Atma Health & Acupuncture

🌑 SOMETHING IS GATHERING AT ATMA…

Winter hasn’t begun yet, but we’re already looking ahead to a special seasonal gathering.

As darkness deepens, a quiet renewal begins.

A space to turn inward, release what feels heavy, and make room for the returning light.

✨ OUR FIRST HALF-DAY RETREAT ✨

A very special Winter Solstice experience at Atma.

Something intimate.
Something restorative.
Something renewing.

Details coming soon.

🌙 The light always returns.

Sunday’s Chinese medicine word of the day is back! 🎉✨

Today’s word is De Qi 得气, which translates to “the arrival of qi.”

De Qi is the unique sensation you may experience when an acupuncture point is activated. It can feel dull, warm, heavy, achy, tingly or like the sensation is gently spreading away from the needle.

These sensations are completely normal—and when De Qi occurs, the experience can feel surprisingly profound. Patients may notice a tight muscle beginning to release, a wave of relaxation moving through the body or a deeper sense of calm settling over them. Sometimes you can actually feel your body softening in real time. ✨

Your acupuncturist may also feel a subtle “grasping” or change in the tissue around the needle. This helps us recognize when a point is responding or feels more active than the surrounding points.

And remember last Sunday’s word, Ashi point: the tender “ouch, yes, that’s it!” spot? De Qi is often especially noticeable when we needle an Ashi point because these areas commonly hold muscle tension, knots or pain. There may be a brief achy or intense sensation, followed by the feeling that something has finally let go. 🙌

De Qi should never feel sharply painful or intolerable, so always tell your acupuncturist what you’re experiencing. Communication helps us adjust your treatment while still allowing your body to respond.

Tiny needles. Powerful sensations. Sometimes one little point creates one very big exhale. 🩷✨

We’ve talked about Ashi points. We’ve felt the arrival of De Qi. And now that we’ve officially piqued your interest… it’s time to unpack the star of the show: Qi 😆✨
Today’s word of the day is Qi 气 (pronounced “chee”).
You’ve probably heard Qi translated simply as “energy,” but in Chinese medicine, it’s so much more than that. Qi is your body’s dynamic vitality. It’s the constant movement, transformation, and functional intelligence that allow your mind and body to work as a team.
While there isn’t a single direct translation in Western medicine, you can think of Qi as the master controller behind your body’s everyday systems:
Your metabolism: converting food into usable fuel.
Your nervous system: sending signals and adapting to stress.
Your circulation & respiration: breathing, moving blood, and delivering oxygen.
Blood and body fluids carry out vital work of their own, but Qi is the engine driving them. Qi gives blood the push to circulate and keeps fluids flowing smoothly.
When your Qi moves freely, you feel vibrant, clear, and balanced. But when it gets stuck or depleted? That’s when body signals like tension, pain, fatigue, digestion issues, or even feeling emotionally stuck pop up.
Acupuncture works by clearing the “traffic jams” so your Qi can flow where it’s needed most. (And that warm, heavy, or tingling sensation you might feel during a session? That’s De Qi letting you know the magic is happening! 🙌)
So no, Qi isn’t just a mysterious mist or sparkles floating around the treatment room… though honestly, we’re not mad about the sparkles in this photo since this IS how it feels. 😆🌈✨
Qi is simply your body’s built-in wisdom to heal, adapt, and thrive. And that’s pretty amazing all on its own. 🩷

Now that we’ve introduced you to Qi…where exactly does it go? 😆✨

Sunday’s Chinese medicine word of the day is back, and today we’re talking about Jing Luo 经络, or the body’s channel network.

Think of Jing Luo like an interconnected system of highways and side streets:

🛣️ Jing are the main highways—larger pathways traveling through the body.

🌿 Luo are the smaller side streets and connecting roads that branch outward and help everything communicate.

In Chinese medicine, Qi and Blood move through this network, carrying nourishment and supporting communication between different regions, tissues and organ systems.

When everything is flowing smoothly, traffic moves along beautifully. But when there’s a slowdown, traffic jam or roadblock, we may experience symptoms such as pain, tension or a feeling of being stuck.

Acupuncture points are like strategic access points along these routes. By selecting specific points, we’re traditionally working to redirect traffic, open congested areas and encourage smoother movement throughout the system. 📍✨

You may have heard these pathways called meridians, but channel network better captures how interconnected they truly are. Nothing in the body exists entirely on its own—and Chinese medicine has been reminding us of that for thousands of years.

Your body is always communicating. Acupuncture helps us listen to the traffic report. 😆🚦🩷

Whoa—did you see that muscle jump?! 👀⚡️ Dani | Well•ish™

That’s electrostimulation acupuncture in action! Acupuncturist Jason is working his magic with electro-acupuncture, cupping, and therapeutic massage to help release tight muscles and support a speedier recovery after intense workouts 💪✨ Jason Calva, PhD, LAc

Whether you’re an athlete or simply love staying active, recovery is just as important as the workout. Giving your body time to rest, reset, and release tension helps you move better, feel better, and stay on your game.

Train hard. Recover well. Keep doing what you love. 🙌 And don’t forget to drink a lot of water and eat extra protein. 🎉🎉

New massage tool alert! Patients are absolutely loving our new body and facial massager. I add in warm water to help relax tight muscles in the body and the face. The tool was designed by another acupuncturist LANSHIN ™, this is not an Ad, we just Love it! 😍😍 It is especially great for the neck, chest, upper back, TMJ and for leg pain and leg swelling. I put body or face oil on first and then use this warm, gentle massager. Watch for tips on if you do facial massage and the best ways to open up the lymph system to help detox “the gunk” (technical term 😆) out of your face :) have a great day!