Hi Everyone 👋 Here we are on day 2 of how traditional chinese medicine connects to our daily life. The Money There's a particular kind of tiredness that comes from checking your balance. You know it before the app has loaded. You hold your breath slightly at the till. You've got a rough figure in your head and a much worse figure underneath it that you don't look at. I grew up with no money. Not "we had to budget" no money. Not much food in the cupboard, no heating in the house, hot water boiled on the stove top, no way of asking anyone for help because everyone around us was in the same state. So I know what it does to the body. It sits low down, in the gut and the lower back, and it hums. Watch for the signs..... checking the balance several times a day, as though the number might have changed out of sympathy. Shame at the checkout. Hiding it from people. Lower back ache. Cold hands and feet. A grip in the belly that never quite releases. Being generous when you can't afford to be, because you can't bear to be seen as the one who can't. The old medicine puts fear in the Kidneys. And the Kidneys are the deep reserves, the savings account of the body, the thing you were born with and slowly spend. Chronic fear goes straight there. That's why long-term money stress makes you feel old. Aching back, weak knees, tired in a way sleep doesn't touch. The Spleen worries, the Kidneys fear, and between them they use up everything you've got. The Greeks had a story about the Danaides. Fifty sisters, punished in the underworld by being set to fill a jar with holes in it. They pour water in. It runs out. They fetch more. Forever. That's the feeling. It isn't only that there's not enough. It's that the effort of trying to make there be enough never stops. So here's the thing, and it's small, and it won't pay your rent. Fear multiplies in the dark. One true number, written down, once. Not to fix it. Just so it's a number and not a monster. Then leave it alone for the day.

Hi Everyone 👋 Many of you will know I'm a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine.TCM, its ancient history and culture, has become a huge part of my life, and it connects seamlessly with my love of Buddhism, Daoism, mindfulness, and spirituality and helps my patients and me every day. So, following my recent series on ancient wisdom, I felt the need to highlight TCM in a series of posts. I hope you enjoy them 🙏 Day 1. The Hours For anyone on the treadmill. Which is most of us. These aren't lessons. They're just things I've noticed, and things the old traditions noticed, about the way we're living now. A word first... none of this replaces a doctor, a therapist, a food bank or a friend who can actually turn up. If you're in a bad way, use those. This is the other thing, the thing that sits alongside. Eleven o'clock at night. Laptop still open. The thing you said you'd finish before dinner is still there, and now there's a second thing, and you're telling yourself you'll stop after this one. You won't. You'll stop when you're too tired to read the screen, and then you'll lie awake running the list. The week has no edges any more. That's what's changed. It used to be that work had a shape, a beginning and an end, even a bad one. Now it's a fog you're always standing in. Here's what to watch for....... Sunday dread that starts on Saturday afternoon. Sighing. You'll notice you're doing it and not know why. Tight ribs, tight jaw, shoulders up around your ears. Eating at the desk, or not eating, or eating the wrong thing standing up. Waking between one and three in the morning, mind already at work before your eyes are open. And a strange flatness about things you used to look forward to, as though the colour's been turned down. Traditional Chinese Medicine calls this Liver Qi stagnation. The Liver's job is free flow, everything moving as it should, and when you're braced all day every day, it stops flowing. The sighing is your body trying to move it. The rib tightness is where it's stuck. The Spleen gets involved too, because it's the organ that turns food into energy, and worry drains it. So you get tired after eating, foggy, loose, and no amount of coffee fixes it.

If you take a look at the classroom tab above, you will see there are two programs that I created for you, The Peaceful Path — 30 Day Journey Back To You.....What if you haven't lost yourself — you've simply lost touch with yourself? A gentle 30-day journey to slow down, understand what you've been carrying, reconnect with yourself, and begin finding your way home. 14 teachings • 4 guided practices • 60-page companion journal. The Peaceful Path — From Contraction to Liberation.......What if you could understand your mind instead of constantly fighting it? This six-week journey takes you from fear, anger, desire and emotional contraction towards acceptance, courage, peace, love, joy and greater awareness. Through powerful teachings, guided meditations, reflection and simple practices, you’ll learn to recognise your patterns, create space around difficult emotions and discover a calmer, wiser way of meeting life. Your journey home begins here. Also, there is an option for 1-to-1 calls with me if you would like to discuss any problems or challenges you may be facing right now. Please take a look With Love ❤️ Always Mark