On my way to Yoga last weekend, I popped by a shop as I was a little too early for class. I came across something I was familiar with from the 1990s: a Tetris game console. It is a pure and simple, Tetris only, black and white screen, with buttons; just like in the old days, these days pronounced “vintage game console.” I decided to get it, as I liked playing this game back in the day.

In the days when I was in University in the mid-1990s, many of us students were on the computer playing Tetris, as we were trying to avoid/procrastinate our fate of dealing with studying for exams and working on our due papers. I guess it was our way of escapism; from the stress of finishing certain tasks within a certain amount of time or possibly even the fact that we would be finished with our education and forced to face the uncertainty of our unknown futures after school. Not such an unhealthy manner of procrastination, if it was balanced out with eventually getting to work on your paper; compared to hanging out in bars and drinking alcohol till the wee hours of the morning, as well as cheaper too.

If you don’t know Tetris, this is what it is. Shapes fall from above to land downward, like rain from Heaven to Earth. The shapes, Tetrominoes, are all made up of 4 little squares, which include: a square, L-shape, reverse L-shape, a long line, Z-shape, reverse Z-shape and a T-shape. The goal of the game is to line the Earth on the bottom with the Tetrominoes, which will eventually disappear and score you points, as well as clear the screen so you could progress on to the next level. The only moves you can make are to flip the position of shape to get it to fit into the existing line or make them move down faster. At every level, the task gets harder as the speed increases; at the beginning it is like drizzling-rain speed and by the end like monsoon-rain speed.

As I describe this, I realize why I like this game. It’s like the Heavens send down rain to the Earth and I have to deal with how it gets distributed on the Earth. If I manage to organize it well, the Earth can transform the rain but if I can’t, it will overflow and flood the Tetris world into destruction. As luck would have it, there is a possibility for a restart, a rebirth; I can press the button and start a new game. In fact, the more training I get, the easier it becomes to see the possibilities to get the Tetraminoes stacked in a horizontal line on the Earth. For me, it is a game of hope, as I get many chances to mess-up, restart and in the process have practice to better my skill. I do not get the chance to choose which shape comes when, but I do get a view of the next 3 shapes that will be dropped down; so I do have a little possibility to plan my next few moves.

When I played it the 1990s, I was in a different state-of-mind; sometimes when I didn’t get a line perfectly and completely filled with no empty spaces, I would just restart the game. Now almost 30 years later, I observe that it does not bother me at all and I just continue to fill the lines above the baseline and eventually I get to work on the baseline again, to finally get it to transform. I notice that I have learned to let go of being “perfect,” to be aware of the bigger picture and to be focused in the present moment. The score is just secondary for me, if I get a high-score, great, if not, no worries. When it’s time to let it go, I just shut it off and let go of the game. It is just a game but it’s how I approach it that matters. Tetris, like so many things in life, can be a tool for transformation or it can be a hindrance to life. I have the choice to determine what it is for me.
 


 
Image by Henriksen19 on Pixabay
 

Autumn is a season I did not know as a child; in Malaysia, we have only 2 seasons – dry season and rainy season. As I got to the USA for my studies, I began to experience Autumn but again, where I went to university first, in Reno, Nevada, is a high-desert, where only few trees grow. I heard the Americans describe “Fall” for Autumn, but I didn’t really get the full experience of it until I got to Switzerland, where there are many trees that fall leaves. The moment of Autumn when the first cold hits the skin after a warm Summer, the light diminishes in the mornings and evenings, and the colors of the trees change as well as the trees become bare of leaves. I used to dislike this season, it felt like a “hard” time was coming; of feeling constantly cold, getting sick, looking outside and seeing nothing but grey, dark skies with no or little sunlight, like a premonition for death. But this has changed over the years of living here and understanding the 5 Elements. Maybe my views on death have changed too.

Many of us in Chinese Medicine become observers of Nature, at some point. This comes from our Daoist foundation of seeking harmony with our environment and the belief that we humans, are not separate but a part of Nature. I have become a fervent observer of Trees and Plants; I often find that they have so many lessons to teach me. Right now, I am gazing out of the window at our Japanese Maple tree, which has gone from dark green, to bright red and today, after the winds of last night, almost bald, leafless over a span of a month. One of our Chinese Medical scholars, Deanna Slate Stennett describes,

“I believe that all aspects of our planet, and most likely of the entire Universe, are linked in such a way that what happens in the autumnal trees simultaneously happens in other forms of life. In the trees, though, the process is easy to see: to make ready for the chill of Winter, the trees choose what is valuable and worth storing, versus what must be let go. They pull their vital essence to the safety of the roots, depriving the leaves of that essence. So those beautiful colors are actually signs that the leaves are dying. Eventually they fall and turn brown, withered corpses of the beauty they once were […] In nature, Autumn is when all forms of life store their valuables where they are safe, yet available, and let go of everything else.”
(Slate Stennett: 2018, 17-18)

We have come to a point in the year where we can no longer hold on to the external accessories or adornments that serve to decorate our exterior. If we are to survive the “death” of Winter and rebirth in Spring, the transformation of our Self, then we need to let go of excess baggage to delve deeper into our beings. Slate Stennett suggests some very powerful questions that we should ask ourselves, in deciding what to let go of, whether “physical belongings, emotional baggage, or spiritual practices.” They are:

1. What is most valuable?
2. What is precious and serves life?
3. What is unnecessary and no longer serves life?

(Slate Stennett: 2018, 18)
 
These are sometimes not simple questions to answer and to apply in our lives, as they can be relationships to people who have been with us for a while, but are no longer aiding us in life’s journey. Or maybe it could be a job that is draining us of our life essence but we can’t see a way yet to let go of it without some other way of making a living already lined up. These can bring up themes of survival and the fear of not being able to make it through.
 
Chinese Medicine attributes Autumn to the organs or `officials´ of the Lung and Large Intestines. Both have to do with purifying the body; with air (Qi) by the Lung and letting go of feces, the waste, by the Large Intestines. In this time of year, we may experience many Lung and Large Intestine themes, especially if we do not give space for these processes to occur naturally. The body is then forced to do it on its own by creating dis-ease, like fever, upper respiratory or digestive disturbance to compel us to slow down or even flat out immobile, in order that these organs can do their jobs to purify our beings of the unnecessary; these unnecessaries can be from an emotional or even spiritual point of view but still manifesting as physical symptoms.
 
Once more beautiful and precise advice from Slate Stennett to end this post:

“In our Autumns, then, let’s be deliberate in deciding what we want to let go. Honor each item – then let it go. Let it be like the brown leaves that fall to the ground and return minerals to the soil as they decompose […] In the mind and spirit, letting go leaves an empty place for something new.”
(Slate Stennett: 2018, 19-20)
 


Reference
Slate Stennett, Deanna (2018) : Poetry of the Body – Stories about Acupuncture Points. Bloomington, IN, USA: iUniverse.
 
 
 

Image by Elaine

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

​A few days ago, I looked into a book that was passed on to me and extremely invaluable as I attended university in the 1990s - an English dictionary. Since my last post about Sweet Potatoes and Roots, I have been contemplating this word "Root." So I looked in to find the definition of Root and I find 12 different possibilities as a noun and as a verb. Most of them have something to do with having a "base" or "core" or "source," whether referring to human, plant, language or mathematics, and even to encourage. Fascinating, isn't it? 
 
Many of the Herbal Medicines in the Chinese Materia Medica are Roots. One that particularly stands out is Ginger and is listed in a few different forms. They are fresh Ginger (Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜 Shēng Jīang), Ginger peel (Cortex Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜皮 Shēng Jīang Pí), dried Ginger (Rhizoma Zingiberis Officinalis, 干姜 Gān Jīang) and quick-fried Ginger (Zingiberis Rhizoma Praeparata, 炮姜Páo Jīang).
 
In its fresh form, just like we get them here in the normal grocery store, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜 Shēng Jīang, is a food-grade herb. As such, one can cook it with other ingredients to enhance the taste of that particular food, like fish, meat or vegetables. In some Asian supermarkets, you may find young ginger, that which is yellowish in color with a green stem protruding out of the rhizome. This form is a little less warming than the older brown version. Herbal decoctions regularly containing multiple Herbs, prescribed by a Chinese medical practitioner, often includes Ginger to harmonize the Herbal Formula combinations; aiding better absorption of the Herbs into the body and to prevent possible toxic side-effects from other potent Herbs. In fact, I have read that Ginger can be used as a remedy for food poisoning, and in fact is cooked with fish in order to neutralize toxins in many traditions. 
 
In the everyday, we can grate it, make an Herbal infusion out of it just by adding hot water and letting it steep for 10 minutes just as a beverage. This can be very helpful too if you had symptoms like chills and/or fever caused by the common cold virus. In fact, making a foot-bath or a whole-body-bath with this infusion till one gets warm and sweaty would also help expel what we call "Wind-Cold Invasion" in Chinese Medicine. If you wanted to enhance the digestive effect of Ginger, then you can throw in a couple of slices of Ginger into a pot with water and cook it for at least 15 minutes. This infusion would be less spicy but more warming for the Stomach, good for stopping nausea and vomiting in pregnancy or otherwise, help relieve bloating and digestive distress. Shēng Jīang enters the Lung, Spleen and Stomach, is spicy and warm. In contrast, Shēng Jīang Pí, Ginger Peel is spicy-cool and is good for edema and promoting urination. 
 
As with anything, too much of a good thing transforms it to a hindrance. If you tend to heat in your system, then too much Ginger will overheat you. A spicy flavor will circulate Qi and too much circulation will dry out the body. Use moderately or speak with your practitioner, if Ginger is appropriate for you. I find that this is one of the many simple Herbal foods that I almost always have at home or with me when I travel. One of our favorite meals is rice with chicken, cooked with Ginger, soya sauce and Sesame oil; a simple but scrumptious recipe passed down to me from my mother. Like so much around the world, people have used food as medicine since time in memorial. It is only us modern urban-dwelling, city-folk, who are often times disconnected from nature, who question the validity of food as being able to affect our health or never really realizing that what we put into our bodies might affect who we are. Just because something doesn't come in a form of a pill, doesn't make it less potent. In fact, it is this that I challenge; something in its purest form, like the Ginger Root, may be the strongest medicine as it is whole. In its wholeness, it helps us to find unity in ourselves, to reconnect us to our source, to our core. 
 
 
 
 
Image Ginger Root by Engin Akyurt on pexels.com
 

When we look at the Chinese calligraphy for Tea, Chá 茶,it shows us how the Chinese view Tea. At the very top stands 艹which is the radical for any plant or part of it that is herbaceous. In the middle is human, rén  人 . Finally, at the bottom is the radical for tree, mù 木 . I see this character as Human being rooted through the Tree in the Earth and Herb to the Heavens. This is my experience of Tea, whether I drink it or be with people who drink/work with Tea; Tea seems to root the person to the Earth and connect their Minds to the Heavens.
 
Camellia sinensis, Tea are divided into 6 types: Green Tea (Lu Cha), White Tea (Bai Cha), Yellow (Huang Cha), Black Tea (Hong Cha), Wu Long Tea, Pu Er Tea or Dark/Fermented Tea (Hei Cha). In my last post, I wrote about Green Tea, which does not undergo any form of oxidation as with White Tea, which are the buds/immature Camellia sinensis. All the other forms of Tea undergo a process of oxidation, which sometimes is called fermentation. Yellow Tea is Camellia sinensis leaves that have undergone very light oxidation to remove the grassy flavor but is often categorized as Green Tea. Pu Er and Dark Tea are sometimes known as Brick Tea. This was the way Tea was able to be transported all over the world including the Silk Road, as they were compressed into a brick/cake form to save space and remain fresh. What we know as Black Tea, the Chinese called Red Tea (Hong Cha) is 100 percent oxidized. Wu Long Tea is a categorization for oxidized Tea from 8 to 85 percent. Here, there are innumerable possibilities for creativity, creating Wu Long Tea that appear like Green Tea or Black Tea but aren't. As such the Gong Fu Cha ceremony was created to enjoy this form of Tea.
  
My husband and I are Tea drinkers. We drink Tea almost everyday and often in the ceremonial form of Gong Fu Cha. Our favorite type of Tea is Wu Long Cha, which means Black Dragon Tea, referring to the shape that the Camellia sinensis leaf curls up into as it undergoes oxidation and unfurls as you steep it in your teapot. About 15 years ago, we travelled to Taiwan for the first time, which is well-known for its Wu Long Tea, to see where Tea is grown and experience Tea culture. We met people who drink, grow, make and sell Tea. Every corner you turned to there is Tea, whether it's a Tea shop or a place where people just gather to drink Tea. We met intellectuals who studied at the university, Tea farmers, Tea shop-keepers or just Tea connoisseurs. They all had something in common; there is a certain respect for the plant and for life. Taiwan is an island with steep, misty mountain slopes ideal for growing Tea. They make some of the best High-Mountain Wu Long Tea. One can observe these by the way the leaves look, whole and large. I must say that the Taiwanese are some of the friendliest people I have ever met on my journeys throughout the world. If this has an effect on the Tea or vice versa, I cannot say, but the experience of Tea-drinking is definitely enhanced by the company you share it with.   
 
In Chinese Medicine, Wu Long Cha is used for clearing heat and detoxifying the digestive system as a result of food poisoning. It is also good for edema as it is a diuretic. It clears the head and eyes as a result of hangovers from alcohol or tiredness, as well as breaks down grease as a result of a heavy meal. This is often why you will get a pot of Wu Long Tea in a Chinese restaurant to go with a meal in Asia. Wu Long Tea is never drunk with sugar or milk, as these additives will destroy the flavor of good teas. Unlike Green Tea, you use close to 100-degree Celsius heated water for Wu Long Tea. The first flush is to wash the leaves and from the second onward, you drink and savour its essence. If a Tea is of good quality, its flavor will remain for a few flushes. As with any Tea, teabags often do not hold good quality Tea as there would not be enough space for the leaves to expand and therefore often contain crushed leaves. In my opinion, teabags are convenient but lacks the subtlety for "real" Tea drinking. As with humans, Tea leaves need space, enough time to steep and the ideal atmosphere to flourish; this will allow it to display its best qualities. 
 
 
Images by Elaine

As we go through the seasons of the year and I observe the changes of the climate, it reminds me of the Wu Xing or 5-Elements or 5-Phases. This philosophy is not just a Chinese medical theory but one that was/ is observed in all areas of life, as with the Yin-Yang philosophy. The 5-Element philosophy is very old. Historical records display writings and observances of it since the start of the Han Dynasty in 206 BCE, but the ideas of this philosophy are much older.
 
I am impressed by how so many, if not all areas of our lives are influenced by the 5-Elements; whether it be seasons of the year, cooking food, making medicine, breathing techniques or making day-to-day objects/ crafts that we use in our lives. There are traditions all around East-Asia (i.e. China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea) where the 5-Element philosophy is part of normal, daily life. As I contemplate the element that we are experiencing at the moment, the Metal element, I can't help being reminded of the skilled Bladesmith, one who works with Metal to create tools/ weapons. The Japanese are famous for making the best knives and swords in the world. The Katana, the Japanese long sword, is most celebrated for its artistry as well as its sharpness and ferocity. It is a blade so fine and flexible but so resilient, in the hands of a skilled swordsman (or woman), you would be unaware of its cut until it is done. You can tell how many martial arts movies I have watched growing up in Asia. What fascinates me most is not the end product, the sword, itself but the process in which it is made; how the 5-Elements are present in the process to transform raw Metal into a tool, an art form. The Metal is put into Fire to be smelted, then comes the process of the forging, which involves more Fire, Water, Earth and of course to begin with there was Wood for Fire. In the process to create this tool, the 5 Elements were going through the generating and controlling cycles, all in movement towards a creation and transformation guided by the human hand/ mind.
 
I feel this often when I practice Qi Gong, Tai Ji Quan or Yoga. I sense the Elements in me, helping me transform my body, my mind, my being to connect/reconnect within and without. What then manifests outwardly is simply a product of the process, there is no product without the process. So if I perform a headstand, it is a coming together of the elements within and around me to find an inward balance, which then manifest as me balancing on my head in the physical realm. 
 
Another of the Breath practice that I have gathered on my journey is the 5-Element Breath Sounds. It is a practice that involves the exhalation as a sound. Many of us make sounds quite instinctively, in the form of a sigh or a groan. This practice is a conscious manifestation of Breath to balance the organs and elements. Practice the sounds like it is listed from above to below, as this is the generation cycle. You may notice that the Fire element comes twice. There are reasons for this that I won't get into in this post. Do try the breath sounds and sense how they affect you! 
 
 
 
 

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5-Element Breath Sounds

Element   WOOD 
Organ       Liver
Sound       Sheeee 
Element    FIRE                        
Organ       Heart                     
Sound       Haaaa                               
Element   EARTH
​Organ       Spleen
Sound       Hoooo
Element   METAL
​Organ       Lung
Sound       Tssss 
Element    WATER
​Organ        Kidneys
Sound        Huuuu
Element     FIRE
​Organ        Triple Burner
Sound        Heeee


Image Smith by Dirk Hoenes from Pixabay
Image 5-Element Sheng Cycle by Elaine

What has often fascinated me are stories of transformation. Even as a young child, I loved reading fairy tales like The Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid or The Ugly Duckling. It’s only since I began my studies in Chinese Medicine that I realized why. As with the seasons (spring, summer, autumn, winter), all living beings on earth are guided by the cycles of birth, growth, transformation, death and possibly rebirth. Composting is that “real” tale for me. I gather my kitchen waste, put it in a compost pile in the garden, the transformation from dead food scraps to fertile earth, which allows me to grow plants that will become food again. The cycle of life, death and rebirth happening in my garden, without me doing much except to occasionally turn the pile. This is the ultimate story of transformation happening right in my own backyard.
 
My family and I have had a compost bin ever since we have had a garden. Our current compost bin is 6 years old. We all know that traditional composting is based on the decomposing process, an aerobic process which takes time. My kids know, as we do, that we can’t put meat, dairy or cooked grains in compost, as these will attract vermin, or citrus, due to it not decomposing well and worms don’t like them. One of my boys had the chore of taking out the kitchen scraps, at least once a week or in summer up to 3 times, and putting it in the big bin in the garden. There, he would be assaulted by flying insects, slimy slugs and the putrid scent of decomposition, which he totally detested. Now, that has all changed.
 
We began a Bokashi compost this past February. I had seen it many years ago in a catalog for natural products but didn’t look further into it. Some vegan friends of ours mentioned that they were using it and then last year a good friend of mine from Malaysia mentioned that she had one. When I told her of our compost not having meat, grains or citrus, we began to discuss the benefits of Bokashi and how one can basically put every organic matter in it to ferment, creating super healthy compost without the vermin.
 
Bokashi is a Japanese word meaning “alteration” or “fading away.” The Bokashi composting method, developed by Dr. Teruo Higa, is a fermentation process not a decomposition. It works with bacteria like Lactobacilli, yeast and purple non-sulfur bacteria, which come in the form of Bokashi bran. This bran is added to the kitchen waste every time you put it in the airtight Bokashi bin. It’s an anaerobic process, which ferments and doesn’t decompose the organic matter. Hence, it doesn’t smell like decay but more like a pickling (slightly vinegar/acid) odor, which vermin do not like. We purchased our kit which comes with 2 airtight buckets and a whole bag of Bokashi bran. My internet research has shown me that you can make it all yourself, if you want to. Once the bucket is full, you set it aside for 2 weeks and then bury the organic matter in the earth for another 2 weeks before you plant on top of the enriched soil. I put mine in my compost bucket. After 2 weeks, there’s almost no more matter that resembles food, just sweet-smelling compost full of worms. What’s also great is that there is a Bokashi tea, which needs to be emptied every 2-3 days and this can be used to help fertilize plants (diluted down with water) or poured down the drain to help clean your pipes. Now how brilliant is that? Food waste transformed into earth and the liquid used to clean and fertilize, all happening in my kitchen and backyard. That’s what I call transformation!


*Note: Author has not received any financial renummeration for recommendations

Photo (Metamorphosis) by Pixabay user Annca
Photos Bokashi & Compost by Elaine