October 2023 – Resilient Edge Wellness

Heaven & Earth and Yin & Yang

October 26, 2023kvanness01

The postures and simple movements of the Between Heaven and Earth form help condition us to the vital cycles and rhythms of life.

For example, in our Qigong practice, we devote a lot of time to centering and grounding. These two skills are so important in our Qigong – indeed, they are critical life skills. Life throws a lot at us. Centering and grounding can help you take the incoming fire or stress without overreacting, enabling you to deal with it more effectively. These two skills can also keep you younger.

As the saying goes, “A mind that can control its response to stress is the world’s most advanced anti-aging technology.”

When we ground, we focus primarily on our lower dan tien or energy center (lower abdomen) and on connecting through our feet to the Yin energy of Mother Earth.

However, when we ground, we also enhance our ability to take in Yang energy from Heaven.

Think about it: most buildings and homes have a lightning rod typically located on the roof of the building or in the area where the electrical and other wiring comes into the house. The wire of the rod connects to a metal base that is implanted or stuck into the ground. The rod serves to attract any lightning strike that might otherwise hit the building or house and carry the current into the ground.

Likewise, when we stand and ground, we are attracting heavenly energy or Qi into our bodies, without even having to think about it.

Which Connection is More Important?

With Between Heaven and Earth Qigong, we are more targeted and intentional on accessing energy from Heaven as well as Earth. The postures are representative of the ways we naturally connect to Heaven and Earth in our daily lives. At all times, we maintain a strong connection to Earth through the feet and Hui Yin (point on the perineum). We can also connect quite strongly through our hands.

On the other hand, the connection with Heaven through the Bai Hui (crown of head) typically is not as strong. You can really feel it when the Bai Hui opens – it’s a clear sensation. However, the feeling is like a funnel through which the energy pours, resulting in a smaller stream coming in and down through the point. Therefore, in certain postures we lift our hands and face toward Heaven to help strengthen the connection.

It would seem that our connection with the Earth is the most important. As we move through our day-to-day lives, we deal with the material, the substantial, the daily cares of living, and the to-do’s from our task list. However, every now and then, we should to connect to Heaven to recharge and renew with that heavenly yang energy. This is where our inspiration and creativity come from.

These cycles of Earth and Heaven – yin and yang – work and recharge – activity and rest – doing and creating – mirror the universe around us. Through reflecting these cycles, the Between Heaven and Earth exercises provide a wonderful way to recharge. They activate the Eight Extraordinary Meridians (the “8X”) which in turn strengthens our natural energy matrix and helps us stay healthy and resilient.

How Do I Get Started?

If you’re interested in learning more about Qigong, Breathwork, and related energy disciplines, a great way to get started is with the introductory course, Breathing & Qigong for Health and Energy. In just four weeks, this course provides you with a wonderful introduction to these ancient and vital practices. I bypass all the “woo woo” stuff and focus on the foundational elements of a successful practice, so you can reap the benefits from your first day of learning. It’s like taking private lessons with me (but at a much lower cost).

So, from now on, anytime you stand, breathe, and ground, place a little bit of your awareness on your Bai Hui point at the crown of your head. See yourself as a lightning rod, allowing Yang energy from Heaven to gently funnel into the top of your head and diffuse and settle down into your body, energizing you from head to toe. At the same time, maintain your connection to Mother Earth and enjoy the Yin energy coming up from the soles of your feet into your lower abdomen.

“Suspended Between Heaven and Earth”. There’s no better place to be.

You Can Do It!

Dr. Karen

Between Heaven and Earth

October 20, 2023kvanness01

In my Qigong classes, I’ve been teaching a version of the “Between Heaven and Earth” form or set of exercises.

The movements are quite simple, and each set of movements builds logically on the previous set. It’s any easy form to learn and do at the physical level. However, the energetics of this form occur at a deeper level of the body, helping to promote the flow of energy of the Eight Extraordinary meridians – the “8X”, as we call them.

The key with this form is to use relaxed intention to become aware of the deeper energetic movements within the body. When performed properly, the movements of the form coupled with the proper intention help promote the flow of energy and gradually eliminate any blockages or stagnation along the meridians.

The 8X form the constitutional level of the energetic body. When they are strong and flowing, they provide the foundation for our physical, mental, and emotional energy and health. They also serve as backups for our Twelve Primary meridians, providing reserves of energy we can draw upon in times of sickness, severe disease, or severe stress.

The 8X and the 12 Primary form a virtuous cycle. Through our Qigong, healthy diet, exercise, getting enough sleep, and other positive lifestyle practices, we build up our 12 Primary meridians as well as the health of each meridian’s associated organ system. The overflow of energy or Qi from the 12 Primary can flow into the 8X, helping to build up our constitutional reserves and, therefore, our resilience. Likewise, building up our 8X meridians – our constitution – can also flow into the 12 Primary to help us improve or restore health, particularly after an illness or other severe stressor.

Our Constitution Impacts our Spiritual Life

I consider myself a Christian and have also studied Daoism for many years. My Medical Qigong training is from an ancient Daoist lineage, as are many of the Qigong forms and practices I have learned over the years. I am always struck by the commonalities between ancient Daoist teachings and practices that help cultivate robust health, mental and emotional harmony, and higher spiritual realization…and the teachings and actions of Jesus, as well as the earliest interpretations of his teachings and example in the Gospels.

The Daoist emphasis is on cultivating the body first so it can become the foundation for deeper mental and spiritual training. We lay the foundation by firmly rooting and connecting to the Earth. We learn to become aware, to listen, to enhance the flow of energy in the physical body. We connect with the energy from Heaven, which in turn helps to raise our awareness to an even higher level and helps us connect into the deeper dimensions of existence.

The Between Heaven and Earth form helps us embody as human our connection to Earth and to Heaven – to the physical as well as the metaphysical or spiritual. In so doing, we increase the dynamic power of our energetic body.

This is consistent with how Jesus is depicted, particularly in the Gospel of John. From the beautiful opening of this wonderful Gospel:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….What has come into being in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
(John 1: 1-5)

Jesus is represented as Logos – the Word. He is also represented as Light. Humans are said to share in this light because we each have the divine spark within us. Yet Jesus was also human. He had a human body and shared in all the very human aspects of existence – the joys, the laughter, the challenges, the rejections – indeed, up to and including an excruciatingly humiliating and painful death.

Daoist practices recognize this divine light. Their deeper meditations led early Daoists to perceive the Light – the biophotonic energy within the human body. Yes, we are biophotonic, electromagnetic entities. Modern science is now discovering this light within us and how our cells use it to communicate.

Yet Daoist practices also honor our physical selves and the importance of being healthy in body as a prerequisite for gaining mental and emotional health and, ultimately, enlightenment.

When we begin to listen, to sense inside ourselves – whether through Qigong, meditation, contemplative prayer…or simply relaxing and being while surrounded by nature…we tap into the Heaven and the Earth that are part of us.

The North Rose Window

So, now that I’ve gone all religious and metaphysical on ya…let’s consider a wonderful example of the Logos and the Light as manifested by Human hands on Earth: the North Rose Window of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

This “symphony in stained glass” exemplifies the two main concepts through which John explains Jesus:

-Jesus and Logos or The Word: the mind, pattern, and plan of God (or the Universal Consciousness) is made incarnate through the patterneed, organized, coherent design of the window. We see a profound harmony and unity of all its elements – glass, stone, colors, and shapes.

-Jesus as Light: “The entire North transept of the cathedral basks in the powerful glow of the Rose window…Like Jesus, the light captured by the windows of Notre Dame shines even into the depths of the darkest places…”

You Can Do It!

Dr. Karen

Digest the Gristle: The Earth / Spleen Element and Transformation

October 11, 2023kvanness01

We’re moving more fully into Fall now, so let’s complete our discussion of the Late Summer / Earth Element by discussing aspects of Earth / Spleen energetics and the emotional, mental, and spiritual aspects of transformation.

Just as we digest, assimilate, and obtain nourishment through the Stomach and Spleen organ system for our physical bodies, so do we digest and assimilate our experiences, whether good, neutral, challenging, or even traumatic. When our Spleen / Stomach energies are balanced and regulated, we can “digest the gristle” – that is, take from the experience the lessons learned, the “nourishment” to help us grow and get better, the impetus towards the transformation that may be required based on our new knowledge. And we also eliminate that which does not serve or help us.

If we are out of balance – for example, if we are living in a stressed-out state of mind and being or suffering from a chronic health condition – we may have difficulty assimilating nourishment from our challenges. We may embrace lessons that contract or constrict our world view, rather than expand it. We may lack confidence to move forward in life. We may find ourselves unable to trust – we don’t trust other people, and we don’t trust our own gut or intuition. We lose faith in ourselves and our ability to move forward.

In Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM), the Spleen (Yin organ) and Stomach (its Yang organ pair) are intimately connected. The Stomach receives nourishment and begins the digestive process; the Spleen transforms this nourishment into Qi / energy and blood, and then transports the Qi and blood throughout the body. Stomach and Spleen create a dynamic balance between giving and receiving.

The key qualities of the Earth element are nourishment and stability. When our Earth element is balanced and stable, we easily transform food into nourishment and experiences into lessons-learned and growth. We feel well-nourished and grounded within our body. Our Earth energy provides the stable platform from which to trust ourselves, our gut, our intuition. And we can attend to others, giving support, encouragement, and nurturing.

When our Earth element is out of balance, we are unable to transform or assimilate food or experiences. We feel unstable and ungrounded. Our mind may go around and around in an endless cycle of excessive rumination. This can include rumination and overthinking about something that just happened, so we can’t digest and learn from it. This can also include obsessing or excessive worry about an event (either real or imagined) yet to come.

As a result, we never get off the dime. Our natural Yi or intention, also associated with the Spleen / Stomach, becomes weak. Our Yi influences our capacity for thinking, concentrating, and studying. It helps us think through our life experiences. If our Yi is weak or unbalanced, we won’t learn our lessons, and we may make the same mistakes, over and over again. We also lose motivation and become less resilient.

Earth’s Connection to Our North Star

Within Daoist teachings, the Earth element is associated with the North Star. How so? Well, first, visualize yourself standing on the stable, solid earth under your feet – this is the grounded state of trusting yourself. Then form a triangle with the thumb and forefinger of each hand and raise your arms straight up above you. Now look up through the triangle to the North Star. Set your ultimate goals, your intention (or Yi) square within your sights. Your “True North” helps guide you through life, through the challenges, the lessons learned, the detours. As long as you can stay grounded and have a place to stand, you can figure out a way through.

Or, as Casey Kasem used to say, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep looking at the stars”.

So, you see how important the Earth / Spleen element is to our growth and transformation. Its key virtue is Trust: trust in ourselves, as well as our ability to trust in others.

Trusting oneself to learn, to grow, to be able to handle new situations and challenges. Going deep inside and listening to what our gut is telling us (i.e., the enteric nervous system which has more neurons than the brain). Using this as the stable ground from which we set our intention and purpose and move forward in life. Good stuff!

How to Boost and Balance your Spleen / Earth Element

The Wu Xing / Five Elements exercise for Earth / Spleen is a simple yet powerful movement for building this energy within yourself.

Earth elemental energy rises from the level of the Spleen and Stomach and then divides as it reaches the top of the thrusting meridian (Chong Mai), which moves up through the center of the body. This yellow, dividing energy exists at the point of change or transformation of the other elements.

In the Earth / Spleen exercise, we use movement and intention to pull up energy from the ground / earth through our core, through the level of the Spleen and Stomach, up to the point at which the energy divides at the center point of change between the other elements. The nice stretch and twist of this exercise also directly activate the Spleen and Stomach meridians.

If you’re interested in learning more about the Five Elements exercises, visit the Wu Xing / Five Elements Course page.

You Can Do It!

Dr. Karen