In this article and the next, we will explore the art and science of acupuncture from its roots in qigong. Acupuncture is a branch of traditional Oriental medicine that works with the physical body, yet affects the function of the person as a whole: body, mind, and spirit. What does this mean, and how is it so? Actually, there is no functional separation between body, mind, and spirit. These are interwoven aspects of a whole that we refer to in speech in order to understand that whole. Their relationship is informed by what is known in China as qigong.
To provide perspective, let us first exemplify branches of medicine that focus on the ‘mind’ and ‘spirit’. Suppose a person is suffering from a chronic cough, and her history includes grief over the loss of a loved one that is lingering and weighing down on her chest. The cough may be the body’s safety response, attempting to create more space for the lungs to expand and release, /and/ to bring attention to grief and the issue of death. Simply being engaged to talk openly about the event in an appropriate way (using the mind), may be enough to relieve the hold grief has on the chest. Furthermore, the enactment of an appropriate ritual (going to church, praying, chanting, meditating,etc.) may clarify the spiritual issue of dying, and lead to acceptance. In either case, the chest is free and the cough is left behind. The technique of acupuncture may accomplish the same thing by determining which meridians are involved in the pattern of chest tension, and stimulating the body along those pathways.
OK, so we know that these ‘holistic’ relationships exist. Yet how do they come to be known? The physical body actually provides quite a substantial map for exploring our humanity. Long ago, this map was charted by various peoples, both East and West, independently of each other. Despite differences in culture and language, the maps are essentially the same. Our focus here is on the Chinese map of the acupuncture meridians, yet we could as well talk about others, like The Indian Ayurvedic map of the chakras, informed by yoga (the Indian equivalent to Chinese qigong).
The Chinese have refined their map to be able to describe the human state of being in depth. They have seen how our motivations and psyche are encoded, in a describable way, in our physical form; and qigong has been the key to this web.
In a simple sense, any act that has awareness and fluid breathing is qigong. For example, laughing is great qigong, if it is sincere! In a more formal sense, qigong is a practice that has evolved by close observation of nature. For example, many forms of qiqong are patterned on the fluid movements of animals. Assuming the actions of a particular animal will elicit that animal’s essential temperament; inversely, conjuring up that temperament with the will and imagination will change one’s body accordingly, along with the function of the organs within. It is through the interplay of these two processes that a spiritual link naturally emerges.
Hence, it is possible to explore, and thereby change, our own humanity and physical being through the simple principles of this ancient practice. Traditional acupuncture is just one application of those principles, and it rests on familiarity with the web that is created. The practitioner first determines /just how/ the person is out of balance; the treatment then follows naturally. Next month, we will describe some of the technical aspects of acupuncture and touch upon its practical use to relieve dis-ease.