Decisions, Decisions...

After much internal debate, I've finally decided what I wanted to explore as part of my mind/body practice. But before I reveal it, I wanted to look at what I didn't choose -- and why.

I have a full time job, am taking a full time doctoral class load, have three kids, and commute an average of three hours a day to work and school. I was afraid that a few of the practices would not fit into my schedule, and after looking into class times at local spots for yoga and tai chi, my fears were confirmed. Though I could attempt a study through DVD's or streaming video, I really wanted to be led by an experienced guide; but nothing structured like a class was going to possibly fit into my life.

A few of these practices I considered to be really out there, and I was afraid the amount of skeptic baggage I would approach the practice with might dampen the experience. This included suggested practices for the assignment like reiki, johrei, and tapping. I have a lot of doubts about the effectiveness of these practices and wanted to try something more familiar (yet something I've never actually done). I was also a bit worried because I thought it might be more difficult to find practitioners to help me explore these practices. I had not seen any advertisements or offices for either of these, so I wasn't sure if they would even be accessible to me.

I also excluded hypnosis and belly dancing for a combination of reasons. I'm not comfortable with either practice (I don't like to feel out of control, as I fear I would with hypnosis and I'm not in the physical shape for any sort of dancing) and I also saw a combination of a few earlier mentioned factors as well.

I finally settled on acupuncture. Acupuncture is something that has fascinated me for a while, and though I've never tried it before, it’s a treatment that has been suggested to me by my doctor to treat neuropathy and back pain. The fact that it's been recommended by a Western doctor gives it some credibility to me and I assumed I would be able to make appointments that would work around my many other obligations. I had seen several businesses that advertised as acupuncturists around Auburn (where I live) and Columbus (where I work), so I did not think finding a practitioner would be an issue.