Introduction to Chinese Medicine, Five
Harmony
Harmonious energy gives rise
to harmonious manifestations. Disharmonious energy gives rise to disorganized
physical manifestations. Disorganized physical manifestations within a human
body are referred to as symptoms and/or diseases. Chinese medicine seeks to
harmonize the energetic foundation in order to alleviate disease/symptoms and
support a healthy, vital, long life.
To be in harmony means to be
in communication, in communion, in a constantly flowing mutually respectful and
joyful relationship of yielding and instigating, rising and falling, giving and
taking. Harmony among fifty players in an orchestra is reflected in the harmony
of their music. Harmony between our organs, cells, and meridians is reflected
in the harmonious expression of our joyful, flowing, healthy life.
Get Me Some Harmony
The avenues of balancing and
harmonizing energy, or Qi, from Classical Chinese medicine are many and include
meditation, diet, lifestyle, physical exercise such as Qi Gong or Tai Chi,
herbal medicine, massage, and acupuncture. Meridian Massage is one of many
methods of harmonizing the flow of Qi.
Each body, from the Chinese
medical perspective, is a combination of Yin and Yang – of the Sky above us and
the Earth below us – enlivened with Qi. Because Qi is the energetic source of
our life and manifestation, it is the most logical place to attend to in order
to sort out problems with the body. If we only address the physical body, the
manifestation, we may never get to the root of the problem located in the Qi.
What is the Nature of Qi
Qi moves, flows, changes. The
ever changing nature of Qi is reflected or referenced by the ever changing flow
of Yin and Yang. We and our world are always changing. Have you noticed the
change in season, in time, the temperature, your appetite, your thirst, your
energy this week? Even if you have not noticed, it has all changed.
We could say that Yin
overtook Yang yesterday and night fell. We can say the Yang overtook Yin this
morning as the Sun rose. Perhaps you can reflect that your Yang Qi was
plentiful as you energetically sprang out of bed this morning. And later
tonight, as you go with the flow of nature, when Yin once again takes over Yang
at night, your Yin will expand as Yang decreases easily and you drop into a
restful, quiet sleep.
Mind and Body
We think of minds as
invisible, as not part of the body. But within this framework, mind and body
are not separate – they are different densities of Qi. So, mental and emotional
disharmonies also have their roots in stuck or disorganized Qi.
Mind is associated with the
Sky, vast, above, immaterial, Yang. Body is associated with the Earth, dense,
formed, below, and Yin. Sky and Earth combine, Yin and Yang mingle, to create a
human life. We are infused with these energies and so are in relation to them,
even when we are not consciously aware of them. Qi energizes us, flows through
us, takes on many different forms within us. Again and again, we move our
thinking into a more “right brain,” systemic, fluid, all-encompassing type of
understanding.
Meridian Massage,
Cindy Black
No comments:
Post a Comment