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In Search of Centre

27/9/2021

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The Chinese character for Centre or Middle is, 中 Zhōng in Mandarin. I recently looked up a Wiktionary etymology of this character and it describes 2 versions of this pictogram: one being a target, the rectangle box being shot through by an arrow, the second, derived possibly from a more ancient character as in the image above, being a flagpole with a drum being beaten by the wind, placed in the centre of a field to gather people together and to detect the direction of the wind. The meaning of this character, Zhōng, is either "middle" or "centre" or "to hit the centre" or "to attain."  

It is quite unknown to many that the name for the country China is not what Chinese people call their own country. They call their country Zhōng Guó,中國, meaning "Middle State" or "Middle Country." The modern mainland Chinese call their country Zhōng Huá Rén Mín Gòng Hé Guó, People's Republic of China. "China" was a name given to them by the Persians, or possibly ancient Indians and then adopted by the Europeans. There are many reasons that led to the people of China calling their country Zhōng Guó, which archaeological sources date back to the period known as the Warring States Period, ca. 471 to 221 BCE. But what has then occurred is that the medicine that we called Chinese Medicine, which is called in Mandarin Zhōng Yī,中醫, directly translates as "Middle Medicine." 

It only recently occurred to me that a "Medicine of the Middle" is about finding the Centre, which for me also refers to finding balance. This is true of Chinese Medicine, there is a focus in finding balance within the individual; the individual within her/his social-emotional, physical and spiritual environment. The concepts of Yin-Yang and the Five Phases/Elements, which are the basis of Chinese Medicine, are about balance. Over 10 years ago, I was in a course for Shonishin, Japanese Children's Acupuncture, with Dr. Thomas Wernicke. He got us to lay like babies, in order that we understand the perspective of the world that babies have. One of the important growth milestones for a baby is rolling, either from belly to back or reverse, which typically occurs between the 4th and 6th month in a healthy child. Before a baby can perform this, it must first find its midline, that means hands and feet, right and left must be able to connect with each other. Once they can perform this on a regular basis, the body will be able to tip sideways, and they begin their movement journey towards being upright. This was an illuminating moment for me. I became more aware of my own Centre as well as how important it is to be Centred in order to be alive and thriving. 
  
It has been a few years now since I began practicing Yoga. What has drawn me to practice it regularly in recent years has been the connection I sense with myself internally and externally as well as, what I perceive as a playfulness with my own body(-mind). After spending my early years of life till my 20s dancing on my feet and the next few decades practicing rooting through my feet-legs through Tai Ji Quan/Qi Gong, I find being upside-down on my head, arm and hands just fabulously exciting. My most recent goal is the Handstand; the description of Handstand is very deceiving as it not just about trying to stand on the hands. Through this process, I am evolving a new awareness of balance and my Centre, not just in the literal sense but also in my life. I am finding that balance is not a static place/event; it is a constant fluctuation between stillness and movement. Some days I achieve balance on my hands for 3 seconds and another for just a milli-second. I receive minute information from different body parts like the base of my hand or my phalanges (the bones of my fingers) on where my balance is. I find that I am in constant "conversation" with my body and its different parts. It brings me into the here-and-now, because if for one split second of handstanding I lose my focus, I may fall painfully on my head. I accept all these gratefully as I know deep inside me, a cauldron of deep knowing is in the brewing.
 
As we just passed the Autumn Equinox (time of equal day and night) last week, I had the feeling that balance is being called for. We can all definitely find a little more balance in our lives and what better way than to become aware of our Centres. Take a moment of quietness and stillness in either standing, sitting or lying. Become aware of your body in space. Then, ask yourself, "Where is my Centre?" and just listen to your body answering.
 
 
 
Image Headstand by Aron H.
Image Zhōng Bronz Inscription and Silk Script from Wiktionary
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Chinese Medical Diagnostics

31/7/2021

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Picture
Chinese Medicine is special, in my opinion, as it is based on certain philosophies or view point of life. One precept is that humans are part of a whole, which encompasses the earth, the heavens, the universe; that we humans are not separate but a piece of this jigsaw puzzle we call life. Another principle is that even though we are part of a whole we are all unique in our own individual way. Just as no two snowflakes are alike, neither are two human beings alike, not even identical twins. They might appear physically the same, even gene-wise, have the same upbringing or grow up in the same climate and environment but their internal environment and constitution determines each person's uniqueness.
 
There are 4 dimensions to Chinese Medical diagnosis: asking, listening, looking and touching. Often a treatment session begins with a question (asking) like, "What brings you here today?" Then I, the practitioner, begin to listen and look. The answer that individual presents may include the verbal response that s/he decides to provide.  But the Chinese Medical practitioner listens and looks with what distinguished contemporary Chinese Medicine professor, Dr. Leon Hammer describes as with "the third ear and eye."
 
"This accounts for the emphasis in this text on diagnosis: on uncovering what is not obvious. This emphasis is in place throughout the entire process of interviewing a patient, gathering information, and formulating a management plan [...] When someone learns to listen with the third ear and see with the third eye, he will listen for what people avoid, and not just what they say. It is important to do this, because patients need their practitioners to know what they cannot know about themselves, but what they must know." (Hammer, 2017, 41)
 
Often times, the first session with a patient requires over an hour of discourse as I get to know the patient as an individual. I will then inspect the tongue, which reveals tremendous insights to a person's internal environment. Then, I can finally touch the person. Touching in Chinese Medical diagnosis refers to the taking of the radial pulse on the wrist as well as palpating areas around the body to find correspondences to Acupuncture meridians as well as organs. The noble art of pulse-taking is not simply just counting the beats per minute. Chinese Pulse Diagnosis is extremely in-depth, taking into account rate, rhythm, depth, as well as qualities. This is one of the methods in which we practitioners spend years, if not a lifetime, developing. Since we do not rely on any machines in Chinese Medicine, we develop acute sensitivity in all our senses and most especially at the tip of our fingers.
 
Why the tongue and pulse? Because they are both the expressions of the Heart. The Heart is central in Chinese Medicine; it is described in the classics as the "Emperor." If the Heart is not functioning well, then all organs are in disarray. It is one of the first organs to develop in an embryo in utero. In Chinese Medicine, the Heart doesn't just govern blood but also houses the Mind. When we say Mind, we refer to not just mental and emotional activity, but also consciousness, memory and thought. As such, our diagnostic methods examine the state of the Heart, as it pulsates persistently to maintain life. This is one of the reasons that brought me to study and practice Chinese Medicine. It is a medicine with Heart. 
 
    

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Reference
Hammer Leon I. (2017): Contemporary Oriental Medicine Concepts. Gainesville, Florida: The Contemporary Oriental Medicine Foundation.
 
Image Heart by Raman Oza on Pixabay 
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    Elaine Yap

    I am a Chinese Medicine practitioner at ICM, mother of 2 sons, living on my third continent. I love to share with you my perspectives on healing, TCM, gardening, social change and life.

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Institut für Chinesische Medizin ICM GmbH

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info@icm-basel.ch ​
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