Introducing Living Dialogues: a series of conversations with artists, makers, healers, and explorers, that trace the textures of their life in orbit with our experiential world.
In this first edition, we chat with a long-time friend, muse, and teacher of all things health and wellbeing: mother and acupuncturist, Lina Bardovi. Lina guides us through the multidimensional landscapes that inform her views on nourishment, daily rhythms, and the importance of the postpartum portal.
Name: Lina Bardovi
Location: Los Angeles, California
I am: Acupuncturist & Mama
What rituals or rhythms guide your daily life?
Lately, my daily rhythm is somewhat guided by my 19 month old babe. He wakes with the sun, so each morning we step outside to say good morning to the sun and get our morning light. Mornings with a toddler can be a little chaotic, so I find this to be a really beautiful and grounded way to start our day.
After breakfast and some play, I make a warm beverage, put him in the carrier and go for a little hike which I find is another perfect ritual to anchor our energy and bring it more inward after the loud morning.
Dinner is always such an important part of our daily rhythm, as it’s where we all get to come together, share a meal, and wind down our day. I like to make it feel extra sacred in Fall & Winter by dimming the lights and lighting a candle.
Nothing revolutionary… just simple things that I can stick to daily that help create a sense of groundedness and calm!
How do you feel the most connected to the earth?
When I’m in a body of water. Whether the ocean or a stream, I feel like being submerged in a natural source of water is like the earth’s weighted blanket enveloping you in it's energy.
What landscapes or places live inside of you?
In Chinese Medicine acupuncture “channels” as we now know them are actually thought of as bodies of water and the “points” describe a specific part of each channel - like a well, spring, stream, river, or sea. I love this imagery to imagine how things flow through us and it’s become a deep part of how I view my internal landscape.
What does beauty mean to you?
When I think of beauty I think of authenticity and radiance. When someone is so unapologetically authentically themself, there’s this energetic quality that radiates. In TCM we call this Shen and it’s reflected in the eyes and complexion.
This radiance also stems from deep nourishment that emanates from the inside out. When I think of the moments where I personally feel the most beautiful, its when my skin is glowy and radiant, when my eyes are clear and bright, when my lips feel full and soft, when my body is at ease, yet steady. These are all external signals that I’ve been properly nourishing myself internally with plenty of healthy fats, nutrient rich foods and mineralizing beverages.
Are there philosophies, values, influences, or traditions that have shaped the way you move through life?
As an acupuncturist, Chinese Medicine of course has a profound influence on how I move through the world. From viewing food as a medicinal resource, to making sure I’m wearing socks around the house, to understanding how my emotions impact various organ systems, it really does have its hand in almost every aspect of my life.
If I’m ever questioning something or feeling stuck, I also try to run it through the lens of “What would my ancestors hundreds or thousands of years ago have done?” Its definitely not perfect in our modern world, but this question has really helped me come back to simplicity and guides some of my daily rituals like how near, grounding, getting sunlight throughout the day, seasonal food choices, etc.
What core question is at the heart of your current work or creations?
Lately, its really been centered around how to support the body in ways that promote a regulated nervous system. Between what I’ve been seeing in my patients, personally as a new mama of a toddler, and recently diving into the world of postpartum for my Nourishing Motherhood course, I really feel that a regulated nervous system is essential both for healing, and for raising the next generation of compassionate, connected, resilient humans.
Can you share a bit about Nourishing Motherhood, and the inspiration behind this offering?
Nourishing Motherhood is a self-paced online postpartum prep course rooted in the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine and infused with my own personal experience as an acupuncturist and mother. Its what I wish every mama-to-be could know going into postpartum.
I finally sat down to put it all together (after years of ruminating on it) after going through postpartum myself and experiencing first-hand the need for this type of knowledge, care, and preparation. I created it fresh in my own postpartum which I think adds a level of realness and cuts through the fluff to hone in on what I think is actually helpful. So many of us prepare so wonderfully for birth, but forget about what comes after. In TCM we say the way you are cared for in the first 40 days after birth impacts your health for the next 40 years of life. It’s an incredibly important time in a woman's life and I really wanted to bring back the sacredness of this time as best I could.
Current reads, listens, or other inspirations?
Lately I’ve been sleeping with one of my massive Chinese Medicine textbooks, Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion, on my nightstand and reading about one acupuncture point per night before bed. It’s been a nice way to deepen my relationship with each point and close out my day. Bon Iver’s most recent album Sable, Fable has been on repeat in our household ever since it came out.
Stay connected with Lina
