Amy Kuretsky

In this episode of Just Like Nana, host Amie (Elizabeth) Penny Sayler is joined by acupuncturist, health coach, and breathwork facilitator Amy Kuretsky to dive into the world of trauma-informed healing.

Together, they explore how active breathwork serves as vibrational medicine to complete interrupted trauma cycles, helping you move from a state of fight, flight, or freeze, back into a regulated, peaceful state.

Amy Kuretsky is a licensed acupuncturist, board-certified health coach, and a seasoned breathwork facilitator with the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance. As the co-owner of Constellation Acupuncture and Healing Arts, Amy bridges the gap between ancient healing traditions and modern trauma-informed care. She specializes in helping clients navigate the complexities of nervous system regulation and mental health, with a clinical focus on digestive disorders, chronic headaches, migraines, anxiety, and depression. By integrating her deep knowledge of East Asian medicine with somatic breathwork practices, Amy empowers individuals to move beyond pushing through and into a state of sustainable, embodied healing.

There is a sacred connection between the air we breathe and the ancestors who came before us. My work at Just Like Nana is about creating a bridge across time—a way to build relationships with the women in my lineage whose stories were lost or silenced.

Recently, I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with someone I’ve worked with in the healing community, Amy Kuretsky, to talk about how we can use the simple act of breathing to heal not just our own stress, but the trauma that’s been passed down to us.

Amy is a licensed acupuncturist and a specialist in trauma-informed East Asian medicine. But more than her titles, she is someone who understands the vibrational nature of our existence. Our conversation was a beautiful reminder that our bodies are not just physical matter; they are living libraries of everything our ancestors survived.

I started our conversation by asking Amy about her own grandmothers. It turns out, we share more than just a passion for healing—we both have a Grandma Rose. Sadly Amy’s paternal grandmother, Rose, passed away when Amy was an infant. To Amy, Rose was a woman whose warmth was spoken of but whose touch was not remembered.

Through a breathwork session, Amy experienced a connection beyond space and time. She felt the presence of her Grandmother Rose holding her energetically. It wasn’t a physical memory, but a somatic one, a deep, protective, and loving vibration.

This is exactly what I hope for all of us: that we can find ways to let our Nanas’ energy and wholeness into our current lives.

If you’ve never tried it, breathwork might sound like a vague term. As Amy explains, it is an umbrella term for any time you bring attention and intention to your breath. While we use it in yoga or even during childbirth (like Lamaze), the specific practice Amy facilitates is a three-part circular breath.

You breathe into the belly, then the chest, and then exhale…repeatedly. This active movement of Chi (energy) does something remarkable: it helps us move through stuck emotions and completes the “trauma cycles” that our brains often try to interrupt.

Amy shared a powerful analogy involving her rescue dog, Juniper. When a dog is stressed, they physically shake their bodies to discharge the energy. Humans, however, tend to use our “thinking brains” to cut off that response. We numb out with our phones, sugar, or other distractions.

Breathwork is like “shaking it out” from the inside. It allows the stress hormones to rise up, crest like a wave, and finally be released through the body. Sometimes this manifests through shivering or tears.

If you are feeling dysregulated or simply want to connect with your own roots, Amy offers a wonderful way to dip your toes in. She has a 7-Day Intro to Breathwork course for just $7. It’s only five to seven minutes a day, but as she says, it’s amazing how quickly the body responds when you finally give it permission to breathe.

You can find all of Amy’s resources, including her work at Constellation Acupuncture and Healing Arts, at https://www.constellationacu.com/

• Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma by Peter A. Levine: https://shorturl.at/qPX8T
• The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk: https://shorturl.at/f9kYb
• The Tao of Trauma by Alaine Duncan: https://shorturl.at/Olo04
• Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski: https://www.burnoutbook.net/
• Eliza Kingsford | The Shift Program: https://www.elizakingsford.com/work-with-me
• HeartMath Institute: https://shorturl.at/MVj1n

• Constellation Acupuncture and Healing Arts: https://www.constellationacu.com/
• 7 Days of Breathwork: https://constellationacu.myflodesk.com/ixrx159c67

Do you have a story about your family that you would like to share? We want to hear from you!

• Website: justlikenana.com
• Share Your Story: If you have a family story or ancestral trauma you’re exploring, reach out via our website for a chance to be interviewed.