At the end of last week, I walked out of work feeling my left ankle hurt. The history with my ankles and physical activity is as follows: I started dancing at age 5 with classical ballet training, from age 12 to 17 I was in competitive rhythmic gymnastics, practiced Gong Fu in my 20s as well as continued dance training and performance till I was 30, since my 30s I have been practicing Qi Gong, Tai Ji Quan and Yoga regularly. To be honest, my feet were not meant to be put into pointe shoes and standing on my toes constantly as is required in ballet and rhythmic gymnastics. As such I paid the price with injuries and strains during my time as an active dancer and gymnast, and still do. My ankle is my gauge for many things: the weather, the physical activities I can be doing, the shoes I wear, which will determine the clothes I will wear on that particular day and most recently, what I eat or don’t eat, as I am finding that certain food affects my joints. This got me thinking about life and how our choices affect it.

So often, many of us go through life without ever thinking about what we do to our body(mind). We push, bend, twist, slump our bodies, overfeed or underfeed it with food and water or with other substances. We expose it to many things, like the weather - cold, hot, damp, dry, to digital, chemical and mechanical stimulation for long periods of time. We humans do lots of things to our bodies and often do not think or imagine that our bodies might be keeping track of all the things we are doing and exposing it to. I came up with a theory, as I walked with a limp through the streets of Basel last Friday. We are living on credit, credit that our bodies give us to go through life. We imagine that it’s all for free; those late nights we put in at work and then on to a party, with lots of booze and having to go to work the next morning, without having slept at all, but we’ll catch up on sleep on the weekend, no problem. The “trouble” is, the body does keep score. We may have been in our 20s then and we bounced back fast after a weekend of sleep or a little more coffee, but deep in our bodies, there is a hypothetical counter calculating what was taken out and what was put in. What happens when we run out of credits? That often comes at the Changing Years of Midlife (Menopause or Andropause), our bodies tally the midlife accounts, having tracked our withdrawals and our credits till that point. It relays its findings in signs like pain, weight-gain, fatigue, etc and we are baffled. Why is my body reacting like this? I haven’t done or eaten anything different. What did I do to deserve this?

The point is this, our bodies have been bouncing back from life’s challenges since we were born. When we are young, according to Chinese Medicine, most of our bodies are filled with an abundance of Qi, Blood, Yin and Yang energy; our bodies are like rubber balls filled with enough air, that bounces easily and lithely back up after falling down. But as time passes, the material of our ball is affected by wear, from our environment and repeated use, and the air (substance) inside the ball needs to be pumped up regularly. If regular maintenance and care are not done, we can’t bounce back efficiently, and this creates more wear-and-tear. Our ball starts to deteriorate from the inside and out. What used to be easy becomes difficult. It’s like there was a time when you were young, you could eat pizza every night of the week and there were no issues. Then comes a point in time where the body says, “Stop! I was digesting this stuff you call food and not complaining. But now it’s gone on too long, I can’t digest this junk anymore and I need real food.” The body shows us by creating pain in the abdomen, bloating, diarrhea to release the stuff it didn’t want to absorb anymore. If we understood what it was telling us, we stopped eating pizza and put some real food into our bodies; an occasional pizza can be tolerated, just not every day.

I feel like I am now paying the price of having had an active first 3 decades of life with intense dance and sport. I made choices as a child and young adult to do certain things that strained my body, in particular my feet and ankles. Now I pay the consequences for these actions. I may have used up some credit for my ankle and am now required to pay for the deficit. Of course it is not only negative consequences of my choice; I have gained many skills and experiences as a dancer and mover, like discipline, coordination, flexibility and balance that I will keep till the end of this lifetime. I understand many things about the human body and life, because I myself have moved and experienced. I have learned to listen to the subtle language of the body, sometimes not so subtle as it speaks to me in pain or immobility, or notice the whispers of imbalance before it occurs. My body has taught me to respect the healthy limits of movement and life, to do the care and maintenance that it requires to maintain itself through this lifetime.
 
 

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A memory comes back to me from over 20 years ago, just before my husband and I left California to move to Switzerland. We were in the garden of our Qi Gong/Tai Ji Quan master, Shi Fu Donald practicing Ba Gua Zhang, the Eight Trigrams martial arts form. Shi Fu Donald had instructed us to lay bricks in a form of a circle and we were doing our “circle walking,” which is a core aspect of Ba Gua Zhang, on the bricks. We spent many mornings doing this and of course falling off the bricks. Our Shi Fu did not require any form of penalty for us falling of the bricks, but we however decided that we wanted to motivate ourselves to stay on the bricks. We volunteered 5 push-ups for every time we stepped off the bricks. By the end of the first training, I remember having done something like 50 to 70 push-ups. It was tiring but also a good feeling of achievement. At the end of this training phase, when we moved to Basel, I could walk on bricks with a steadiness and could do push-ups like I never could in all my life; I could push down all the way to the ground and back up with ease for at least 5 repetitions and in multiple sets.

This past January, I got inspired again to start my push-up training beginning with 3 repetitions in 3 sets, with the plan to extend to more repetitions. I have been in the process of training for handstands for a few years now, so I figured having a little more upper body strength would benefit the practice. I am up to 8 repetitions in 3 sets currently.

On my vacation in February, I was on a beach in the south of Spain doing push-ups on the sand. I realized then that I was just going through the repetitions, counting but not really concentrating on my technique to go down all the way to touch the ground. I was holding back on going deep after 2 push-ups, as I knew that to get to 5 and 3 sets to complete would take a lot more strength. This was when I came to the realization that I was not living in the moment. What was the point of fulfilling the numbers but not performing the motion fully? – I asked myself. If my goal was to gain strength, would doing the movement half-way, while thinking about getting to the end of the set be of any use to me. I became aware in the middle of my push-up that it was not. I chanted “stay in the moment” to myself and continued all the way down to touch my forehead to the sand, pushed back up and repeat. After finishing my push-up training, I sat on the beach watching the waves move to shore and away endlessly. I recognized that this was a life lesson from my own body – my intelligent Bodymind.  

What does it help us to go through the motions of life, just counting the days passing but never really living it to the fullest? If I have a purpose for life, what is it? Am I fulfilling it right now? Or am I just counting the repetition of the seasons, wandering aimlessly through space? Why are we waiting for life to come to its end and only then start to live it or regret that we had not lived? It makes no sense. Live now, do what you need to do now because “this too shall pass.”
 
 

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As I walk out on the street to get somewhere, I often notice people walking their dogs or pushing a pram or simply just walking as I am. This would not be an unusual sight but over the past years, it has become apparent that these activities are often accompanied by looking at the mobile phone. I am going to be honest and share that it disturbs me to observe this “multitasking” on the street.

When I was a child, I was told not to walk and read my book at the same time, as this could result in an accident. This was true then, even if I had not liked hearing it from my mom; I made the experiment to read my book, trip over the little step that I had not noticed and learned my painful lesson then. In my 20s, I began my training in martial arts, Shao Lin Quan, where we were trained to keep our senses clear and focused on our surroundings so that we would be able to react to any situation presented; in a martial art situation, one would be ready to respond in the event of an attack. I understood then that I was honing my skills for survival, when my senses are clear and aware, by being present in that moment and place I am in.

I came across an interview on the American Psychological Association APA recently, it was about attention span in the modern world. The researcher, Dr. Gloria Mark, who wrote a book titled ‘Attention Span,’ describes how she has been studying attention span for over 20 years and how it has decreased over the last 22 years. In 2004, with the help of a stopwatch, her researchers found that people averaged an attention span of 2 minutes and 30 seconds on an activity. In 2012, with the help of computer activity monitoring, it was down to 1 minute and 15 seconds. By 2016, it was at 47 seconds. Of course, in this time, the supposed ‘benefits’ of multitasking and the glorification of efficiency models were/are at its peak. Yet our attention spans are diminishing. She also observed that every time we moved our attention to another activity, there is a physiological response in our bodies, with an increased heart rate as well as in blood pressure, indicating a stress response. Why are we so surprised that we are feeling stressed or that we have high blood pressure when in the span of 10 minutes, we would have switched activity almost 13 times. Maybe we need to lay off the hypertension medication and just do one thing at a time. Not only would it be beneficial for our bodies and minds, but also for the beings around us and our environment. Maybe those babies in the pram and the dogs we are walking would feel more care and connection to us, if we gave them our attention instead of the mobile phone.

When I read the definition of the word ‘attention’ from the American Heritage Dictionary, it states:

1. “Concentration of the mental powers upon an object.”
2. “Observant consideration; notice.”
3. “Courtesy or consideration.”

If I apply these definitions to the current research about attention and lack thereof, it makes me sad to think that we have become less observant, less considerate and less courteous.

It is time to become attentive, not just for our own health and ourselves but also for all around us. Let go of that object that distracts us as we do the most basic human movement of walking. Walk with awareness, of our own bodies, of our environment and of the beings we are with. Go on, get out into the spring sunshine and take a walk with attention!
 
 

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One of the fundamental basis of Chinese Medicine is Qì 氣. Qì (Pin Yin romanization, which is pronounced chee), has been described as “vital energy,” “vital force” or even “universal energy.” It’s sometimes spelled as Chi (Wade-Giles romanization), or Ki (Japanese spelling and pronunciation). In Chinese Medicine there are many different types of Qì, just to name a few: Yuán Qì (Original Qi), Zhēn Qì (True Qi), Yíng Qì (Nutritive Qi) and Wèi Qì (Defensive/ Protective Qi). Many blogposts ago, I wrote about Qì and what its Chinese character means, and many blogposts before that I wrote a little about Wèi Qì as well as how it is key to understanding allergies, such as Hay Fever.

But Wèi Qì is so much more complex than just allergies and immune system. The Chinese character for Wèi  衛  has a few parts: the first radical on the left 彳 chì means “step” and added together with the component on the right it becomes 行 xíng, meaning “to walk.” The middle character component, I recently learnt from a continuing education class, refers to “a guard” or “a man with leather armor.” All together they create “a guard who walks back and forth to protect.” Therefore, Wèi Qì refers to Qi that is always in motion to protect and defend when needed.

As a student in Chinese medical school, we learnt that people who caught colds and flus easily have a Wei Qi deficiency and that the Wei Qi is very connected to the Lung and Spleen Qi. So we would treat the appropriate Acupuncture points and give the famous herbal formula, Yù Píng Fēng Săn (Jade Wind Screen Powder). With the proper diagnosis and appropriate use of this formula, patients often got better within a month or so. One of my strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic was and still is to strengthen the Wei Qi. It can also manifest as bladder symptoms like chronic urinary tract infection UTI, which have often manifested in female patients, being exposed to cold external conditions. But through my practice and observation of different patients over the years, I have come to realize that Wei Qi deficiency is much more than catching colds or viruses easily, chronic UTIs and allergies. I started to realize that some patients would come in reporting how they felt “exposed” emotionally and physically, like they felt unprotected when they went out into the world. They would feel like they were being invaded by others energetically. I started to link this to Wei Qi deficiency and to treat them as such, often times it has worked. Also, by learning to set healthy boundaries in their lives, which is also a manifestation of Wei Qi, in my opinion, this has served to help them feel more secure within their beings.

As a student with my teachers in Tai Ji Quan/ Qi Gong/ Shao Lin Quan we learned to do some techniques of energetic practice they would call Iron Shirt Qi Gong. It is a martial arts method in which, as the name implies, one creates a layer like an iron shirt around the body, to protect against hits and attacks from opponents as well as to strengthen one’s body part to create an iron-hard effect with a punch or a hit. This reminded me of a movie which I watched in university in the 1990s, Iron and Silk, a true story of how Mark Salzman goes to China to teach English and learns Wu Shu, among other things. His master, Pan Qing Fu, is known as Iron Fist. Master Pan spent hours over decades punching a steel block; as such, his fists were as hard as iron. Though he has acted in films, this man’s skill was real, unlike a lot of Hollywood films (there is even one with this name but is not the real deal). This I believe is Wei Qi condensed into the fist. Iron Shirt Qi Gong could be used for martial purposes but I believe it is applicable to everyday life, not for assault but for protection. This, I have come to understand, is Wei Qi being activated with energetic practice.

The cultivation of Wei Qi has to come from many different aspects, not just physically but mentally as well as emotionally and energetically. It is something we need to work with our Bodyminds and not just on a material level. If there is anything that I am sure of, it is that many of the health issues of our time have a lot to do with our Wei Qi deficiency as individuals and as a society. It has been one of my aims to understand Wei Qi better. Even after years of study and practice of Chinese Medicine, I am finding even more depth to the subject. I am still on my journey of exploration into Wei Qi.




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Just recently, my husband and I were on vacation; we went out into nature daily and did some hiking. As we were out on the trails, I noticed how different people behaved and reacted as we passed each other. I learnt about hiking etiquette only in my 20s when I lived on the west coast of the USA; I didn’t hike before that, in the urban environment of the capital city of Malaysia. I learnt then that you greet people with a simple, “hello” or “good day,” when you meet someone on the trail and make a short moment of eye contact. This is a way of gauging, acknowledging that we are safe and mean no harm to one another; that we are fellow hikers on the trail with no ill intent. I found this to be “civilized” and essential as a human being, just plain common courtesy. I adopted this practice in my life, even in the urban-setting where I live and work, especially when in a building.
 
This however is not always the experience on the trails or for that matter, in the urban surroundings, here in Europe or in North America in the 2020s; I am finding that people are no longer greeting each other. In fact, they even avoid eye-contact and provide no acknowledgement that you are even present. I perceive this as a lack of manners, and sometimes downright rude when you greet them and they don’t even react or acknowledge in kind. It’s basic human decency to greet one another when you go into public space, which for me again is respectful and a sign of education. Growing up in an urban, big-city environment, where more than a million people live, I can see how this basic human courtesy can get lost, as people hurry around and there is a certain anonymity in the mass. But on a trail or even in a smaller town, it should be customary to greet someone we meet on the way.
 
A few years ago, a film was released “Kingsman: The Secret Service.” One part that stood out for me, in this action-comedy film, was a fight-scene in the pub. It is violent, so if that disturbs you, don’t watch it. However, the fight is well choreographed and it describes a very simple idea, “Manners maketh man” - The way one behaves towards others, reflects the person’s values as a human being on the inside. It is an old proverb that has been in existence since 14th-century Britain. In the film, the scene shows how a master warrior-spy defends his student by fighting ruffians, who have a hold on the student. Nothing is as it seems, as the master is clothed as a well-dressed, middle-aged gentleman, hiding his ability to fight as well as his weapons. The ruffians on the other hand are crude, vile and arrogant, displaying their aggression, brute force and weapons openly. They are rude and insulting to everyone around, in contrast, the master is polite and subtle, flaunting neither his skill nor his intentions; this is a sign of a true master and someone confident in their own abilities. He teaches them a lesson by beating them at their own game, mirroring their violence, but with proper manners and style - “Manners maketh man.”  
 
There are certain rules that humanity abides by, determined by the society we live in; a kind of living code. If we follow these, we are welcomed into these communities, if we do not, then we may be ostracized. In this day and age, we are not only face-to-face with one another, but online behind a screen as well, making communication more complex and prone to misunderstandings. Therefore, good manners are even more essential than before to prevent confrontation and aid living together successfully. However, many seem unaware or unbothered. The social bonds we used to have are deteriorating, we are becoming laxed about simple things that were once commonplace. Many are too preoccupied with the creation of their digital persona, that they have forgotten the most simple, basic rules of living with others. I came across an article called Hiking Etiquette on the US National Park Service, which defines 7 points of hiking etiquette and states the ‘”golden rule”: treat others the way you want to be treated.” I am in agreement with this, not just for hiking but also for life.
 



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