In the weeks since my last post I’ve been working on providing a more in-depth explanation of this name, and why it’s been an important facet of my life over the last many years.

I’ve also wanted to begin laying the foundation for one location on the web where I can begin documenting those thoughts that have come to me throughout the years. On the surface level, that place where you and I meet as the writer and the audience, these writings will be focused on integrative therapies, and the services that I’m most familiar with.

Going a little deeper in, you’ll soon discover that much of what I do has just as much to do with integrative therapies, as it does spiritual fulfillment and enlightening endeavors that tend to masquerade themselves as a business. Over the last few days, as I’ve mulled over the topic of this entry, I’ve decided to really open up, and to begin sharing the facts behind this name, and what I do as a business professional, massage therapist, and student of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.

Kusala Alternative Healthcare is more than just a name. It is a syllabic and phonetic pronunciation of my sacred tongue, that when combined with written text, provides the web-based latticework, and structure, of what we most commonly refer to as the Affordable Care Act. The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, as it’s most commonly referred to, is arguably one of the most controversial laws that we’ve seen in recent history. Despite where the reader finds themselves on this spectrum of dialogue surrounding this law, it’s important to remember that the entire goal of the Affordable Care Act, at least from my perspective, is to begin the process of healing for those disadvantaged and communities of color that benefit from this type of insurance coverage.

Now, before you get all tangled up in the who’s who of whoever crafted this bill, it’s equally important to remember that I’ve had less to do with the actual language in the bill, than you may think. It’s also important to remember that the actual bill had to be severely reduced in size in order to be able sustain the votes that would eventually enact it to become a law. Needless to say, I was disappointed as a voting member of the public with this reduction, as I had witnessed first hand from a former psychologist-client of mine, the vast amounts of greed and anger that continue to support the growth of the medical establishment.

In the years prior, I had been practicing Zen Buddhism as a lay practitioner and was mostly informed on alternative therapies from my time spent practicing energy medicine and shamanism, and then, later on, from my therapeutic massage courses at a local massage school. This, combined with the practice of zazen – or the study of the self – that I had been introduced to at Zen Mountain Monastery, located in New York State, had laid the groundwork for what I saw as problematic for true healing to occur, and this includes our current disconnect from the natural world, and those very big, large, and publicly traded pharmaceutical companies that devote themselves to convincing the public, that we’re no more than a sentient bag of chemical processes that have to be dealt with.

And don’t get me wrong, in case of medical emergencies or necessities, I go to a doctor. But as you might surmise, I’m not a fan of being reduced to a chemical process whose treatment is eligible for insurance reimbursement, under the right conditions, and with an accurate prescription, for whatever symptoms that I may, or may not, be seeking a doctor’s opinion on. My time spent studying shamanism has clearly shown me that there’s more than one thing that is “real” in this world, and that there’s more than one thing that is capable of bringing a person into wholeness.

Our spiritual guides and allies, for example, happen to exist in realities outside of our own, but are nonetheless extremely effective on raising awareness and cultivating consciousness towards one’s own body-mind.

So, this brings us to a previous business interest in Columbus, Ohio – including my ousting as the co-founder of that business – and why my voluntary departure had left so many of my clients in the dark as to my whereabouts, and of the events that took place during my first myofascial release seminar in December, 2006.

It’s at this point in my writing that I’ve found myself thinking about which order to present this with. Again, going back to the surface level of things, I’ve found the idea of going back to the months preceding my downfall and trip to the hospital to be discouraging. Not only do the unsettled feelings and sentiments towards the psychologist and former business partner come to mind, but also all of the hard work that I had put into the founding of that business. If it weren’t for my invitation to this person at a local Thai massage class, none of this would be, and the conversation would’ve ended a long time ago. But, fate being as it may, I was forced to make decisions that I otherwise wouldn’t have, and this brings me to Shiva and the yoga practice that I was once affiliated with.

As a young massage therapist, I found the idea of working with an immediate clientele base to be appealing. Formerly, as an automotive salesperson, I knew all too well the reality of building a customer base. For many, as the upper management would always say, you’ll have to stay put for at least 2 – 3 years before your previous customers will begin returning with their trade-ins. Up until then, or unless good word-of-mouth referrals happen to come your way, you’ll just have to put the legwork in and sell some cars. As eager as I was to begin working for myself, and as aware as I had been on any potential gender preferences, dare I say near gender discrimination, against the male massage therapist, I found myself seeking contractor work at a local yoga studio that catered towards gay men.

It didn’t matter to me if these customers were gay or not, after all, they were paying clients that would probably prefer, and quite frankly, needed, the firmer touch and non-sexual therapeutic massage that I offered. What I didn’t realize, however, was how the lack of boundaries in a men’s only yoga studio would further affect me. I went into the situation open-minded while clearly communicating the fact that I am a straight, male, massage therapist who offered nothing more. I’m totally fine with your lifestyle as it is, I would say, and as long as our boundaries are communicated and respected in return, then it would be no big deal. What I didn’t know, and what is probably naive on my behalf, is that a lot of men go into a massage expecting sex. Really? People actually do that?

As you can see, running the gamut of progressive thinkers and alternative lifestyles that are found in the tenets of Buddhahood and self-acceptance has worn off on me. Even to this day, I have no problem working with the LGBTQ+ communities, as I’ve done the work of accepting myself, and in doing so, have learned to become accepting of others. Over the years I’ve had many gay and lesbian clients that are great to work with, and appear to continue supporting me in ways that work best for them, and while I’ve considered aligning this business with those organizations that support straight allies of the alternative communities, it’s clear to me that not inviting sexual energy into this practice has to be at the forefront of my mind. While there is a place for sexual healing and integrative therapies, this is not a healing modality that Kusala provides.

There is a time back there, and after my few months at the yoga studio, when I found myself in bliss while becoming aware of the reality of studying tantra and tantric yogic practices. Although this is a different conversation entirely from the yoga studio, I found that the practice of zazen, when combined with the practice of therapeutic touch, was allowing me to experience a freedom that I had not yet found. It was fulfillment without desire, and subtle nods of awareness into where tantra may lead me. After experiencing a series of vivid awakenings while in the military, and that I later found to be most closely aligned with a kundalini awakening, I found myself returning to the idea of the serpent, coiled at the base of our spines, ready for our cosmic expansion.

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