that young mothers were an undersupported community. She currently works with young mothers at Lake Arrowhead Acupuncture. She is a certified doula, so she accompanies women through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum recovery. As a mother herself, she understands the physical and mental changes that pregnancy brings, and has great advice for working through hormonal issues and healing past emotional trauma. She works at Lake Arrowhead Acupuncture & Holistic Health in Cedar Glen, typically available Monday and Tuesday evenings.
Many of the common practices in Western society regarding pregnancy and the postpartum period are contrary to the best interests of mothers. For example, Grace’s guidelines include:
The young mother will be spending the first two weeks with them (food rationing will need to be arranged; Grace suggests preparing certain foods recommended for the postnatal period, such as bone broth, in advance and storing them in the freezer for this period).
The young mother spent the first week sleeping in her bed and having her baby brought to her.
I’ll be spending the second week in bed.
The third week, he moves around the bed.
After giving birth, avoid cold foods such as salads and smoothies. In fact, “baby in the womb” is a clever way of saying this during pregnancy. Stay warm. The Chinese believe that “wind is the root of all diseases.” In winter, the Chinese cover their necks because that’s where the cold is most likely to affect them. For the same reason, Grace warns against going out with wet hair.
Past trauma is often stored in the organs of the body. Grace helps women connect with their younger selves to heal past trauma. Mental, emotional and physical imbalances can be alleviated through diet, herbs and dialogue. In her 10 years of acupuncture practice, Grace has produced the following:
1. Crystal Key Protocol: Addresses blockages in the body’s meridians. Tapping, acupuncture, stretching and verbal communication clear blockages and help organs and meridians communicate with each other. Anger and resentment are signs of blockages exploding. When hormone reserves are depleted, burnout can occur. This is the focus of the June 1st workshop.
2. Moon Mapping Master Class: Harnessing the female “biological super power” (part of a woman’s natural cycle controlled by the moon) to biohack for peak performance. Women can schedule their lives around their cycles. For example, up to 25% of the brain changes during ovulation. This time should be used for networking or presentations where the social center is strengthened. During bleeding, the right and left hemispheres of the brain communicate with each other the most, so it is a good time for reflection and review. However, it is not a good time for intermittent fasting. Grace recommends eating in season. Leafy greens are naturally abundant in spring. Summer fruits and salads with less meat are an example of a natural eating cycle. Fall pumpkins are good for you. Grace recommends shopping at local farmers’ markets and “eating in season.” She adds, “everything in moderation.” Add to that “hydration, sleep and exercise,” she concludes. Her acupuncture studies include Tai Chi and Qigong. Treating the physical and emotional problems of others requires the expenditure of energy, and the practitioner must replenish their own energy.
During the full moon, she notes, parasites are more active and oyster colonies flourish in nature. People are more inclined to go out and socialize. This corresponds to a woman’s ovulation cycle. This is a good time to teach, take classes, or have difficult conversations. The darkest time of the cycle, the new moon, corresponds to the bleeding phase, a time to withdraw and enjoy relaxation. It’s not a good time for women to run a marathon. Meanwhile, men get a fresh infusion of testosterone every 15 minutes. Morning workout, marathon? Ready to go? Around 4 p.m., testosterone drops and estrogen rises, and both men and women tend to be more sociable for happy hour. Around 7 p.m., men’s testosterone drops and they’re ready to lie on the couch and watch TV. During ovulation, women have more energy. Chinese medicine teaches that the mind, body, and spirit are intertwined, and treating imbalances in them can help with healing in leaps and bounds. As well as helping to bring the body into balance, Grace also offers facial rejuvenation treatments using acupuncture and micro-needling, a “natural Botox”.
Grace fell in love with massage therapy after working at Massage Envy. Grace wants to tell women, “You don’t have to go through life alone. It’s okay to live a cyclical emotional life.” Grace wants to help women feel empowered and better understand their biological side. “There are answers and tools for everything women are going through,” Grace asserts.
Grace and her husband Kai have a love of the woods, where she is an assistant teacher for the Outdoor Homeschool Collective (formerly Dirt Creek Forest School), and in her free time she loves to sing, dance, garden (especially edible plants), watercolor paint, and spend time with Kai (who is also an acupuncturist) and their two young children.
