When is Enough, Enough?

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty,

and the pursuit of happiness.

The United States Declaration of Independence

The pursuit of happiness.

When you are in pursuit of something, you either do not have that which you seek or you feel you do not have enough. Some things you can measure and count, like money. But does having enough of that stop us from pursuing more? While other things you may pursue cannot be measured, like happiness.


Our country was founded on this principle and we even have successfully exported it the world over; it is engrained in the very fabric of our modern culture. We seek; we strive. To be fair, without this indomitable spirit, this country would not have progressed and advanced as quickly as it has. It is part of what makes us unique and special as a people. But there is balance in all things. We strive to put food on the table, clothes on our backs, a roof over our heads, and a few bucks in the bank for rainy days and retirement. Yet along the way, we get conditioned to believe that more is better: more food, more clothes, a bigger house, and a larger pot of cash in the bank. Happiness in the present moment and contentment for all we do have get lost in the pursuit for more; enough is no longer enough. We continue to seek to fill the void in our hearts with things that don’t have a chance at fitting.

Stop reading this for a moment and tune in to your breath. Notice… we inhale… for more; we exhale… for less. And right there in the middle is a space of stillness, of contentment. It is the sweet spot between more and less. It is enough.


In my office, I sit and listen intently to my patients. I piece together their stories with their symptoms and work to find a path toward relief. And when they lay down on my table and rest with the acupuncture needles in, they get an all too unique opportunity to lie still during their busy, seeking day. And no matter the message I am communicating with my point selection, one theme is always present: you have everything you need right in your own body. You heart beats by itself, your breath flows in and out by itself. Much of your body processes occur without your intervention. Yet, something gets in the way. Something pulls us out of balance.

The longer I am in practice, the more I see my role as helping to remove obstruction. When given the chance, the body, the mind and the spirit know what to do. When I can encourage stillness, when I can encourage my patients to simplify, to do less, to sit still more, greater health can be recovered and balance can be found. One of my teachers told me that when his patients ask him what they should do, he replies, “Do less.”

Sure there are many among us that truly lack for the basic necessities of life. But even for them, enough can be found in the love they have for their family and friends, the breath they have in their bodies, and the joy they have in their hearts for what they do have. And there are those of us that are fortunate to not be suffering for material needs. Yet we suffer still. It is the suffering that comes with the never-ending pursuit for more.


Take a moment. Sit down, close your eyes and take a deep breath.

Inhale…
Pause and listen…
Exhale…
Pause and listen.

Enough is actually enough.

Breathing into Pain

If you are experiencing pain that is either chronic or has come "out of nowhere," take a moment to breathe into it. Find a quiet spot away from any distractions. Lay down or sit in a comfortable position with your back straight, and take a few deep breaths. On the inhale, breathe in through the soles of your feet up to the top of your head. And on the exhale, breathe back down and out your soles. Breathe in comfort, space and warmth. Breathe out tightness and pain. Inhale. Exhale.

Once you have established a good relaxed rhythm, pause your attention at the site of your pain and introduce yourself to that long-lost friend. What does the pain want you to know? What is it trying to tell you? It could be as simple as needing to adjust your chair at work or as insightful as realizing that your back pain comes on when you are not feeling supported in your own life. Inhale. Exhale.

One reason the breath is used in so many forms of meditation, is that it is a bridge between the unconscious and the conscious mind. While we do have conscious control over it, i.e. we breathe, when we are sleeping you might say, we are being breathed. It is an unconscious involuntary mechanism. And it is in this interplay that great self-awareness can be explored. When we tune into pain in our bodies, mind or spirit, even if the message is buried deep within our unconscious Selves, with enough time, compassion and patience, we can learn to bring it to the surface so we may finally listen to what it has been trying to tell us for so long.

When we become more accustomed to tuning in to these messages in real time, we can actually prevent painful experiences from burying deep within us; we can undo those long-standing triggers so they simply become benign events. We have an experience; we step fully into it; we feel it with all our spirit; and we let it go. We get what we need to get, we get it now, and we move on.

We inhale. We exhale. The space in between is what we call Life.