Author Archives: cdmdw

On Such A Heart

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CV17“QiGong is essentially a philosophy for living life with mindfulness, an awareness of the present that leads to better understanding of ourselves, others, and the world in which we live. Our first priority must be to cultivate a heart that is at once peaceful, strong, and courageous. Focusing our intention on such a heart is QiGong that can be practiced everywhere, all the time!

In Chinese medicine and philosophy, all mental activities are understood to be associated with particular internal organs, thus affecting the whole body. The mind connects with the heart; the soul connects with the lungs; the ethereal soul connects with the liver; the intention connects with the spleen; and the will connects with the kidneys. Among these five relationships, the mind-heart association is most important, because the mind supports the animation of our whole body: our appearance, facial expressions, bodily gestures, speech, response, and overall consciousness. It is also the source of our mental and emotional states. Disturbances of the heart/mind show up immediately in our bodies. When we’re frightened, our hearts beat faster and our breathing becomes short and shallow. Love can make our hearts tremble, while anger makes our eyes fierce and our faces red.”

– Master Liu He, Jade Woman Qigong: The Healing Power of Taoist Medicine for Every Woman
http://www.linggui.org/order-book-dvd/

From 1692

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2015.almanac.tuihealthcareIt’s here! The Farmer’s Almanac, a collection of “notable events” with all kinds of “facts and folklore.” At 146 pages it would seem an easy read but I come to it sporadically and have never read every single page. Still, I am glad to have the inspiration, validation, and whimsy on everything from stars to seeds.

I recommend it to everyone for highlights on nutrition and gardening – simple, time-tested methods of planting and great recipes for consuming your garden rewards. I love this year’s highlights on Sassafras and Celery.

The tables of weights and measures and metric conversions are a handy reminder, and the celestial event summaries are a great quick reference – Two solar and two lunar eclipses in 2015. For the astrologically-focused there is plenty of over-view and inter-view of the year ahead.

And of all of it’s virtues and delights, I like best the calendars in the front that list the day’s astronomy, the sun rise, sun set, and moon rise across the States America. Those planting by moon will especially love the Almanac. Those who appreciate a quick wonder will delight in the small fact of the day, such as

“January 8: Earth’s rotation proved, 1851. January 23: 1st woman received MD degree, 1849. January 25: Apple’s Macintosh went on sale, 1984. January 30: Tet offensive began, 1968. January 31: 1st Social Security check issued, 1940.”

Yin Tang

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yintangI’ve been connecting with the space between the eyebrows a lot (on me and you!) and love what my teacher Master Liu He writes about it:

“The center of the forehead between the eyebrows is nicknamed ‘a room to conserve your stamp,’ a title that refers to the emperors in ancient China. The emperor’s stamp, or seal, was critical to people who never saw the emperor himself. The only way to know his intention was through orders sealed by his stamp. The integrity of the stamp was, therefore, very important, and it had to be protected from theft and mischief. If the stamp was lost or tampered with, the whole country would fall into disorder. Because of the stamp’s precious value, it was kept in a room protected by soldiers.

The story is a metaphor: when we open the mind, we open our internal communication (the stamp) with the external world (the subjects.) The result is insight into correct actions; with insight, there is order, and the emotions stabilize.”

Fifty-One

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fiftyone.tuihealthcareAll things arise from Tao.
They are nourished by Virtue.
They are formed from matter.
They are shaped by environment.
Thus the ten thousand things all respect Tao and honor Virtue.
Respect of Tao and honor of Virtue are not demanded,
But they are in the nature of things.

Therefore all things arise from Tao.
By Virtue they are nourished,
Developed, cared for,
Sheltered, comforted,
Grown, and protected.
Creating without claiming,
Doing without taking credit,
Guiding without interfering,
This is Primal Virtue.

– Lao Tsu, Tao Te Ching

Food is Medicine: Jook or Congee

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jookWith the wet, dark, soon-to-be snow again days we might feel the change in our bones and our willingness to get up and do. Winter is an important time of rest – let the shorter days of sunlight inspire you into a less active day. Seek stillness, find the quiet in your own way …

and still you may feel that change in your bones. Stiff joints, achy muscles, and a cold or flu just around the corner!

I pull out my crock pot(s – one big, one small) and get into making jook. Jook is Cantonese for water, a rice porridge called “water rice” in Mandarin. It is easy to make, easy to digest, and depending on what you put in it – can go a long way toward healing what ails you. The basics are this:

8-10 parts water to 1 part rice. Cook for four hours or more. It’s simple.

This is where a crock pot comes in. I’ll put my rice, water, and herbs in overnight. In the morning I crack in an egg or two while I go through my morning routine. Soon I have a poached egg and a warm, medicinal breakfast. A great recipe for Garlic Ginger Jook is here.

Other favorites: orange peel and aduki bean for dampness, radish for abdominal distention, fennel to harmonize the stomach, turmeric for inflammation. Please ask me or another Chinese Medicine Practitioner about what’s right for you and your constitution if you’re not sure.

Consider adding in other grains too, like quinoa, lentil, millet. Grains, like herbs, can be warming or cooling and have a medicinal effect for the symptoms you’re concerned about. Or perhaps you’re concerned about rice in general after reading this?