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All sentient beings have the dimensions of consciousness, energy and a physical body. We as human beings have the the ability and capacity to develop all these these dimensions to their highest potential. Vital energy, aka Qi (pronounced chee), is better understood through what it does rather than by defining exactly what it is. Qi co-ordinates what our mind wants to do into physical and verbal action, that is it mediates the actions to achieve what the mind wants. Here we are interested in developing and harnessing Qi in order to fulfil our human potential for living a healthy and purposeful life. Investigating our spiritual potential through meditation is to discover the meaning of our precious human life. So combining the cultivation of Qi with meditation enables us to live a meaningful, purposeful and healthy life. A good level of vitality and wellbeing indicates a strong life force. A weak life force results in a sense operating below par and a lack of vitality in all aspects of our life. Qi can be simply and systematically cultivated for overcoming illness and improving overall vivacity in our lives. The concept of life force is not unique to the ancient Chinese. It is called prana in India, qi in China, ki in japan, vital force in homeopathy etc. The principle of life force formed the basis of these various systems of medicine and healing. How does qi flow affect health? True health, like Qi, is not a place or destination, rather it is a state of meaningful adaptation to change, of flow. We can say that Qi is always seeking or moving towards health and wellbeing because it is always seeking to flow smoothly and purposefully. Chinese Medicine is an umbrella term for the inter-related disciplines of acupuncture, tuina massage, herbalism, qigong, dietary therapy, meditation. All these disciplines seek to balance and enhance the flow of qi to promote health and healing. Qi also extends beyond the physical dimensions and has an influence on our emotions, creativity, focus and receptivity for spiritual evolution. Unbalanced qi flow creates emotional agitation and distress whereas balanced flow creates a sense of being at ease. The benefits of smooth qi flow? When qi is flowing in a smooth and balanced manner it enhances focus and creativity in all aspects of our life such as arts, business, relationships, clear decision making, sports performance etc. Qi flow can make us more receptive to deeper and more expansive states of consciousness. How can we generate a healthy flow of qi? One of the key tenets of Classical Chinese Medicine is stated in the Huang Di Neijing 不通這痛,痛則不通 “Bu Tong Zi Tong, Tong Zi Bu Tong” If there is no free flow (of qi), there is pain. If there is free flow (of qi), there is no pain This tells us that any tension or pain in the body indicates that the flow of qi is not smooth and harmonious. If left unattended then this stagnation of qi will gradually lead to deeper levels of sickness. In order to maintain a pain-free, optimal state of wellbeing then qi should circulate smoothly and powerfully through all layers of the body without disruption.
Making our qi flow smoothly and harmoniously is the most basic objective of Chinese medicine and self-healing arts. This is accomplished through balancing and directing our qi to remove blockages in the acupuncture channels/meridians. Chinese medical treatments such as acupuncture, tuina massage or herbal medicine can help you to unblock and direct the flow of qi through your body to promote general well being as well as to address specific health issues. Self-cultivation practices such as qigong and tai chi will enhance your experience of qi and create a smooth and harmonious qi flow through many layers of your body and emotions. When we combine Chinese medical treatments with our own self-cultivation practices we have a potent, effective and lifelong method for maintaining our own health and wellbeing. Time is the most precious resource that any of us has. No amount of money or persuasion can ever extend our allotted time on this earth.
Each of us has a unique meaning and purpose in life to fulfil with the precious time that we have. However we need to learn to preserve our health and wellbeing in order to fulfil this purpose and make a meaningful contribution to our world. The meaning and purpose of life will be explored elsewhere. Here we shall be focussing on managing our vital energy, Qi, to maintain our health so that we can fulfil this purpose. True health, like Qi, is not a place or destination, rather it is a state of meaningful adaptation to change, of flow. We can say that Qi is always seeking or moving towards health and wellbeing because it is always seeking to flow smoothly and purposefully. Simply stated if there is good Qi flow there is harmony and thus health. The theme of prevention rather than cure runs deeply through ancient Chinese medicine and has led to the development of simple, practical and effective methods for living a long and healthy life. These methods are called yang sheng. Yang means to 'nurture', 'take care of', 'nourish' and Sheng means 'life', 'birth', 'vitality'. Since life is a process of unfolding we can say that Yang Sheng means to nurture the unfolding of life. Classical Chinese medicine is an elegant embodiment of this profound philosophy. It’s primary aim is to create and maintain a good Qi flow throughout all layers of the body and mind. In practice we can generate, restore, and direct Qi flow for a. maintaining general wellbeing b. directing it to resolve specific health issues. There are several methods to achieve this such as
For almost 20 years I have safely taught the foundational practices of qigong to my patients to complement their acupuncture treatments. I have observed that the daily practice of qigong significantly enhanced the effects of acupuncture treatments. My patients would have a good flow of qi to tap into which meant that the acupuncture sessions could be more focussed on resolving deeper health issues. More could be achieved with fewer acupuncture visits. This is the reason I developed a self-care programme called Care for Your Qi. It safely integrates qigong, nutrition and lifestyle advice appropriate for your constitutional type. I teach this programme to individuals and groups of people. In summary if you practice Qigong, eat according to your constitution, lead a moderate lifestyle then you will have plenty of vital qi on tap to enjoy life and fulfil its purpose. You will also have a powerful method for maintaining your wellbeing over the span of your lifetime. peaceful mind = smooth flow of qi = good health What is mind?
There are many ideas about what the mind does but nothing that tells us what our mind is, only complicated theories. Since we all have a mind it's better that we investigate for ourselves what our own mind is. A simple meditation practice, derived from Buddha's Mahamudra teachings, called clarity of the mind is a very excellent tool for investigating our own mind and come to know it directly. This meditation gradually leads us to a direct experience of what our mind is, the nature of our own mind. This way we do not need the interpretation from others to tell us what our mind is. Through engaging in this meditation we shall begin to appreciate that our mind has no actual physical properties. With the help and guidance of a qualified Kadampa meditation teacher we shall discover that there are many levels of your mind (waking, dreaming, deep sleep) and that there are many parts to our mind called mental factors. These mental factors work together to enable our mind to perceive and know things. What is the relationship between mind and qi? Mind influences the movement of qi throughout the body via a network of subtle channels/meridians. How does the mind and qi flow affect our health? The state of mind is the single most important factor affecting the quality and quantity of qi flow. When our mind is at peace and therefore happy, the flow of qi is smooth and unobstructed through the channels. This is a dynamic state of health. When we are un peaceful and thus unhappy the flow of qi is disturbed and physical processes do not function so efficiently. We experience illness and sickness. If this state of imbalance is not corrected then physical changes will occur which will eventually show up in the blood chemistry as well as imaging techniques of Western medicine. How can I investigate the nature of my own mind? A clean, clear and very peaceful meditation for investigating the nature of your own mind is called clarity of mind meditation. For instructions, click here Here is a working view of health and wellbeing according to Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM). You do not need to believe or have experience of this system to benefit. What is Qi (pronounced chee)? Chinese medicine is built around the discovery and application of a phenomenon called Qi, or Life-Force. It animates all the beautiful, moment to moment, and interconnected processes of life all around and within each of us. In our body qi can be compared to the movement of water through an organised and complex network of pipes. These are energetic pathways (aka channels or meridians) along which qi flows are depicted in acupuncture charts. The flow of qi in these channels is what mediates all the complex processes in the human body. Three functioning levels of qi in our body
What factors affect the quality and quantity of qi flow? In the body the quality and quantity of qi flow needs to be just right. Several factors that affect this are categorised broadly as :
What is the most important factor affecting qi flow? The state of mind is the single most important factor that affects the quality and quantity of qi flow. When our mind is at peace and therefore happy, the flow of qi is unobstructed. Physical processes are in harmony. This is a dynamic state of health. When we are unpeaceful and thus unhappy the flow of qi is disturbed and physical processes do not function so efficiently. We experience illness and sickness. If this state of imbalance is not corrected then physical changes will occur which will eventually show up in the blood chemistry as well as imaging techniques of Western medicine. Health is the effective and efficient flow of qi throughout the entire body. How will this information be applied to get me feeling and functioning better?
There are a variety tools that are used to affect the quality and quantity of qi flow. We shall select the combination that is most appropriate your your particular health needs. The main tools we use to treat acupuncture needles as well as needle free techniques. What can I do to help myself get better between treatments? Drawing from well researched, simple and effective self-care methods of CCM, we shall prescribe you things to do at home such as
Where can I learn more about taking care of my health? Yes. We have designed a programme of self-care called Care for Your Qi. cThe tradition of acupuncture which I practice is based around a set of energetic acupuncture channels called the Complement channels. These channels are termed Sinews, Luo, Divergent, and Eight Extraordinary channels. The source of these precious instructions comes from Dr Jeffrey C Yuen and is disseminated by many of his senior students such as Ann Cecil-Sterman.
This type of acupuncture practice can be referred to as Advanced Acupuncture as they are beyond the curriculum of many modern day acupuncture Schools. It can also be referred to as Classical Chinese Medicine since they are described in the classical texts. Each teacher has their own way of interpreting the Classical teachings. Jeffrey draws extensively from his vast and rich understanding to share with us. It is from this lineage of oral transmissions that primarily informs my understanding and practice of acupuncture and Chinese medicine from the Classics. From the point of view of this CCM there are many types of pathogenic factors (PF's for short) - that is things that challenge the body's defences. These PF's can be categorized as external, internal and constitutional a. External PF's are - climatic (Wind, Cold, Damp) - dietary - ecological (pollution, virus, parasite, baceria, fungus) - toxins (eg. asbestos, heavy metals) b. Internal PF's are unprocessed emotions (eg. fear, grief, sadness, depression) c. Constitutional factors are those that are held at the deep layers of the body or genetic factors. The human body recognizes that the disease of an internal organ is the most serious of all illnesses and so has evolved highly sophisticated strategies for protecting the delicate internal organs. The energetic regulation of these organs takes place via the Primary meridians or channels. The Complement or Secondary channels protects the internal organs by either shifting pathogens out of the Primary channels or prevents penetration of pathogens into the Primary channels and hence gaining access to the internal organs. In the presence of a potentially life-threatening disease the Complement channels move the illness away from the internal organs and can create a different disease so that the internal organs are preserved. It means that the potentially life-threatening condition is put into latency or create a 'slower' disease. "The Complement Channels are present literally to preserve humanity" Ann Cecil-Sterman How does a practitioner of advanced acupuncture help patients to reclaim their health? Through examination of pulses, tongue and other diagnostic signs we can determine which channel is being engaged to keep the PF's in check. We interpret the findings according to the unique presentation of each person before selecting the most appropriate set of channels to assist them in restoring health and wellbeing. The particular strategy we select depends upon what the person needs and their capacity for healing themselves. The person may need : a. help to keep the PF's in check. This achieved by accentuating the body's command of the channels in their suppressive capacity (latency). b. to be given a directive to expel the PF. This is achieved through encouraging the body to engage the channels in their releasing capacity. c. to move a PF to an entirely different channel to slow down the disease process. This creates a bit more time for the individual to gather resources to heal. Empowering patients to reclaim their health and well-being. A major advantage of CCM is that it's principles can be easily applied across a whole range of human experiences. To this end it is excellent system of preventative health that empowers the individual to maintain their day to day health and wellbeing. These methods encourage and promote increased self awareness through which we can access our own self-healing capacities. Amongst these methods of self-care are gentle yet potent exercises (qigong), food energetics, meditation and a more connected outlook on life |
AuthorThis blog contains information concerning lifestyle, general dietary advice, and self-help guidelines for our patients.
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