An Inner Glow

If you are reading this, you probably know me and know that I go to a Chinese medical school. Besides being fascinated every day by what I learn, often times I will get free treatments during class. Since we are studying to be acupuncturists/herbalists, we have to get practice somehow before we start treating in the student clinic, so the students have to practice on each other in class.

Lately, I have been having "Heart-Mind Restlessness." This is the Chinese name for it. The symptoms include anxiety, heart palpitations, dream-disturbed sleep.. get the picture? Also, with poor sleep, I have been having some neck/shoulder tightness upon waking. This is usually how stress manifests with me. Some people get irritable, some people suffer with digestive problems, some get headaches. I get Heart-Mind Restlessness.

I've never sought out treatment for it, because it's always a temporary thing. I'm never too worried about it because I know it will disappear as stress subsides. But today, I had a free opportunity to address it and be a patient in my classes.

The first class I had is called Medical Qi Gong. Qi Gong is the practice of cultivating qi (or energy). Individuals can practice Qi Gong to promote self healing. Also, once you have become a Qi Gong master, which we are training to be (!), you then can use these practices to heal other people. The feeling achieved from practicing Qi Gong is one of the most amazing discoveries of my life. It may sound weird or funny, but it must be experienced. Since practicing, my body pulsates with a warm, radiant feeling and moving my body around is a joy. Simply moving my hand initiates... an inner glow. That's probably as close as I can get to describing it in words, but these words have nothing on the feeling. From Wikipedia:

"In ancient China, people came to believe that through certain body movements and mental concentration combined with various breathing techniques, they could balance and enhance physical, metabolic and mental functions. These movements were worked out over time by exploring the natural range of motion through the joints, as well as drawing on motions in imitation of various animals. This research was passed down and refined according to teacher-disciple relationships of lineage or apprenticeship. This accumulated body of traditional knowledge is known as Chinese traditional qigong."

"Medical qigong treatment has been officially recognized as a standard medical technique in Chinese hospitals since 1989. It has been included in the curriculum of major universities in China. After years of debate, the Chinese government decided to officially manage qigong through government regulation in 1996 and has also listed qigong as part of their National Health Plan."

Here is a picture of people practicing individial Qi Gong.




Here is a photo of my teacher, Li Junfeng, practicing sitting Qi Gong.




Here is a screenshot of my teacher in his younger years, not doing Qi Gong at all!




In the last few classes, we have been practicing healing Qi Gong on each other. Today, I received a wonderful neck and back treatment from a fellow student. I was able to treat her as well, and even though it was only my third time to do healing Qi Gong to someone else, I can tell it's going to be one of my favorite things. I am in love with the feeling.

My next class today is a class devoted to acupuncture treatment. Since my sleep has been bothering me, I offered to be a patient. Two other students gave me a clinic-type interview, diagnosed the problem, agreed upon a treatment, then stuck a bunch of needles in me. It felt very relaxing, as always. I had very strong response in most of the points they needled, and left feeling ready to go home and sleep...

Goodnight!