​If a human being were to befriend us just so s/he could use us for whatever purpose s/he found us useful for, we wouldn't be friends or even interact with this individual. We would feel used and exploited; thus, probably severing the relationship. Yet this is the way we look at and treat plants and animals much of the time in the modern world. When I do an internet search of a plant like Gingko biloba, the first things that pop up about it are, "benefits, uses and side-effects." Very little is actually discussed about who, what, where, when and how this being really is.
 
If we were to research further, we would realize that Gingko is one of the oldest living species on the Earth, unchanged for more than 200 million years. It is one of those trees that you would spot straightaway, once you came to know it, as its shape and leaves are unique. No other plant has this distinct fan-shape leaf like the Gingko does. In spring-summer, they are green, what I would describe like a fresh green. In autumn, they turn a bright golden-yellow; amazingly vivid colors. It can grow very tall, up to 35 meters and has a slender, pyramid-form when it's younger. Genetically it is old and has no other relative plants that bear its code. Imagine this, the Gingko lived in the time of the dinosaurs, which died out, but the Gingko and other plants, such as ferns, outlived them and still thrive today. They will probably also outlive us, homo sapiens and other human species, too.
 
Botanists trace the origins of Gingko biloba to China. Then it began spreading to Japan and Korea, into cities and into to the Western world. Even today, many cities in the world have streets lined with Gingko trees, which provide a welcomed shade in overheated cities, needing very little care, as it's a hardy being that can withstand cold and disease. The female plant produces fruit, that look like nuts, but the outer layer of the fruit produces butyric acid, which smells like vomit. This you will smell as you pass by the tree as it is fruiting but once the peel falls off, the smell dissipates. These nuts are often collected and eaten in Asia, this is the part of the plant that is used in Chinese Medicine. In the West, sometimes Gingko is known as Maiden Hair, a name probably inspired by how the leaves hang off its branches. The Chinese call it Yín Guǒ, Silver Fruit, (probably where the name Gingko comes from) or Bái Guǒ, White Fruit. The Chinese have known of Gingko for over 1000 years, where there are still some wild Gingko tree growing. The leaves were never used as medicine until Westerners began to market it as cognitive-enhancers. In the Chinese Materia Medica, the fruit is used for Lung conditions, like wheezing, and for astringing fluids in the lower body, like for excessive vaginal discharge (leucorrhea) or urinary incontinence. It is categorized as bitter, sweet, astringent in flavor and neutral in temperature, entering the Lung and Kidney channel. But too much of it can be toxic, as with so many things. It is medicine when used in balance and respect, poison if overused and abused.
 
But never mind its medicinal effect on humans. It is a being in its own right. Its existence does not have to be justified on the basis of its use to us human beings. IT JUST IS. The next time you walk down the street, sense its presence and just be with Gingko. Maybe greet it with respect, like coming into the presence of an elder, and wonder at its amazing beauty, longevity and resilience.



Images by Elaine

​As I stood on the rocks at the edge of the cliff, breathing in the salty air of the Pacific Ocean, I could sense the wind blowing in my hair and against my skin. With my being, I sensed the magnitude of the waves, the vastness of the ocean, the solidity of the rocks under me, the unending blue of the sky and something within me recognized the insignificance of humanity. I, like my fellow human beings, am but one minute grain of sand, lying on one tiny beach in the great expanse of the universe. I realized in this moment that I was in awe of nature, of the immense world and universe that we live in. I felt content as I knew my place as a living being in the way of things.
 
Nothing like a good dose of Nature to get you out of your drama of human self-importance. This was my experience as I was on vacation this past weeks in the area where I lived in and went to university in my 20s, California. It is a special place, where the elements - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water come together in an intense mixture of generative-destructive-regenerative energy yet pieced together harmoniously to create a blossoming, fertile place. By the way, when I speak of the themes of life-death-rebirth, I often hear a voice say, "Circle of Life," which was a song by Elton John and Tim Rice featured in the Disney movie The Lion King, that was made in California ;-). Over the past years, I have become more informed geologically of our Earth and have come to realize why there is a draw for me as a human being, among millions of others, to California. Back in the day when I lived there as a student, I never really questioned why or what attracted me there, except that places like San Francisco were centers of culture, learning, thought, ideas, industry and commerce. But let's forget about the cities of California, these are made by the hands of humanity, with the illusion that they are great and will withstand the powers of Nature. Now, 20 years later, with the healthy distance of space and time, I have come to understand that it was the strong interaction of the Elements that drew me to live there for a time. 
 
California lies along the Pacific Ring of Fire, as does the whole of the Western coast of North, Central and South America, the islands on the Pacific, like Tonga, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, parts of Russian like the Kamchatka Peninsula and parts of Antarctica. These areas have high amounts of earthquakes and volcano eruptions occurring very regularly since millennia; still regularly moves and erupts. California is no exception to this. It is probably this deep movement and power of the Earth that draws humans to live in this area, as it inspires not only a creativity as well as a fertility in the land and ocean but also within our beings. Ideas and inventions sprout out of these areas like weeds; think tech firms like Google, the film industry of Hollywood, Disneyland and numerous other products/ ideas that have shaped our modern world. Once you become aware of the geology of California, you realize it is only a matter of time that all its "great" and wonderful cities will crumble like dust, when the San Andreas Fault cracks open further with the next great earthquake. I imagine what brought me there over 20 years ago was this power - to experience it, create with it and to grow from it.
 
As I return here to Switzerland, Nature is still very present; just a little calmer, subtler and narrower. As the Nature there in California shapes its people, so does it here in Switzerland. The movement of the water here is calmer, as in the many lakes, inspires slower, tranquil, containing energy, with less impulses to quick changes. Maybe I was drawn here too as I was to California, to learn this way of being as well. 



​Photo by Elaine

These past few weeks, as school began again, some of my students came back to class with observations they had over the summer vacation. One of them was about posture and the habit of slouching. One of the students described how she observed people around her, possibly herself too, eating in a slumped position and that this disturbed her. She had become very aware of it, as we, in class, often begin our practice with checking in with our bodies, breathing into our abdomens and bringing our bodies in an upright position, so that we can connect with Earth and Heaven. Often times as we do this with awareness, my students and I begin to feel Qi flowing through our bodies; thus, sitting upright feels effortless. This discussion got me thinking a lot about habits, where we get them and how to change them.
 
What are habits? The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language describes 'habit' as a noun, as "a recurrent, often unconscious behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition," as "an established disposition of the mind or character," as "a customary manner or practice," or even as "an addiction, especially to a narcotic drug." How and where does this "unconsciousness behavior" begin? Fascinating question with fascinating answers.
 
I became aware of Dr. Bruce Lipton a few years ago, a scientist who researched and taught Biology/ Epigenetics, then began working-teaching more about consciousness, as he realized the connections between biology and consciousness. He describes that many of our behaviors and habits are learned in the first 7 years of our lives, when we as children are not yet fully aware of our consciousness and are absorbing learned behavior by observation of the world around us; from our parents, teachers, other adult care givers as well as other children. Lipton describes that we are learning "programs," set by our parents and societies, such as how to behave in the society where we live in and in relationships to one another; the socially-acceptable norms in our particular society. But what happens when we grow up, become our own individual persons and these norms do not serve us or our needs? Lipton states that almost 70 percent of these learned-behavior are even "disempowering and self-sabotaging," as such do not aid us to become the individuals we wish to or strive to become. From the age of 6+, we become more conscious of ourselves as individuals and thus, these "programs" are operating in our subconscious, without us ever realizing; these are the norms in our lives in society, like default mode that just continues on until we start to question, if we ever do, what they are. 
 
I personally observed and experienced one "program" that was glaringly "disempowering and self-sabotaging" from my childhood in Malaysia, as I lived in the US. I never noticed how most people in Malaysia, including my parents, would describe a performance, such as a ballet performance, which was well performed as "not bad" until I heard my American dance teachers and fellow dancers react with "great!" or "good job." I was quite stunned to hear my American dance teachers react with such enthusiasm, even in class, to my performances. It took me years to finally accept that these compliments were sincere and actually part of the American "program" of positive reinforcements to encourage and inspire confidence. It was then that I could finally acknowledge that my first years of life had instilled a "glass-is-half-empty" mentality in my being as opposed to "glass-is-half-full;" that many things I did in my life earned only a "not bad" and could not be enough to merit a "good" or even "wonderful." I came to a realization that my cultural upbringing had forced humbleness onto my being and in the process instilled a self-deprecating mentality, almost to the point of pessimism. When the realization came, which took years, I understood that I wanted to change, as these inabilities to accept compliments or looking at the world through pessimistic eyes were not really my programs and that these were not serving me in my life.
 
How do we change habit? I believe it begins with realization, becoming conscious of the unconscious; realization that a particular habit is not serving us. This needs observation and self-reflection. Then comes the active part which Dr. Bruce Lipton outlines in How To Reprogram Your Mind so well. Even the description of habit from the American Heritage Dictionary gives us the clues to change habit; become conscious when you have unconsciousness, and frequent repetition of the desired habit until it become the norm. In fact, the dictionary's 4th definition is even giving us the consequence if we don't change unhealthy habits; it will become an addiction like a narcotic drug.
 
It's quite amazing how a simple observation of a student on posture can provoke such deep reflections on life.   
 
          
 
 
        
Image by NEOSiAM 2021 on pexels.com

As I am sitting here writing, I look down at my feet and ankles. I am reminded how my body, and its parts have been shaped by life, as with all of us; what we have experience and done in our lives, how we were raised and where we have been, all shape every part of our bodies, whether we like to acknowledge it or not. Whenever I look down at my feet and ankles, physically I see the chronic swelling left behind from years of trying to fit into shoes that didn't fit. I might have mentioned it before, I grew up dancing classical ballet from the age of 5, at 12 started with rhythmic gymnastics, continued on with classical and contemporary dance till around 30, when I finally stopped dancing intensely. When I say, "shoes that didn't fit," I mean that physically and metaphorically.
 
I started pointe work, dancing on your toes, around 11. This process is no simple feat; basically, it is so unnatural for the feet that one has almost to start early enough in order to shape and create enough strength in the feet, as well as to get use to the discomfort of stuffing one's toes into uncomfortable shoes, but not too early in childhood or else growth will be stunted. I remember, how pain, blisters and blood were a normal occurrence during/ after pointe class, even if the shoes were fitted "right," which they almost always didn't feel like. Most ballet dancers have their own tactics to protect their toes. I had lamb's wool strands, which I would wrap my 2 lasts toes of each foot, pull my tights over them and put on my shoes. These helped but if something was off on that day, let's say the humidity in the air was high, too much moisture from sweat or class was at the end of the day, when my feet and toes would possibly be slightly bigger, then my toes would suffer; regular blisters with clear fluid, blood-filled blisters, bruised toenail beds, these are normal circumstances of dancers who do pointe. I still have toenails that will stop growing at some point and I have to rip off the nail so that the new nail can grow afresh, after almost 20 years  post-dancing. Sounds like war-wounds, doesn't it?  
 
What's more, ballet is so form-specific that you have to have the "correct" foot form, or even body form to be successful in it. To be brutally honest, I had the "wrong" body for ballet. I was not blessed by the ballet-gods with high-arched feet; the arch that I have comes from years of work. When I look in the mirror and extend my right foot, it looks like a dancer's foot, but not like a virtuoso ballet dancer. My left foot, through injuries, looks like a deformed, swollen mass of a foot, which sometimes calls out for my attention with pain. Pain, which I have no explanation for sometimes. Perhaps, it is remembering the trauma of being stuffed into shoes that didn't fit 25 years long. A form it did not or could not fit into and being made to do movements that it wasn't meant to do. However, this for me is not a curse but a blessing. My left foot, was and still is the body part that leads me to explore healing; healing of self and of others. It opens a door to the healing world for me. The first time I tried acupuncture was because this ankle asked to be taken care of. I became aware of a whole different world that exists, parallel to the physical world; the energetic one. This has led me to study Chinese Medicine and explore the world of (un)consciousness. 
 
The journey has only just begun. My ankle still talks to me, reminding me to stay open; learn new ways to sense things, try new methods of healing and wear shoes that give space as well as support my movement in life. Whenever I perform movement in Tai Ji Quan, Qi Gong or Yoga, I feel the boundaries my ankle sets for me in the physical realm, but these are healthy ones that I have learned not to exceed. It is like moving to the edge of a cliff and finding a safe spot to enjoy the view, among other things. I have learned to listen and do self-care for my ankle. Maybe I look silly wearing boots on a warm, sunny day but if my ankle tells me it feels well supported in it, I listen. It is one of my inner barometers, it confirms if the shoe fits from the inside, not how it looks from the outside. My ankle teaches me to wear the shoe that fits me well, not what fits others.    
 
        
 
 
 
Image by Pixabay on pexels.com

Having spent most of my life in households with other mammals, dogs and cats, I have come to realize how abdomens are sensitive body parts for mammals. Currently, my family and I share our household with our cat, Ayla. Like most cats, she has very clear boundaries about when or who is allowed to pet her. She is not a lap-cat; she seldom, if ever, comes on her own to sit on our laps. What she does do, when she feels comfortable, is to reveal her belly to those she trusts, but even this does not mean that it is an invitation to rub her belly; if you make this mistake with a cat, you will be shown the sharpness of its claws or teeth. Most mammals, especially 4-legged ones where the abdomen is protected by its position facing the earth, do not bear their bellies willingly to everyone. The abdomen is a place of vulnerability and as such, requires trust that it be revealed or given to be touched willingly. This includes humans.
 
Since I began my training in Abdominal Therapy just a few months ago, I have become in-touch with many people's bellies. When we, therapists in any form of bodywork, are trained, we are warned to be mindful of people's abdomens, which is understandable. Very often though, we are even told to just avoid this area completely, for fear of triggering some discomfort physically or emotionally, as humans store many tensions and emotions within this area. So far, when I have offered to work with my patients on their abdomens with Abdominal Therapy, they have reported to me very positive experiences. I almost feel like it's an extension of my Chinese Medical treatments but stemming from a tradition thousands of miles (kilometers) away in another continent.
 
As with Chinese Medicine, Abdominal Therapy has its root in a traditional culture, the Maya culture of Central America; hence, sometimes known as Maya Abdominal Therapy. The Mayans of Mesoamerica were an ancient civilization that appears to have had cities that date back to ca. 750 BCE. Dr. Rosita Arvigo, an American who moved to Mexico and then to Belize in the 1970s developed what is now called Abdominal Therapy, after she apprenticed for 13 years with Don Elijio Panti, a Mayan Medicine Man H'men, and Ms. Hortense Robinson, a traditional Mayan Midwife. Abdominal Therapy is a system of medicine that incorporates hands-on massage, herbal medicine from the Central American jungles and spiritual healing. The Abdominal Therapy Collective was set up in 2020 by practitioners of the work from multiple places in the world, i.e. USA, Europe and Belize, as a way to pass on the traditional healing methods together with a modern, medical perspective. My experience as a member of the collective has so far been a positive, nurturing, inclusive and supportive organization, whose main goal is to share this therapy with the same intent with the receivers of Abdominal Therapy. I find this refreshing in a world where so many try to forward their own personal ambitions by engaging in dominance and exclusivity. Till now, I find there is an openness in this organization to spread the work and a sensitivity to address many imbalances that pervade our modern society.   
 
Abdominal Therapy begins with us learning to do self-care on our own bellies. I begin by teaching my patients to do Your Abdominal Therapy YAM. With YAM, we learn to reconnect to our abdomens, to feel which parts of it holds tension, to help the tension release with regular self-massage and to respect this part of our body as the center of energy or Qi. The lower abdomen is after all where both females and males hold organs that are able to create life. As we connect to our abdomens, we connect also with the inner structures and substances; the skin, connective tissue, muscle, organs, blood vessels, lymph vessels, nerves and our energetic core. 

When you receive treatment regularly from a practitioner, certain adjustive techniques will be included to aid tension release, increase blood circulation and strengthens the body's ability to self-repair through homeostasis restoration. As these occur, abdominal breathing becomes deeper, digestion improves, organ function is maximized and for women, menstrual flow becomes smoother. When we breathe deeper, we get more oxygen and Qi into our bodies from the environment, to allow our organs to do the work as they were made to do. When our blood and lymph flow better to get rid of toxins from the body, we feel more vital and are more resistant to dis-ease. As our digestion works well to digest and transform the food we eat into energy, we feel energized and resilient. 
 
I am still exploring and continuing my education in Abdominal Therapy but I appreciate the holistic view of the body that this method promotes. It seems to me to have many similarities and parallels to Chinese Medicine; stemming from a culture in a different continent but having similar ideas towards healing the bodymind.
 
 
 
Image by Louise Crockart    

Have you ever had one of these experiences where you know it can't just be a coincidence? In late winter-early Spring of this year, I was lying on a sofa in a holiday rental in the South of France, with flu-like symptoms and fatigue for about 3 days. It had been a busy Autumn for us at ICM, as we had moved our practice back to our original location. Just a few days before landing on the sofa, I had travelled with my family from Basel to Luxembourg to Avignon, partly to support one of our sons in his tennis tournaments and to visit places which we had never visited before. Before leaving for this vacation, I had begun many projects, most especially our Women's Health and Life Phases project. I had planned to do some writing-reading, while on my travels, as the everyday activities like therapeutic work, household chores and family took priority till then. But none of this was to be, as I laid there on the sofa in a state of immobility from fatigue. 
 
What I could do in between my deep rest was listen. I listened to an interview of a Maya Abdominal Therapy practitioner, Hilary Lewin. It was about what can cause prolapse of abdominal organs, whether bladder or uterus or even intestines. She also explained the anatomy and physiology of the uterus, how our choices early in life affect our bodies later in life, how Abdominal Therapy, which includes a therapeutic massage from a practitioner, self-care massage and deep breathing, can help prevent and treat prolapse, among other things. Something just clicked inside me, like finding the right piece for a jigsaw puzzle; I realized I needed to find out more about this form of therapy, even if it wasn't Chinese Medicine. I also realized then that if you set an intention for something, it often times manifests; I had wanted to create awareness about Women's Health for this year and there it was, my body was giving me the chance to become aware of my own female body by providing me with quiet, restful moments to do exactly just that.
 
I got healthy again after those days of deep rest, deep listening and something within me grew. Self-care was one of the seeds planted in this "incubation" phase; taking time to rest, abdominal self-massage and doing less as often as I can. I also knew I had to expand my knowledge of the abdomen, its organs as well as structures that hold the organs in place, and the Abdominal Therapy. Within weeks of listening to this interview, I had researched and signed-up up for a practitioner course for Abdominal Therapy or Maya Abdominal Massage, as it is sometimes called. I traveled to Ireland for the course as there were none at that point in time closer to me that I could attend. Since this course, I have been on a mission to pass on the Abdominal Therapy to as many of my patients as I can and to promote stronger care of self to everyone I treat. It seems at this current moment, there are only 2 of us who practice this form of therapy and are members of the Abdominal Therapy Collective in Switzerland. 
 
I believe we can all benefit from more connection to our bodies, our bellies, our organs, our selves - physical, emotional, spiritual, and what better way to do this than a massage of our most delicate place in our bodies. We store so much in our bodies, more so our bellies without even realizing; all those moments we held back a laugh because it wasn't the appropriate time to laugh out loud, or the anger that we swallowed down because our views were not allowed to be outwardly expressed in that situation. Where did these emotions, which is also energy, go? Probably down to our bellies, the place where we digest stuff. If we learn to let go of the tension we store there, maybe the organs within can then do a better job of digesting and transforming this stuff into nourishment and expel that which is not needed and do not serve us.
 
I have observed in recent times that many wellness spas have begun to use the word - "selfness" to market their services. I don't agree with this as it implies to me an egotistical manner of being. As I have mentioned before in another blogpost, words are magical and create our reality. I believe the word "self-care" is more appropriate, which is not selfish. I am often reminded of this when I fly on a plane and as the flight attendant explains the emergency procedures. I hear life's teacher speaking to me: "Please put your own oxygen mask on before you help another passenger put theirs on." How will I be able to help anyone else, if I myself do not get enough care and nourishment for myself. Hence, the more sustainable and logical message is "Take care of yourself first, then you will have enough resources to take care of others."   
 
 
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Image by Petr Ganaj on pexels.com

​These past few months, I was travelling a few times with family and also alone for continuing education. I spent moments observing and learning things about myself but also of people around me. Travelling is one of those moments in life that challenges us to come out of our comfort zone; as we make our way to a place, which we may or may not know, we encounter new people and situations, requiring us to react and be flexible to changes that may occur to our plans, in order that we get to our destination. I find this exhilarating and insightful.
 
As I waited to pick up my suitcase at the baggage carousel, I felt myself hopeful, that my suitcase would be on that carousel and maybe one of the first bags out so I could get on my way to where I needed to go to. Yet there is that other side, of the unknown; what if they misplaced my suitcase, put it on another flight and is on another conveyor belt in another airport? This is one of those moments where observation of self teaches us who we really are inside. Am I going to be impatient and fearful, not trusting that the airline baggage staff were able to put the right suitcase in the right place? Or am I going to be patient, knowing that my suitcase will arrive when it arrives, and I will get on the right transport, at the right moment and arrive where I need to get at the right time? The funny thing is that we have a choice in this moment, even if many of us don't realize it or want to realize it. We could choose to be stressed and create worse-case-scenarios in our minds or we could trust that things will turn out the way they should. 
 
I choose the latter; I choose to trust the people at luggage handling to do their jobs, which they often do well, and receive my suitcase in the right moment when I am supposed to receive it, even if it means I may have to wait a moment. This is a great time to practice standing meditation and breathing techniques, practices we do in Tai Ji Quan/ Qi Gong. In fact, it is marvelous to observe the flow of the conveyor-belt, as it meanders through the space of the hall like a dragon with scales, often times black with a shiny metal frame. Then as the bags mysteriously appear through the slot and roll onto the dragon's scales, they land ever so playfully before they find stillness on the dragon's scales, just rotating around on the dragon's back. Around me, I often sense a feeling of relief, "Ah, the luggage is here," or irritation, I imagine due to the stress of travel, "Finally! I need to get going!" 
 
Can you imagine what the vibe in this hall would be like, if we all started to practice breathing deeply and being grateful? 
 
*Inhale, exhale connecting with the energy of Heaven and Earth - 100 times or until your suitcase(s) arrives in front of you. Receive your suitcase saying: 
"Oh, there you are, my suitcase. Thank you for coming back to me at this precise moment. I am grateful to all the beings and the instruments that have brought you back to me. Now I may continue on my journey." 
*Inhale and exhale      
 
I have a feeling it would make us all less stressed and we would have a more relaxing time travelling through the airport, a place of transition. We might even enjoy travelling and notice something/ someone pleasant in the airport. As we approach summer, holidays for many, try this method for your travels. Look with playfulness for the "dragons" transporting your luggage to you, find gratitude, deep breaths and delight on your journey towards your summer vacation. Happy Trails!
 




 
Photo by Markus Winkler on pexels.com

​​One of the most profound philosophies that the ancient Chinese gave us is the theory of Yīn-Yáng. It has permeated popular culture so deeply, that it is even an emoji on our digital device, yet many do not really understand it. We see this symbol and we think Yīn-Yáng but the actual name of this symbol is the Tai Ji symbol. It is not wrong to describe it as Yīn-Yáng, as it does represent these. However, most people do not really interpret Yīn-Yáng correctly.
 
There is often a reference to Yīn-Yáng as being a dualistic theory. I find this incorrect, as most times dualism refers to two things that are opposed to each other - "either-or," "black or white," "dark or light," "female or male," "good or bad." This is not what Yīn-Yáng refers to. The symbol is very clearly pictured with a white, fish-like form with a black eye and a black fish with a white eye. Black and white are bound together; there is neither one that it completely black nor completely white at any point in time. There are no absolutes. The Tai Ji symbol is actually a symbol in motion. 
 
If we were to begin to look at the white fish from its tail and move clockwise, this could represent the growing of the Yáng; like the beginning of day. But at the tail of the white fish is the head of the black fish, the largest part of the fish's body. If we were to look at this as the transformation of night to day, this point of white tail and black head would be midnight. When the maximum of Yīn occurs - midnight, the smallest of Yáng has already begun its ascent; as such, the seed of daylight has already begun its germination. What we experience as sunrise would be represented halfway up the white fish body and noon would be at the head of the white fish. There once again, even though we experience the highest of the light, the seed of Yīn, the tail of the black fish, has already begun to manifest. This is definitely NOT dualism. This is equilibrium in motion - life transforming to death, death transforming to life, neither is absolute. Crazy isn't it? A symbol so simple as this can manifest such profound thought.
 
The Chinese philosophers of the Yīn-Yáng School, which arose during the Warring States period (476-221 BCE), most especially Zou Yan, is credited with developing Yīn-Yáng theory and the theory of the Five-Elements. They were also called the Naturalist School, where the focus was to understand the laws of Nature in order to harmonize one's self to it, rather than to control it. Over two thousand years later, we are still trying to grasp these ideas, as some of us continue to misunderstand and sometimes manipulate these theories to suit our needs for domination over Nature. But as we know that midnight will transform to dawn, these too will have to transform. The Extreme Yin of midnight holds the seed of Yang that will transform darkness into light.
 




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Diagram by Elaine   

When I was growing up in the 1970-80s, I used to watch educational children shows like Sesame Street and another one called The Electric Company. One particular part stood out for me, I still remember it till this day. It was called "The Adventures of Letterman." It was about a superhero and a villain. The villain, Spellbinder, would take an alphabet (or 2 sometimes) away from a word or change it with another and this would cause havoc; like in the film in the link, where the villain changes the letter "L" in "Light" with "N" to make "Night," causing all the people to live in darkness. Then came Letterman to the rescue by putting back the alphabet and everything was well again. I loved this sketch, still do for a particular reason; it was not only super entertaining as a child but it taught me how reality could be changed with just one alphabet. 
 
I find words magical; worlds and beings get created just by stringing words together. I wasn't a super avid reader as a child but I loved fairy tales and the fantasy genre already then. My family hardly had any fantasy novels, mostly just children's adventure novels, which didn't really interest me much. So I spent a lot of time re-reading the fairy tale books that we had. At some point when I went off to university and could afford my own books, I read and re-read the classic, the ultimate of the fantasy genre - "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "The Hobbit." Obviously, when the Harry Potter series came out I was in line to get the books as they got released. I read them and re-read them, did selected readings by just opening the book wherever the page opened and read on, just to get my mind off from my Chinese Medical studies. There was a period in my life where I could answer any questions about Harry Potter's magical world in detail and I knew almost all the spells that the magical world of Potter could cast. I have found that I learn so much about our own world, new ideas form in my mind and I acquire a better understanding of things in our reality by reading fantasy. 
 
But I realize that it's not just fantasy novels that make magical worlds; our ability to create sound with our mouths, vibrates through our bodies and the bodies, including the ears of the listener and our surroundings are magical too. This vibration creates resonance and something deep within us and our environment reacts. Thus, the beginnings of communication. Humans didn't stop there but also began to put hand to an object, to communicate to many others, whether in the present or in the future, by writing. A few scratchings on the wall, a few strokes with a feather with ink on paper, to transfer our thoughts onto another medium, and thousands of years later, other humans understand or are trying to understand its meaning. This is magical! Yet we take it for granted and brand it, "normal."
 
Since I started movement training at 5, I have heard the voices of my teachers reverberating through my body and translating this into movement almost all my life. As I myself became a teacher-coach of movement and Chinese Medicine practitioner, I recognized what power I have in my voice to create an impression in an individual. I realized over the years, when I heard movement teachers use words like, "tighten your muscles," "squeeze your butt" or "flatten your belly," that I was developing an awareness of what NOT to say. I treat so many people for tight muscles, who are often unable to move their abdomens freely as they breathe and have pain in their butt. I came to a realization that I have the power to help others change this with the influence of my words, among other things. I have learned to choose my words carefully. I ask students/patients to "activate their muscle" rather than tighten them. I ask them for what I want or need, not what I don't want, and I observe the changes. For me, words are like the casting of a magical spell; a reality created by the words. As the saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for, it may just come through." 

 
 
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​As I sat on the sofa one day at the end of the 1990s, in between studies and work at university in the US, I heard a talk on TV given by a "Holistic" medical physician. Her name is Dr. Christiane Northrup. First of all, I had not even known that a Holistic medical doctor even existed at that point in time, so I listened. Her talk was about the book she had written a few years earlier entitled, " Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom." She asked a very awakening question that touched me deeply and I am paraphrasing it, "How would it be if a girl is taught at a very young age that her menstrual cycle which she would experience from puberty onward is her ability to bring life into the world and that it is something special?" I thought to myself, "Wow! How would that have been for me if I had heard this at that point in time?" 
 
The experience of my personal menarche came back to me in that moment. No adult in my family had explained to me what the menstrual period was; my sisters sort of tried but not really as they themselves were teenagers. The first I heard was from other girls my age or a little older. They told me all sorts of strange things that invoked fear, "bleeding from below that can come at anytime," "pain!" and "blood stains all over your clothes." The only adult who did talk to us about the menstrual period was a female educator, hired by the school system and menstrual hygiene company to explain to us, by showing us a video of what happens anatomically, marking the calendar monthly, how to wear a pad or possibly a tampon and giving out free samples of menstrual pads to us 10-11-year-olds; I am sure this was a strategy to ensure that we, pre-pubescent girls, would buy and favor their brand of sanitary hygiene products for the rest of our menstruating years. No one mentioned how special it was, or anything about life-giving. I wasn't welcomed into womanhood, I felt like it was more of hiding my femaleness, being more segregated from the males of my society and definitely no sign of honoring me being a woman. Almost a feeling of shame, if I am honest about it. I did not receive a special ritual or celebration of entering womanhood, as in many traditional cultures. It was kept as quiet as possible. When my menarche came, it was a little uncomfortable for me to tell my mom that it had begun. I had the free samples sanitary pads from years earlier to use, but I did tell her in whispers and she provided me with more. But there was no more talk about how it was, her own experience of menses or anything else. 
 
After Dr. Christiane Northrup's talk, which also focused on other themes of being a woman, I knew that if I ever had children, especially females one, I would be open to explaining and sharing my experiences of menstruation; to explain to them how special it is that they have a monthly bleeding that prepares our women bodies to bring life into the world and how this connects us to the Earth, as well as all life on Earth. Also, to welcome them into the circle of Women and celebrate their Womanhood. I do not have female children but that has not stopped me from sharing with my young men about menses and our bodies, female and male. If this information doesn't come from me, who will share it with them? 
I realized that I did not want a repeat of misinformation and ignorance, like I experienced as a teenager, because the adults around me were too ashamed to discuss their/our bodies. I also share this with my patients, some are young girls coming into womanhood and others are grown women, mothers or grandmothers, entering the "changing years." We speak openly about menstruation and other phases in life that women go through, our experiences and that we do not have to accept pain or discomfort as 'normal'; there are Chinese medical plants, (acu)points and practices that help create smoother menstrual flow. I believe that through bringing light to these very important life themes, we dispel these archaic ideas of shame of our bodies. Our bodies are as natural as nature is.
 
This year at ICM, we have decided to honor and give space to Womanhood. We will be launching our Women-Life-Phases project - to inform, create consciousness, to honor Womanhood and provide healing support through Chinese Medicine, as well as other healing modalities. This does not mean we don't give space to males, that may be our next project for the coming years. It is our way of creating balance that has been lacking in our society/world for a while. It is also quite ironic that this comes at our 15th anniversary year, almost as if ICM is at its "coming of age." Watch out for info coming up on our website, in the form of live presentations, pamphlets, info sheets and who knows what else.  
 
 
 
 
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