氣 MyQi
Chinese Medicine's most fundamental concept is Qi (氣). It is a quality and substance that is cultivated through artful practice.
While it cannot be directly observed or measured with artificial technology, it can be experienced.
And we can observe how it affects the body and mind in the many measurable ways.
Thus the following is relevant when considering experimental designs and what outcomes to expect:
My Introduction to Qi
As mentioned in my Bio, I practiced Kajukenbo from age 7 - 10.
While Kajukenbo is not overtly associated with Taoist practices like Qigong or Tai Chi, they have common roots. Kajukenbo uses "Ki" (Qi) for self-defense whereas Qigong and Tai Chi cultivate Qi for homeostasis and healing. Similarly, Tui Na and Martial Arts have always had a symbiotic relationship.
But no one mentioned Qi in those years. I didn't learn about it until I was 20.
Kajukenbo is a hybrid of Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, Kenpo, and Chinese Boxing which have living lineages of teachers transmitting knowledge and methods to students. While their earliest references are found in the Spring and Autumn Annals (5th century BCE), legend places their origin more than 4,000 years ago, during the semi-mythical Xia Dynasty.
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica,
Qi, Quantum Physics, and Star Wars
Those learned in Quantum Physics understand why cultivating Qi taps into thousands of years of living knowledge coalesced through millions of lives that influence and guide practitioners as much as it evolves with them. In simple terms, think of cultivating Qi like tuning into a radio station that taps into the "program" of these living histories.
This is what inspired George Lucas' concept of "The Force" in his Star Wars franchise, which may be the best known representation that Westerners can relate to.
For some scientific carrots to lead you down this Quantum Rabbit Hole, review this paper and this one on the Resonance Theory of Consciousness (and Google that for much more). The more you learn about Quantum Theory and Chinese Medical Theory, the more their relationship becomes apparent.
A Child of Tao
(Yes, that's an Asian adaptation of Calvin and Hobbes)
Kajukenbo training may have triggered and amplified genetic memories* I inherited from my mother's childhood experiences in Japan -where she learned Japanese language, Tea Ceremony, flower arranging, and origami. Such traditions are famous for their meditative attention to details, and further examples of living lineages passed down from antiquity.
* Experiences shape our genetics that pass onto children and influence their genetic sensitivity to similar environmental signals, including the capacity to "tune" into Resonance Frequencies as I discussed earlier.
As early as I can recall, our living room was graced by the Geisha dolls my mother made in Japan as a young girl when her father was stationed at Tachikawa AFB.
When I held these relics, I felt like her childhood hands, eyes, and mind were alive in my own. After all, half of her genes are literally alive within me! I could almost see, hear, feel, and smell every detail when she was making these.
She visited Tokyo, Nikko, Mt. Fuji, Yokohama, and other cities many times from 1954 - 1957, just 9 years after World War II profoundly altered the fabric and course of Japanese culture and identity. She observed that half of the population still dressed in traditional garb while the other adopted modern styles.
Whether she realized it or not, witnessing the stark contrast during that pivotal time in Japan's history keenly imparted the poignance of Japan's ancient and noble traditions upon her 7 - 10 year old mind. It seems no small coincidence that my parents placed me in Kajukenbo when I was 7. My mother took Shiatsu (a 1,000-year old Japanese adaptation of Tui Na) in Physical Therapy school. When I was 10, she taught it to me so we could exchange it after dinner every evening for our mutual benefit. By 12, I was casually practicing Shiatsu on friends. It just seemed another normal, natural way to support those I cared about, albeit I never heard of or saw anyone else doing Shiatsu.
Whether she realized it or not, witnessing the stark contrast during that pivotal time in Japan's history keenly imparted the poignance of Japan's ancient and noble traditions upon her 7 - 10 year old mind. It seems no small coincidence that my parents placed me in Kajukenbo when I was 7. My mother took Shiatsu (a 1,000-year old Japanese adaptation of Tui Na) in Physical Therapy school. When I was 10, she taught it to me so we could exchange it after dinner every evening for our mutual benefit. By 12, I was casually practicing Shiatsu on friends. It just seemed another normal, natural way to support those I cared about, albeit I never heard of or saw anyone else doing Shiatsu.
Discovering Qi, and my Destiny
I was 20 when a series of conspicuously fateful events led me to my first real experience of Qi at the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, CA. Until then, I had never heard or seen the term "Qi" -I only knew it as "Ki" from my time practicing Kajukenbo; but only in the context of self-defense, not for healing or cultivation. The experience was so profound, I immediately knew this was my destiny.
The next year, I began my formal training at the Acupressure Institute, where I completed 1,000 hours in Tui Na, Shiatsu, Thai Massage, Sports Massage, Swedish Massage, Jin Shin, Tai Chi, Qigong, Chinese Medical Theory, and the Taoist philosophy behind it all.
Is it just me, or Qi?
By the time I began working with my stroke client in 2001, I was 27. I had practiced Jin Shin and Bodywork for 6 years, and cultivated my relationship with Qi for 19 years (before I actually was aware of it for the last 6 of those years).
More than practicing these skills for so many years, doing so for 19 years before my neocortex finished maturing might mean my brain and biology literally became hard-wired to do this work.
This is why adults older than 27 without prior experience and practice in these may need longer, more intense practice to become as effective with them. These disciplines are as much an art of Mind, Body, & Spirit as they are about applying knowledge and practicing method. Every individual's personal genetics, experiences, and conditioning influences how their skill develops in these like any other practice.
This is why adults older than 27 without prior experience and practice in these may need longer, more intense practice to become as effective with them. These disciplines are as much an art of Mind, Body, & Spirit as they are about applying knowledge and practicing method. Every individual's personal genetics, experiences, and conditioning influences how their skill develops in these like any other practice.
The Tao Prevails
Jin Shin and Therapeutic Bodywork are natural and deeply instinctive. And, aside of needing to know basic muscle and bone anatomy, it's not rocket science or training for the Olympics. My experience as a student at the Acupressure Institute showed me that everyone takes to these practices very quickly.
As stated in that earlier Encyclopaedia Britannica entry, these practices must utlimately be experienced to be grasped, and integrated into our daily lives as part of our philosophical and spiritual development.
While being so deeply embodied by nearly 2 decades of Kajukenbo and Shiatsu practices made me more attuned to receiving Jin Shin and bodywork, ALL of my clients have remarked on their profound experience when receiving these without the same training I've had.
At the end of my first session of Shiatsu, Tui Na, and Jin Shin at age 20, given by a student at the Acupressure Institute, I felt like my body, mind, and spirit had been struck by a thunderbolt that was as profoundly peaceful as it was exhilarating. It felt like I had been brought into a secret universe just a quantum leap away. That same potential is available to everyone!
As stated in that earlier Encyclopaedia Britannica entry, these practices must utlimately be experienced to be grasped, and integrated into our daily lives as part of our philosophical and spiritual development.
While being so deeply embodied by nearly 2 decades of Kajukenbo and Shiatsu practices made me more attuned to receiving Jin Shin and bodywork, ALL of my clients have remarked on their profound experience when receiving these without the same training I've had.
At the end of my first session of Shiatsu, Tui Na, and Jin Shin at age 20, given by a student at the Acupressure Institute, I felt like my body, mind, and spirit had been struck by a thunderbolt that was as profoundly peaceful as it was exhilarating. It felt like I had been brought into a secret universe just a quantum leap away. That same potential is available to everyone!