Lessons from 40 Years of Practice

Last week, over half term, I spent a day in clinic with my uncle. He’s been practising acupuncture in London for over 40 years. He has always been my inspiration and mentor. I still call him often to talk about patients, conditions, and treatment plans.

My uncle works in a traditionally Chinese way - ten treatment rooms on the go, 50 to 70 patients a day. His main diagnostic tool, aside from listening deeply to his patients, is pulse taking.

In Chinese medicine, we feel six pulse positions on each wrist - each corresponding to an organ system in the body. Through the pulse, we can sense where energy is stuck, depleted, excessive, out of balance, and so much more. It’s an art form - one that takes a lifetime to master. My uncle is, without question, a master.

During my 4-year acupuncture training, I spent every summer following him from room to room, feeling pulses alongside him, listening to his diagnoses, and observing his choice of acupuncture points. After I graduated, I worked with him for five years before we moved out of London. So it was a real joy to be back by his side last week - taking pulses, learning, and witnessing his care for his many, many patients.

I always come away with pages of notes after a day with my uncle, but last week two things really stayed with me that I wanted to share.

The first was the heart.
Again and again, our discussions about imbalance came back to the heart — to joy, nourishment, and alignment. How much joy is present in our lives? How alive do we feel? Are our choices aligned with who we truly are?
In Chinese medicine, the heart isn’t just a physical organ - it’s the home of our shen, our spirit. When we live in alignment with our heart’s truth, there’s a natural radiance that flows through us. When we lose touch with it, our vitality dims.

The second was the reminder to slow down.
My uncle spoke about the catastrophic rise in our phone addiction and how overstimulated our nervous systems have become. Of course, we all know this - but hearing it from him carries particular weight. He has spent decades treating hundreds of people every week, witnessing first-hand the effects of constant stimulation on the body and mind.

So, as we move into the colder months, this feels like the perfect invitation -

to slow down,
to rest more deeply,
to find moments of quiet,
and to keep reconnecting with our heart and our truth.

What’s one small thing I could do today that would nourish my heart?
And what’s one thing I could let go of that no longer feels aligned?

With love,

Jo x