Within you, there is a Thank you so much for all those who attended the webinar this week! So here's a summary of what we covered. The topic was "How to Make Your own Medicine" What did we learn?
What is your inner medicine? Qi is the inner medicine What is Qi? Qi is one of life’s many wonderful mysteries. It was a discovery that came from ancient China and has had far reaching influence on every aspect of Far Eastern culture. It exists and is intuitively sensed by each of us, yet escapes being pinned down by conceptual definitions, defies logical reasoning, and perplexes scientific investigation. It is a mysterious yet all encompassing phenomenon that has captured our imagination through the ages. I remembered seeing one of the first Star Wars movies and being completely spellbound when Obi Wan told Luke Skywalker to "Feel the Force." There is no literal or simple definition of Qi, yet we all intuitively sense it. Trying to understand it literally is a bit like trying to hold onto water - it’s there and exists - yet you can’t actually grasp it. Over the years I’ve come to know Qi by many things. My current exploration is the notion that Qi is the relationship to all that is seen and unseen. So it is OK to just leave the word Qi to be just so. How do we experience Qi? Qi isn’t a solid thing in itself but arises from the relationship that we establish with all the things within and around us. The more we become aware of our connection to these things the stronger our experience of Qi. So we can experience Qi in the physical, emotional and spiritual dimensions of our being. Some people say they experience certain sensations in their body, that they feel more grounded, or that they feel deep connection to all things around them. All are valid experiences and indicate that qi is at work, yet these experiences are not Qi itself. Let's take wind as an analogy. So we only know that wind is blowing by the experiencing it on our face for instance, or through the rustling of the leaves - or the power of a storm! So these physical phenomena are not wind itself but indicate that wind is stirring. What's most pertinent is that Qi can be cultivated for tangible benefits, particularly for health and wellbeing, through the practice of Qigong. What is Qigong? The gong part of Qigong means to cultivate or develop the skills - for working with Qi. It’s often referred to as energy cultivation, Chinese calisthenics, Chinese yoga. There are many types or styles of qigong in practice these days. To reflect their intended purpose they are traditionally categorised into three : Medical, Martial, and Spiritual I classify these three categories of qigong as applied to human : Health, Performance, and Evolution Since health is the foundation of the other two, then we can say that all qigong practice has the purpose of improving our health. In my clinical practice this is the main emphasis. Why do we practice Qigong? A quote from a famous master of Tai Qi & Qigong, Cheng Man Ch'ing, sums it up : “So that when you get to know life there will be some health left to enjoy it.” - Cheng Man Ch’ing What are the key skills that we develop through practicing Qi? There are many skills that are developed through the practice of qigong. However there are three foundation skills that we need to develop in order to fully reap the benefits. These are :
This week we looked at how to Discover Qi. I was trained the ‘old’ way, as an apprentice to a master of these arts, for about ten years. During this time he would show the forms and I followed, with the odd alignment here and there. This was how things were done, and it was how I learned for a long time. During this time I had to discover and understand what I was experiencing through deeper practice, study and research. However I don’t think we need to wait for years to experience Qi and I discovered that I could show my patients how to experience and activate Qi in a fraction of the time. Why is it so important to discover Qi? Well if qigong practice is to be differentiated from just a good physical exercise - which it definitely is - we need to be able to sense and activate Qi. In developing the skill (gong) of discovering Qi, we can activate it within us. We can then learn to use it for improving our health and wellbeing. How do we discover qi? The energy of the universe is all around us so we don’t actually have to go looking for it. It’s simply a matter of being aware. This mean here and now we can begin to discover it. We can do so by being still. A posture to help us discover this is “Child Pays Homage to Buddha."
5 Element Tuning Qigong Set |
Place washed grains in a saucepan under medium/low flame. Toast until grains are dry, stirring to prevent sticking to bottom of pan. Once the grains are dry, put in about 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and a little salt. Stirring these together for a about a minute. Put some hot water, about 2 cupfuls. Stir constantly, allowing grains to absorb the water. Then add more hot water and turn the heat down to low. Put a lid partially over to cover the pan. Allow the congee to simmer gently. Keep checking and topping up with hot water if necessary to get a runny yet not overly watery consistency. The consistency is based upon your own preference. Some may like it a bit less watery others more. Now serve up whilst still hot, garnish, eat warm! Utterly delicious and so nutritious! Bon appetit.... Left over can be stored and kept overnight in a fridge. Purists will insist on making fresh very day...you decide! |
I’d like to explain how Chinese medicine (CM) can effectively help you remotely.
Chinese Medicine is applied philosophy
CM is deeply rooted in a coherent and sophisticated understanding of life. Humanity exists in dependence upon all things. What occurs in a person is a small aspect of what’s going in the greater whole.
There cannot be true health if there is disharmony in any part of your mind and body.
This philosophy when applied to human health places much emphasis on prevention. It understands that the body has an incredible potential to heal itself and needs skilful guidance to do so when it is unwell. So to this end there exist many effective methods for restoring harmony to your body and mind.
Healing methods such as acupuncture and, to some extent, Chinese herbs require you to attend for an in person assessment and treatment.
Other healing methods such as food therapy, essential oils on acupuncture points, acupressure massage, qigong exercise and meditation can be self administered and do not require an in person appointment.
How can a diagnosis be made remotely?
One of the most unique and hard won skills in Chinese medicine is the ability to discern patterns of disharmony through assessing the wrist pulses. Indeed it is regarded by many practitioners and patients as the gold standard in diagnosis.
However there are other ways that imbalances can be detected such as :
All these things yield a very detailed picture of your particular pattern of disharmony. With video technology such as Telehealth, Skype and Zoom to name a few, we can get a lot of information remotely.
All this information helps me to formulate a unique plan of treatment for you that can be self administered.
What sorts of treatments can be self administered?
Acupuncture is a very good and familiar way for you to receive treatments. Yet there are a number of effective methods that can be self applied whilst we are at home.
Chinese Medicine is applied philosophy
CM is deeply rooted in a coherent and sophisticated understanding of life. Humanity exists in dependence upon all things. What occurs in a person is a small aspect of what’s going in the greater whole.
There cannot be true health if there is disharmony in any part of your mind and body.
This philosophy when applied to human health places much emphasis on prevention. It understands that the body has an incredible potential to heal itself and needs skilful guidance to do so when it is unwell. So to this end there exist many effective methods for restoring harmony to your body and mind.
Healing methods such as acupuncture and, to some extent, Chinese herbs require you to attend for an in person assessment and treatment.
Other healing methods such as food therapy, essential oils on acupuncture points, acupressure massage, qigong exercise and meditation can be self administered and do not require an in person appointment.
How can a diagnosis be made remotely?
One of the most unique and hard won skills in Chinese medicine is the ability to discern patterns of disharmony through assessing the wrist pulses. Indeed it is regarded by many practitioners and patients as the gold standard in diagnosis.
However there are other ways that imbalances can be detected such as :
- Facial features
- Appearance
- Tongue ~ colour, shape, coating, cracks
- Shape of the ears
- Colouring
- Quality of the voice
- Where you hold pain in the body
All these things yield a very detailed picture of your particular pattern of disharmony. With video technology such as Telehealth, Skype and Zoom to name a few, we can get a lot of information remotely.
All this information helps me to formulate a unique plan of treatment for you that can be self administered.
What sorts of treatments can be self administered?
Acupuncture is a very good and familiar way for you to receive treatments. Yet there are a number of effective methods that can be self applied whilst we are at home.
- Acupressure massage applied to yourself
- Food therapy
- Meditation
- Qigong exercises
- Essential Oils
- Flower remedies
AuthorThis blog contains information concerning lifestyle, general dietary advice, and self-help guidelines for our patients. Archives
September 2020
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