My Qi

A Modern View of Qi

Chinese Medicine's most fundamental concept is Qi (pronounced "chee"). Its Chinese and Japanese character is 氣.

Qi is a quality and substance that is cultivated through artful practice. 
Scientists have failed to locate, define, and measure it because they've assumed it's a distinct energy field that we haven't developed the right technology to detect. 

I propose that Qi is a catch-all term for what I call our vivome.

Our vivome is composed of all measurable interacting physiological systems that determine our degree of vitality and function. 

These system include our fascia, nervous system, hydration, circulation, cellular signaling, endocrine and immune regulation, mitochondrial health, and other systems. 

Our vivome is a quantifiable, modern successor to the classical concept of Qi—with a proprietary standardized methodology to measure and study it.

The "vivome" is an open-source framework conceived by James Vaughn, Founding Executive Director of Vaughn Health. Feel free to share this concept with proper attribution.

My Introduction to Qi

As mentioned in my bio, I practiced Kajukenbo from ages 7 - 10. 
While Kajukenbo is not overtly associated with Taoist practices like Qigong or Tai Chi, they have common roots. Kajukenbo uses "Ki" (pronounced "kee") 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. 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

The concept of Qi inspired George Lucas's concept of "The Force" in his Star Wars franchise. 
Review this paper and this one  on the Resonance Theory of Consciousness to learn how Quantum Theory compliments Chinese Medical Theory, and provides a basis for how cultivating Qi through various practices may tap into a non-local field that holds related knowledge and experiences.

A Child of Tao

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 as a young girl when living with her father at Tachikawa Air Base from 1954 - 1957.
When I held them, I felt like her young hands, eyes, and mind were alive in my own. After all, half of her genes live in 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 —just 9 years after World War II profoundly altered the fabric and course of Japanese culture and identity. Half the population still dressed in traditional garb while the other adopted modern styles.
Whether she realized it or not, 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.
During Physical Therapy school, my mother took shiatsu (a 1,000-year old Japanese adaptation of tui na). 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. 

Discovering Qi, and my Destiny

I was 20 when a series of conspicuously fateful events led me to my first real experience of Qi at the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, CA. Until then, I had never heard or seen the term "Qi" -I only knew it as "Ki" from practicing Kajukenbo. But that was only in the context of self-defense, not for healing or cultivation. The experience was so profound, I immediately knew it was my destiny to pursue this path.
The next year, I began my formal training at the Acupressure Institute, where I completed 1,000 hours in Tui Na, Shiatsu, Thai Massage, Sports Massage, Swedish Massage, Jin Shin, Tai Chi, Qigong, Chinese Medical Theory, and the Taoist philosophy behind it all.

Is it just me, or Qi?

By the time I began working with my stroke client in 2001, I had practiced Jin Shin and Bodywork for 6 years, but already cultivated my relationship with Qi for 19 years before my neocortex finished maturing. My brain and biology literally became hard-wired to do this work. . 
This is why adults older than 27 without prior experience and practice in these may need longer, more intense practice to become as effective with them. 
These disciplines are as much an art as they are about applying knowledge and practicing methods. Our personal genetics, experiences, and conditioning influences how our skills develop like any other.

The Tao Prevails

Jin Shin and Therapeutic Bodywork are natural and deeply instinctive. Aside of needing to know basic anatomy, it's not rocket science or training for the Olympics. My experience as a student at the Acupressure Institute showed me that everyone takes to these practices very quickly. 
As stated in that Encyclopaedia Britannica entry, these practices must be experienced to be grasped. They must be integrated into our daily lives as part of our philosophical and spiritual development.
While practicing Kajukenbo and Shiatsu since such a young age made me more attuned to receiving integrative bodywork, ALL my clients have remarked on how profound their experiences are when receiving these methods. (See my testimonials)
At the end of my first session of Shiatsu, Tui Na, and Jin Shin from a student at the Acupressure Institute, I felt like my entire being had been struck by a thunderbolt that was as profoundly peaceful as it was exhilarating. It felt like I had been brought into a secret universe just a quantum leap away. 

That same potential is available to everyone! Click here to see what's possible for you.

A Modern View of Qi

Chinese Medicine's most fundamental concept is Qi (pronounced "chee"). Its Chinese and Japanese character is 氣. Qi is a quality and substance that is cultivated through artful practice.

My Introduction to Qi

As mentioned in my bio, I practiced Kajukenbo from ages 7 - 10.

While Kajukenbo is not overtly associated with Taoist practices like Qigong or Tai Chi, they have common roots. Kajukenbo uses "Ki" (pronounced "kee") 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. 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:

Qi, Quantum Physics, and Star Wars

The concept of Qi inspired George Lucas's concept of "The Force" in his Star Wars franchise.

Review this paper and this one on the Resonance Theory of Consciousness to learn how Quantum Theory compliments Chinese Medical Theory, and provides a basis for how cultivating Qi through various practices may tap into a non-local field that holds related knowledge and experiences.

A Child of Tao

* 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 as a young girl when living with her father at Tachikawa Air Base from 1954 - 1957.

When I held them, I felt like her young hands, eyes, and mind were alive in my own. After all, half of her genes live in 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 —just 9 years after World War II profoundly altered the fabric and course of Japanese culture and identity. Half the population still dressed in traditional garb while the other adopted modern styles.

Whether she realized it or not, 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.

During Physical Therapy school, my mother took shiatsu (a 1,000-year old Japanese adaptation of tui na). 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.

Discovering Qi, and my Destiny

The next year, I began my formal training at the Acupressure Institute, where I completed 1,000 hours in Tui Na, Shiatsu, Thai Massage, Sports Massage, Swedish Massage, Jin Shin, Tai Chi, Qigong, Chinese Medical Theory, and the Taoist philosophy behind it all.

Is it just me, or Qi?

By the time I began working with my stroke client in 2001, I had practiced Jin Shin and Bodywork for 6 years, but already cultivated my relationship with Qi for 19 years before my neocortex finished maturing. My brain and biology literally became hard-wired to do this work. .

This is why adults older than 27 without prior experience and practice in these may need longer, more intense practice to become as effective with them.

These disciplines are as much an art as they are about applying knowledge and practicing methods. Our personal genetics, experiences, and conditioning influences how our skills develop like any other.

The Tao Prevails

Jin Shin and Therapeutic Bodywork are natural and deeply instinctive. Aside of needing to know basic anatomy, it's not rocket science or training for the Olympics. My experience as a student at the Acupressure Institute showed me that everyone takes to these practices very quickly.

As stated in that Encyclopaedia Britannica entry, these practices must be experienced to be grasped. They must be integrated into our daily lives as part of our philosophical and spiritual development.

While practicing Kajukenbo and Shiatsu since such a young age made me more attuned to receiving integrative bodywork, ALL my clients have remarked on how profound their experiences are when receiving these methods. (See my testimonials)