氣 MyQi
Chinese Medicine's most fundamental concept is Qi (氣). It is a quality and substance that is cultivated through artful practice.
While it cannot be directly observed or measured with artificial technology, it can be experienced.
And we can observe how it affects the body and mind in the many measurable ways.
Thus the following is relevant when considering experimental designs and what outcomes to expect:
My Introduction to Qi
As mentioned in my Bio, I practiced Kajukenbo from age 7 - 10.
While Kajukenbo is not overtly associated with Taoist practices like Qigong or Tai Chi, they have common roots. Kajukenbo uses "Ki" (Qi) for self-defense whereas Qigong and Tai Chi cultivate Qi for homeostasis and healing. Similarly, Tui Na and Martial Arts have always had a symbiotic relationship. But no one mentioned Qi in those years. I didn't learn about it until I was 20.
Kajukenbo is a hybrid of Karate, Judo, Jujitsu, Kenpo, and Chinese Boxing which have living lineages of teachers transmitting knowledge and methods to students. While their earliest references are found in the Spring and Autumn Annals (5th century BCE), legend places their origin more than 4,000 years ago, during the semi-mythical Xia Dynasty.
According to Encyclopaedia Britannica:
"The primary unifying aspect of the East Asian martial arts, which sets them apart from other martial arts, is the influence of Daoism and Zen Buddhism. This influence has resulted in a strong emphasis on the mental and spiritual state of the practitioner, a state in which the rationalizing and calculating functions of the mind are suspended so that the mind and body can react immediately as a unit, reflecting the changing situation around the combatant. When this state is perfected, the everyday experience of the dualism of subject and object vanishes. Since this mental and physical state is also central to Daoism and Zen, and must be experienced to be grasped, many of their adherents practice the martial arts as a part of their philosophical and spiritual training."
Qi, Quantum Physics, and Star Wars
Those learned in Quantum Physics understand why cultivating Qi taps into thousands of years of living knowledge coalesced through millions of lives that influence and guide practitioners as much as it evolves with them. In simple terms, think of cultivating Qi like tuning into a radio station that taps into the "program" of these living histories.
This is what inspired George Lucas' concept of "The Force" in his Star Wars franchise, which may be the best known representation that Westerners can relate to.
For some scientific carrots to lead you down this Quantum Rabbit Hole, review this paper and this one on the Resonance Theory of Consciousness (Google that for much more). The more you learn about Quantum Theory and Chinese Medical Theory, the more their relationship becomes apparent.
A Child of Tao
(Yes, that's an Asian adaptation of Calvin and Hobbes)
Kajukenbo training may have triggered and amplified genetic memories* I inherited from my mother's childhood experiences in Japan -where she learned Japanese language, Tea Ceremony, flower arranging, and origami. Such traditions are famous for their meditative attention to details, and further examples of living lineages passed down from antiquity.
* Experiences shape our genetics that pass onto children and influence their genetic sensitivity to similar environmental signals, including the capacity to "tune" into Resonance Frequencies as I discussed earlier.
Our living room was graced by Geisha dolls my mother made in Japan as a young girl when her father was stationed there.
When I held these relics, I felt like her young hands, eyes, and mind were alive in my own. After all, half of her genes are literally alive within me. I could almost see, hear, feel, and smell every detail when she was making these.
She visited Tokyo, Nikko, Mt. Fuji, Yokohama, and other cities many times from 1954 - 1957, just 9 years after World War II profoundly altered the fabric and course of Japanese culture and identity, with half the population still dressed in traditional garb while the other adopted modern styles.
Whether she realized it or not, witnessing the stark contrast during that pivotal time in Japan's history keenly imparted the poignance of Japan's ancient and noble traditions upon her 7 - 10 year old mind. It seems no small coincidence that my parents placed me in Kajukenbo when I was 7.
My mother took Shiatsu (a 1,000-year old Japanese adaptation of Tui Na) in Physical Therapy school. When I was 10, she taught it to me so we could exchange it after dinner every evening for our mutual benefit. By 12, I was casually practicing Shiatsu on friends.
