G'day all Apropos of nothing then... Having been an erstwhile student of Traditional Chinese Medicine studying accupuncture and herbs, etc, I am always interested in any sensations or activations I get during my daily Qigong practice. Last week after my usual 3 circle I found the ring finger and middle finger of my right hand were literally zapping like static schock in short constant pulses. The ring finger activated first and was going hell for leather with electrical zaps shooting out of my finger tip. Almost immediately the middle finger followed suit but not as intensely. I decided to consult my Point Location Manual (written by my old TCM lecturer and highly recommended) and found that I was getting activation in a meridian pair, namely Triple Burner/Energizer and Pericardium channels. For those that are unbelievers regarding Qi and TCM etc it might be interesting to note that in this system we have what are called paired group meridians. Both the Triple Burner and Pericardium channels are a paired group and the activation of one feeds the activation of another. I checked the exact points and found PC-9 and TE-1 were activated through my Qigong practice. PC-9 Zhongchong (Middle Assault) Indications... Brings dynamic expanding qi into the channel and activates the channel throughout it's length. It relieves pain in the ribs and activates qi production in the stomach. The divergent channel takes qi to the top of the head, activates the heart and the stomach. It restores the Wood/Fire relationship and can be used to disperse heat (from the liver)in the heart. TE-1 Guanchong (Gate Rushing) Indications... This point will promote the flow of energy from the Pericardium channel to the Triple Energizer channel, via the Cheng point. This point aids in the middle energizer or stomach. Now whats so interesting about this is that having checked these two points out after the fact it came to light that one activated the other perfectly as stated in the Point Location Manuals indications. The fact that stomach activation was prevalent and indicative of both points, is even more fascinating given that I was largely working only my upper and lower heaters and not so much the middle heater. It seems that the body during Qigong sensed the imbalance and gave the Peri and Triple Burner channels a kick to restore the balance. My reason for discussing this is to illustrate how beneficial it can be to look into the Traditional Medicine side of Taijiquan and the healing side which is the yin aspect of the yang combat side. It is a side of Taijiquan that few people ever explore or take an interest in which means they miss some incredible insights. Having a point location manual and taking note of your daily sensations and point activations can be a door to a new world in understanding your Taijiquan, health, body, mind and qigong as well as how you are progressing as all these activations are there for a reason and are there to tell us what exactly is going on on deeper levels. In order for Taijiquan to be Taijiquan we have to have the balance in both the healing and the martial side; understanding both of these isn't easy but by simply beginning to take an interest you are opening a door to the Dao that many never do. Best, Syd
Well it began for me through two different avenues. The first was that I was deeply effected by the philosophy in the 70's TV series Kung Fu. I was a kid when this show was running the first time. And the second was that during the 70's I had a cousin who was AWOL from the RAN Navy staying with us (We were harbouring a Military criminal) who was into Wing Chun and kept showing me Bruce Lee films. This was the seed that germinated into maturity during my teens. So later in my teens I became obsessed with Taoism and Confucianism and began reading the I-Ching, Doctrine of the Mean, Tao Teh Ching etc. I tried joining a Taoist temple in my late teens but was dissapointed by their lack of Taoism! Through my essential love of Taoist philosophy and eastern philosophy in general I found myself looking for a Martial Art that would be an expression of these basic ideals and tenets... Taijiquan became my first and only system. I am aware of other systems and have read widely on external and other internal schools, but for me nothing has the quality of Taijiquan as it is a complete system in every way. No other Martial Art be it external or internal has the totality of Taijiquan when explored in it's totality. When I went to study Traditional Chinese Medicine at University this was again an outgrowth of my interest in the Philosophical, Martial and Healing aspects of the Tao. It's a journey I'll be busy with for life. Best, Syd
