Fascinated by hidden worlds, altered states and energetic healing, Jason Frye has studied traditional Chinese medicine since his early 20s, seeking ways to support the mind, body and spirit through acupuncture and acupressure. Both healing modalities fall under a tradition known as qigong, which essentially translates to “the work of harvesting one’s own energy.”
“People have migraines, fertility issues, prostate issues, sleep issues, post-surgery—all of these things can be remedied through acupuncture and pressure,” Jason said. “Both the physical and the mental are very strongly connected.”
Jason opened a new acupuncture office in Point Reyes Station in 2021, supplementing a larger business he has owned and operated in Richmond since 2012. His work at both offices employs the concept of qigong, healing meridian points along the body.
Just as every landscape has an underground water system, meridians are invisible paths within us, according to Chinese medicine. They represent our subtle body—an aspect of ourselves that is not solely spiritual, emotional or physical, but a blend of all. The pathways create an energy flow, known as qi, that is directly tied to the inner machinations of the body. The meridians meet the surface at over 2,000 points, which can be activated through pressure applied either through the hands or with needles.
Some people get shaky around needles, and unlike some practitioners of acupuncture, Jason abhors the notion that there is medicinal value in pain, which he says is a deterrent to healing, not a byproduct of it.
Living in Akron, Ohio as a child, Jason had an accident on a trampoline that would spark ongoing struggles with his knee and lower back. After moving to Atlanta, Georgia, his pain was exacerbated by another injury Jason would experience as a teenager, twisting his knee playing football.
In his youth, Jason’s interest in spirituality and altered states led him to Alan Watts and Ram Dass, two influential voices in the counterculture movements of the 1960s. Their abilities to speak to the American mind about Eastern philosophies was monumental for the greater qigong movement in California, Jason said.
“I moved to L.A. in junior high and I would listen to Alan Watts and Ram Dass on KPFK late at night,” Jason said. He also began learning martial arts, practicing a style of kempo jiu-jitsu.
When Jason moved to San Diego at age 22, his knee and back pain had reached a new peak. A friend studying at San Diego Healing Arts Institute offered him a session.
“She would do this no-touch healing, called Zen touch, setting up the room with crystals—it all felt very witchy,” he said. “But the peace drawn from these sessions was just amazing. I knew I needed more of that.”
His passion for qigong, martial arts, Buddhism and Taosim, coupled with the relief found in these healing sessions, Jason gravitated toward acupressure and the greater application of qigong as a means of studying what he loved while still paying the bills.
“If you have an issue, you go to the acupuncturist. If you have many, you become an acupuncturist,” Jason said.
One of Jason’s formative teachers was Madam Ou-Yang Min, or Madam Yu, a master of qigong who came to the United States in the ‘80s as a part of a Stanford University study on qigong. Known for her ability to move objects with her qi, Madam Yu’s legacy is revered in the Chinese medicine community.
Madam Yu’s four-hour class would begin with an hour of her throwing students around using her qi, followed by an hour of meditation, tai chi and other movement practices.
John Mini, a practicing acupuncturist in Tiburon, said Madam Yu “left behind a jigsaw legacy, where each of her students holds a part of the whole of her teaching.” “Each of us was only able to absorb as much as her capacity allowed, and Madame Yu had much more to teach than any of the students could fully embody,” he said.
Jason began practicing tui na, a Chinese-style meridian massage therapy, in the East Bay in 1999 after receiving his tui na and acupressure certificate from the former Acupressure Institute in Berkeley that same year. Jason then taught at the McKinnon Body Therapy Center and Acupressure Institute for 14 years. In 2011, he received his Masters of Science in acupuncture and oriental medicine at the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences, where he taught until 2020. In 2012, he became a licensed acupuncturist and opened his own practice.
Kewesi Simon was in one of Jason’s tui na courses in 2019. What separates tui na from acupressure is movement. Both practices deal with meridian points along the body, but tui na combines pressure with movement, while acupressure involves static movement.
“He’s unlike any teacher, humble and without ego. It felt like we were colleagues,” said Mr. Simon, who owns his own personal training facility in Oakland. “He’s a true master of the internal martial arts, of acupuncture and of tui na. You’ll be on cloud nine for a week after one session with him.”
Jason’s first acupuncture practice, in Oakland, occupied a small shoji room he built using translucent Japanese-style doors that he found and refinished. He now manages a 2,000-square-foot office in Richmond, a high-energy place with several acupuncturists and administrative assistants. The sizable staff and continuous appointments make for a busy workload, but after moving to Point Reyes Station with his wife, Katie, and their daughter three years ago, he longed to open a practice closer to home.
When dentist Craig Crispin retired during the pandemic, his office in downtown Point Reyes Station sat vacant for a year before Jason began renting it. After painting, putting in carpets and outfitting it for a studio, he opened for appointments in May 2021.
Jason says he is happy to be practicing where he lives and providing clients with a longer, more personal service. “This practice makes for a well-balanced relationship,” Jason said. “You, me and the space in between works like the yin and the yang.”
You can contact Jason Frye at Inner Light Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine by phone at (415) 720.4799 or by email at [email protected].