Note: this article was originally published on March 6, 2020.

The new coronavirus (COVID-19) is all over the news. The word “pandemic” is being tossed around by the media and even a few experts. Toilet paper is in short supply. People are freaking out.

What can you, as a practitioner (or wannabe practitioner) of qigong, do to defend yourself against this deadly virus?

In this article, I’ll give you the most level-headed advice that you’ll find anywhere on the internet. No really. It’s pretty crazy out there. Be careful who you take advice from, including (ahem!) certain politicians!

Speaking of being careful, I’m not a doctor, an epidemiologist, nor an immunologist. I claim no expertise except in the self-healing art of qigong.

I do, however, have a robust immune system (thanks to qigong) and I have studied Chinese Medicine for nearly 2 decades. I also owned a wellness center during the H1N1 (Swine Flu) pandemic of 2009. Oh, and I traveled to Asia to learn qigong right in the middle of the SARS pandemic! (Crazy, right?)

Still reading? Interested in my opinion (plus some cold hard facts)? Let’s dive in…

If it Bleeds, it Leads

In high school, I worked for the school newspaper. Even back in the late 1980s, I was well aware of a phrase that sums up the news business:

“If it bleeds, it leads”.

This phrase reminds us that the news industry love articles with blood, danger, death, and fear — because those articles sell. Those articles ALWAYS lead, meaning that they go on the front page.

Unfortunately, good news just doesn’t sell. That’s not how the human brain is wired. We’re wired to notice threats and that’s why the news is always full of bad stuff.

I’m not saying that there’s nothing to worry about or that you shouldn’t take steps to protect yourself from this coronavirus.

My point is simply this: It’s all-too-easy to get overwhelmed by the news.

And vice versa — many people are so desensitized to the constant stream of negativity from the media that they’re just ignoring the coronavirus news entirely. That’s not a good idea either!

Shoot for the goldilocks zone in the middle — where you acknowledge that the media loves stories about fear, but you also acknowledge the essential facts of the current situation.

Here’s a quote that I love:

“I honestly don’t believe that man was meant to know everything going on in the world all at the same time. A man turns on the TV and all those commentators bombard him with the local, the national, and the international news. The newspapers do the same thing and the poor guy with all the immediate problems of his own life is burdened with all those of the whole world.” – Richard Proenneke, from “One Man’s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey”, first published in 1973.

Cold Hard Facts about COVID-19

Instead of listening to the media (or politicians), where can you get advice?

I recommend Johns Hopkins rather than the Center for Disease Control (CDC). So far, the CDC has proven to be bogged down by red tape and politics. If you want the latest, science-backed information about COVID-19 then look no further than this link:

Click Here for Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center (and bookmark the page for later)

On that page, you’ll even find a global map of the coronavirus cases, recoveries, and deaths.

And they even have an infographic with some of the basic facts about COVID-19.

The Flu and Your Immune System

Many people (including certain politicians, ahem) don’t realize that the regular flu is deadly. For perspective, here are the leading causes of death in the US for 2017:

1. Heart disease: 647,457
2. Cancer: 599,108
3. Accidents (unintentional injuries): 169,936
4. Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
5. Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383
6. Alzheimer’s disease: 121,404
7. Diabetes: 83,564
8. Influenza and pneumonia: 55,672
9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 50,633
10. Suicide: 47,173

The regular flu is a top-10 killer. Every year, 30-80k Americans die from it. So that’s not good news.

But there’s good news too: The regular flu DOESN’T kill millions of people.

For example, last winter, 42.8 million DID NOT die from the flu despite contracting the virus. How cool is that!!

How to Fight the Coronavirus

What if I told you that your immune system is the ONLY way to overcome this coronavirus?

Since there’s no vaccine available yet (and there won’t be one for 12-18 months), this is a no-brainer. It’s the obvious truth.

But what if I told you the same thing is true of the regular flu?

“The flu shot!” you might argue. And you’d be partially right. But only partially.

Many people mistakenly think that the flu shot works like antibiotics, that it just kills the virus somehow. But it doesn’t.

The flu shot works by stimulating your immune system and tricking it into fighting the virus. It is basically a chemical signaling mechanism.

Your immune system does all of the heavy lifting by creating antibodies (also called immunoglobulins) which then go to fight the virus.

Your Mighty Immune System

Remember the 42.8 million people I mentioned earlier who got the flu but didn’t die? How did they do it?

Quite simply, their immune system kicked the flu’s tiny little ass.

Let’s look at some numbers:

• Of those 42.8 million people, only 37%  got the flu shot, or roughly 15 million people.
• The flu shot is only effective 67% of the time. (In other words, even if you get the flu shot, you have a 1 in 3 chance of it not working.)
• This means that, of the 15 million people who got the flu shot, 5 million survived without the help of the vaccine.

I’ll do the math for you and sum up: roughly 32 million (out of 42.8 million) people beat the flu without the help of the flu shot. 

And it’s likely that the number is much, much higher because some people, like yours truly, have such strong immune systems that they only get sick for a day or two and thus don’t bother seeing a doctor.

This is NOT The Flu

Let me be absolutely clear: COVID-19 is not the regular flu. Current estimates suggest that COVID19 is 10-30 times more deadly than the normal flu. You should take the coronavirus seriously, especially if you are elderly.

But there’s a dilemma here, and it’s an important one.

Taking this situation seriously is one thing, but succumbing to fear is another matter entirely.

If you’re in a constant state of panic over the coronavirus (or the stock market, or anything else) then you’re actually wreaking havoc on your best defense mechanism!

How To Suppress Your Immune System

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Someone smart said that.

Here’s how this relates to COVID-19: Fear suppresses your immune system.

Remember what I said about newspapers selling fear? If you constantly read the newspaper, then you are constantly suppressing your immune system.

Look, I’m not suggesting that you be irresponsible. There are practical steps you can take to protect yourself (see below).

But if you TRULY want to protect yourself, then you must ALSO take steps to protect your immune system.

Of course, there are some important things you can do to increase your odds, most notably — wash your hands. More on this later. But my point is that if you are running around in fear, then you are compromising your immune system.

The big takeaway here: there are many ways to support your immune system (see below), but panicking and running around thinking that the sky is falling is NOT one of them. 

Fear and your Gallbladder

There’s another problem with fear. In Chinese Medicine, the Gallbladder Meridian is responsible for making decisions. But when you’re constantly afraid, the Gallbladder Meridian’s ability to make decisions is compromised. (Water not nourishing Wood, for the Five Element geeks out there.)

Modern science is saying the same thing. When you’re afraid, you make bad decisions, forget things, and generally walk around as if you have blinders on.

Remember what that smart person said about the only thing we have to fear?

It’s bad enough that fear suppresses your immune system, but it also makes you dumber! Yikes!

Staying sharp is critical for protecting yourself against the coronavirus. For example, if you’re trapped in fear mode then you might forget to wash your hands — which is basically the #1 thing you can do to protect yourself (and others).

11 Practical Tips for Protecting Yourself

Okay, now that we are no longer freaking out, now that your mind is a little clearer, here are some tips, both Eastern and Western, to protect yourself:

1. Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly with soap. Here’s how to do it right: Sing “Happy Birthday” to yourself as you wash. Then sing the “How old are you now” part. When both parts of the song are finished, you’re done, but not before. This should take about 25-30 seconds. Don’t forget to wash all parts of your hands, including between your fingers and under your nails.

2. Practice qigong every morning to engage your immune system. (If you don’t know any, you can learn some qigong for free right here). The ancient Chinese masters said that qigong activates our “wei qi”, which translates to “guardian energy”. In other words, practicing qigong activates our immune system, which is precisely what modern research is discovering about qigong. The best news here is that you only need about 2 minutes of qigong to activate your wei qi. Do something that I call the 2-Minute Drill several times per day to keep your wei qi flowing smoothly.

3. Don’t touch your eyes or nose when out in public. Seriously. You have to break this habit, but it won’t be easy. If the virus gets on your hands it’s no big deal — unless you touch a mucous membrane like your nose or your eyes. The average person touches their face over 10 times PER HOUR! It’s going to require a good amount of mindfulness to stop touching your face. Speaking of mindfulness…

4. Use Square Breathing when out in public (see the video below). The Navy SEALs use this ancient method to stay calm and focused during their missions. You can use it too. I’ve experimented with this while going grocery shopping, and it definitely helps me stay more mindful, which means that I don’t touch my face as often.

5. Take supplements. Take anything that you feel boosts your immune system. Personally, I like to take high doses (1000mg 3x per day) of vitamin C because I’ve had experience with it working, and also because of promising ongoing research in this area (link, link, and link). But take whatever you like. Even if that supplement turns out to be a placebo, it can still help to protect you! Placebos can work even when you know that they are placebos! (link)

6. Get plenty of sleep. The research is clear — people who don’t get quality sleep are more likely to get sick after being exposed to a virus. You’ll need better sleep hygiene for this, which is a hot topic on the internet. If you want to get started, I recommend Dave Asprey’s blog post on the subject.

7. Don’t panic. Be responsible and take action, but don’t panic or else you will shatter your immune response.

8. Don’t shake hands with other people. This is an outdated habit and we should all stop. You are literally saving lives if you stop shaking hands with other people. Use prayer palms, a fist bump, or Spock’s Vulcan salute. Doing this will not only protect you from the coronavirus but the regular flu as well. (Note: people in China are greeting each other by touching their feet in order to protect from the coronavirus. Cool!)

9. Take Vitamin D3 supplements (with K2). There is some evidence to show that Vitamin D3 (with K2) protects against acute respiratory tract infection, which is the real danger of COVID-19. Supplementing with Vitamin D is safe as long as you take it with K2. So you’re looking for Vitamin D3 with K2. If you do get COVID-19 and start to get the respiratory infection, take your Vitamin D3!

10. Carry hand sanitizer. They make wipes and gels and sprays. Use whatever you like. I bring sanitizing wipes with me to the supermarket, but many groceries now have them as well. Use them. Wipe down the shopping cart handle, wipe your hands after you pay the cashier, and maybe wipe the cart one more time to pay it forward. (Note: if you can’t find any in your area, you can make your own hand sanitizer using this recipe.)

11. Practice One Finger Zen all day long. If you know some qigong and you can feel qi, then this is a great option for while you’re out and about. I wrote an entire blog post and shot a video on the subject. Check it out here.

So there you go. Those are my thoughts on COVID-19. Now I’d love to hear from you. What other ways do you support your immune system? Let us know in the comments below.

And if you found this article helpful, please share it with friends and family. Knowledge is power!

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post 11 Practical Tips For Dealing with the Coronavirus appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Meridian theory is at the heart of qigong, acupuncture, and other forms of Chinese Medicine. It is the common thread between all Chinese healing arts. This ancient theory is robust, sophisticated, and deep.

But are the meridians even real? If so, where are they?

Naturally, I get questions like this all the time. I’ve already written two articles about the meridians, which you can read below. These articles will answer many of the questions that you might have.

• Qigong Students: Here’s How to Make Sense of the Meridians
• Acupuncture Meridians: What Qigong Students Need to Know

In today’s video blog, I give my thoughts about the meridians and whether or not they are real.

In the video, I mention the discovery of a “new organ” in 2018. Here are just a few of the articles published on that topic:

• National Geographic: New Human ‘Organ’ Was Hiding in Plain Sight
• Scientific American: Meet Your Interstitium, a Newfound “Organ”

I also mention the fascia, which is a topic of great interest to me. Modern research on the fascia is hugely important for qigong practitioners. In particular, the parallels between the fascia and the Chinese concept of the Triple Burner (sanjiao, 三膲) should be of interest to every qigong practitioner, as well as every acupuncture physician.

If you’re new to the idea of the fascia then this quote will be of interest:

“Our biomechanical regulatory system is highly complex and under-studied — though new research is filling in the gap. Understanding fascia is essential to the dance between stability and movement — crucial in high performance, central in recovery from injury and disability, and ever-present in our daily life from our embryological beginnings to the last breath we take.” [Taken from the Anatomy Trains website.)

Watch the video blog here:

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Are the Qigong Meridians Even Real? appeared first on Flowing Zen.

“You don’t find all this history and theory stuff painfully boring?” I asked.

The year was 2012, and I had just finished a lecture on Chinese Medicine theory in my brick-and-mortar studio. In order to make sense of the theory, I also had to teach some history.

“Not even a little bit,” she said.

This surprised me. For years, I had assumed that students weren’t interested in esoteric Eastern theories, and that they DEFINITELY weren’t interested in history.

I mean, I LOVE both the history and theory aspect of qigong, but I’m an outlier. Or am I?

In a previous article about the acupuncture meridians, I asked my readers if they wanted to learn more. The answer was loud and clear: YES!!

Apparently, I’m not an outlier. Thousands of you enjoy learning about history and theory, just like I do.

So my fellow nerds…shall we get this party started?

The Qigong Meridians?!?

In my previous article, I used the term Acupuncture Meridians, but not because it’s correct. I used it so people would have some clue what I’m talking about!

If I used the term “Qigong Meridians”, many people would be confused, especially people who are more familiar with acupuncture.

Actually, both terms — Qigong Meridians and Acupuncture Meridians — are equally INCORRECT.

As I’ve said, the Chinese term is jingluo (經 絡, pronounced jing-low), which translates to “channel”.

But here’s what you need to understand. For thousands of years, the meridian system has been shared by MANY Chinese arts, including:

• qigong (click here if you’re new to qigong)
• acupuncture (the use of sterile needles to stimulate the flow of qi via acu-points)
• acupressure (same as acupuncture, but uses fingers instead of needles)
• moxibustion (the burning of the mugwort herb on acupuncture points to promote healing)
• Chinese herbal medicine (the use of oral herbal decoctions and tonics)
• kung fu (Chinese martial arts, including tai chi)
• shiliao (Chinese food therapy)
• Taoist bedroom arts (Chinese sexual practices that promote longevity)
• tuina (Chinese massage therapy)
• die da (Chinese traumatology for bruises and breaks)

In other words, we could just as easily use the term Qigong Meridians, Acupressure Meridians, or Tai Chi Meridians. All of these terms are equally inaccurate.

Needling and Moxibustion

It gets worse! The term acupuncture meridian is actually a DOUBLE misnomer!

Not only is the term “meridian” a poor translation of jingluo, but the term “acupuncture” is just utter Western nonsense!

The Chinese term for acupuncture is: zhenjiu (針灸, pronounced jun-geo)

Zhen (針) means needle, and jiu (灸) means moxibustion (see above). So zhenjiu literally translates to “needling and moxibustion”.

I know what you’re thinking: Where the hell did the word “acupuncture” come from?

It’s a good question. The term “acu” comes from the latin for “needle”. So they got that part right.

But “puncture”? Where did that come from, and who thought that this was a good idea?

Talk about bad PR! I can’t think of a worse word to scare off confused Westerners.

Unfortunately, the word stuck (pun definitely intended). Not only that, but the term “acupuncture”has become an umbrella that refers to several branches of Chinese Medicine, not just acupuncture.

For example, most acupuncturists today also practice Chinese herbal medicine. Traditionally, these were two separate arts. But today, they often all under the same moniker of “acupuncture”.

The Influence of Chinese Medicine

Here’s a simple way to make sense of all this: It’s all Chinese Medicine!

Qigong, acupuncture, acupressure, herbal medicine, tuina — these are all branches of Chinese Medicine.

By Chinese Medicine, I’m referring to the 5000-year old system that originated in what we now call China.

The traditional term is zhongyi (中醫, pronounced jawng yee) which translates nicely to “Chinese Medicine”. This ancient medicine not only influenced all of the Chinese arts that I listed above, but also influence arts in much of Asia.

Here are some examples of non-Chinese arts that were heavily influenced by Chinese Medicine:

• The Bubishi, an ancient Japanese manual that is often called “The Bible of Karate”
• Korean Acupuncture, which focuses more on the hand (and traditionally uses copper needles, but now uses sterile, single-use needles)
• Japanese Acupuncture, which often uses extremely thin needles, and sometimes uses needles without even breaking the skin (see, no puncturing!)
• Shiatsu, a form of Japanese bodywork that uses the principles of Chinese Medicine
• Reiki, a form of energy medicine that involves transmitting ki (or qi) for healing

In other words, Chinese Medicine is everywhere! Today, it’s not just in Asia, but all over the world.

Jingmai vs. Luomai

Enough history. Now that it’s clear that we’re really talking about Chinese Medicine rather than just qigong or acupuncture, let’s dive into some theory.

The meridians are divided into 2 main categories: the jingmai (經脈, pronounced jing-my) and the luomai (絡脈, pronounced low-my).

The jingmai consist of:

1. The 12 Primary Meridians
2. The 8 Extraordinary Vessels
3. The 12 Divergent Meridians

The luomai consist of:

1. The 15 Connecting Collaterals
2. The Muscular Collaterals
3. The Superficial Collaterals

In qigong, we’re mainly concerned with the 12 Primary Meridians and the 8 Extraordinary Meridians, which is why I put them in boldface.

The 12 Primary Meridians

According to ancient Chinese Medicine theory, you have 12 Primary Meridians (十二经脉), as follows:

1. Taiyin Lung Channel of the Hand (手太阴肺经)
2. Shaoyin Heart Channel of the Hand (手少阴心经)
3. Jueyin Pericardium Channel of the Hand (手厥阴心包经)
4. Shaoyang Sanjiao Channel of the Hand (手少阳三焦经)
5. Taiyang Small Intestine Channel of the Hand (手太阳小肠经)
6. Yangming Large Intestine Channel of the Hand (手阳明大肠经)
7. Taiyin Spleen Channel of the Foot (足太阴脾经)
8. Shaoyin Kidney Channel of the Foot (足少阴肾经)
9. Jueyin Liver Channel of the Foot (足厥阴肝经)
10. Shaoyang Gallbladder Channel of the Foot (足少阳胆经)
11. Taiyang Bladder Channel of  the Foot (足太阳膀胱经)
12. Yangming Stomach Channel of  the Foot (足阳明胃经)

You’ll notice that each meridian is associated with an internal organ.

You don’t need to memorize the 12 meridians (unless you’re an acupuncturist, duh), but if you take away once concept from this article, it should be this one:

The meridian is NOT the organ.

It’s tempting to the Western mind to hear “Heart Meridian” and just think of the physical organ that we know of as the heart.

That’s a mistake, and if you think that way, you’ll never understand Chinese medicine.

Yin and Yang Organs

In Chinese Medicine, the organ-meridian association is called Zang-Fu (臟腑, pronounced zahng foo).

In Zang-Fu theory, the organs fall into 2 main categories: yin and yang.

The Yin organs are:

1. Heart
2. Liver
3. Spleen
4. Lung
5. Kidney
6. Pericardium

The Yang organs are:

1. Small Intestine
2. Large Intestine
3. Gallbladder
4. Urinary Bladder
5. Stomach
6. Sanjiao.

(Note: the Sanjiao is an organ not yet recognized by Western Medicine. However, resent research, like this discovery of a “new organ”, is bringing Western Medicine closer and closer to the concept of the Sanjiao.)

If you think of the Zang-Fu simply as organs, like we do in the West, then you’ll get confused.

It’s better to think of each organ as a SYSTEM.

In Western Medicine, we have systems like the Circulatory System, the Endocrine System, the Nervous System, etc.

But in Chinese Medicine, the systems are different. For example, instead of the Circulatory System, we have the Heart Meridian. (This analogy only goes so far, so please don’t get carried away with it. They are not identical systems.)

The Circulatory System involves more than just the physical heart, and the same is true of the Heart Meridian.

Pale And Tan, Yin and Yang

Yin Meridians run down the more yin part of your arm.

That makes perfect sense. But what part of your arm is more yin? Here’s an easy way to figure this out:

• The tanner parts of your body are more yang
• The paler parts of your body are more yin

For example, the palm and the inner forearm are less than than the back of the hand and the back of the forearm.

The same is true of the legs. The inner thighs are paler than the outer thighs.

This will simplify things when trying to understand where the meridians are located (see below).

Where are the 12 Primary Meridians?

If you’re in acupuncture college, then you’ll need to memorize all of the meridians (not to mention the points along them.)

Luckily, this isn’t necessary for most people, and it’s definitely not necessary for qigong students.

Nevertheless, it’s good to have SOME idea about the meridians. Here’s a super simple explanation:

(Note: all of these meridians are bilateral, which means that they are located on both sides of your body.)

1. The Lung Meridian runs from your chest, down the inside (yin and pale) part of the arm, and ends at the tip of your thumb.
2. The Heart Meridian starts in your chest and runs down the inside (yin and pale) part of the arm to your pinky finger.
3. The Pericardium Meridian runs from your chest, down the inside (yin and pale) part of the arm, and ends at the tip of your middle finger.
4. The Sanjiao Meridian starts at the tip of your ring finger and runs up the outside (yang and tan) part of the arm, around the shoulder, and ends above the ear.
5. The Small Intestine Meridian starts at the the tip of your pinky, runs up the outside (yang and tan) part of the arm, and ends near the entrance to the ear canal.
6. The Large Intestine Meridian starts in the tip of the index finger, runs up the outside (yang and tan) part of the arm, and ends next to your nostril.
7. The Spleen Meridian starts at your big toe, runs up inside (yin and pale) part of your leg, up the torso, and ends near the front of your shoulder.
8. The Kidney Meridian starts at the bottom of the foot, runs up inside (yin and pale) part of your leg, up the belly, and ends near the clavicle.
9. The Liver Meridian starts at the tip of your 2nd toe, runs up inside (yin and pale) part of your leg, and ends on the front of the torso.
10. The Gallbladder Meridian runs from the outer corner of your eye, down the side of your head, down your body, down the outside (yang and tan) part of your leg, and ends in the 4th toe.
11. The Bladder Meridian starts at the inner corner of your eye, runs up the head, all the way down the back, down the outside (yang and tan) part of the leg, and ends in the pinky toe.
12. The Stomach Meridian runs from just below your eye, down your torso, down the outer front (yang and tan) part of your leg, and ends in the 2nd toe.

And here’s a helpful image if you want to geek out on the meridians. Click the image to enlarge it.

Whew! And that’s just an overview. Now, do you see why acupuncture college requires 4 years and thousands of hours of training?

The 8 Extraordinary Meridians

You also have what are known as the 8 Extraordinary Vessels (奇經八脈):

1. Conception Vessel (Ren Mai, 任脈)
2. Governing Vessel (Du Mai, 督脈)
3. Penetrating Vessel (Chong Mai, 衝脈)
4. Girdle Vessel (Dai Mai, 帶脈)
5. Yin Linking vessel (Yin Wei Mai, 陰維脈)
6. Yang Linking vessel (Yang Wei Mai,陽維脈)
7. Yin Heel Vessel (Yin Qiao Mai, 陰蹻脈)
8. Yang Heel Vessel (Yang Qiao Mai, 陽蹻脈)

The Ren Mai and Du Mai are the two that we’re most interested in.

The Ren Main runs from your chin down to your perineum, and the Du Mai runs from your perineum, up your spine, over the top of your head, to your upper lip.

If you’ve ever wondered why many teachers tell you to lift the tongue to the upper palate while practicing qigong, it’s to connect these 2 meridians. (Here’s an entire article about whether or not you should lift the tongue in qigong.)

When you connect these two meridians and direct lots of qi into them, you get what is sometimes known as the Small Universe, also called the Small Heavenly Circuit or Microcosmic Orbit.

I like the idea of a circuit because that’s what it is. It’s a powerful energetic connection.

This connection is HUGELY important for martial artists. In fact, I would go so far as to say that the reason most people in the 21st century have little internal power (neijin, read more here) compared to past masters is simply because they don’t have the Small Universe.

Let me be clear that many people PRACTICE the Small Universe, often for years or even decades, but they don’t HAVE it.

And the main reason they don’t have it is because they haven’t spent enough time with more fundamental techniques.

I’ve written several articles about the Small Universe, which you can read here:

•  The Real Truth About the Small Universe Qigong;
•  7 Secrets of the Small Universe Qigong.

What are Acupuncture Points?

We can’t talk about meridian theory without also talking about the “points”.

Some people believe that there are over 2000 different points. Modern students of acupuncture typically learn 300-400 points.

In 1992, The World Health Organization (WHO) developed A Proposed Standard International Acupuncture Nomenclature Report, which identifies 361 acupuncture points.

But what are acupuncture points?

As I’m sure you will have guessed by now, the term “acupuncture points” is no bueno. Not only are they used outside of acupuncture, but they aren’t even points!

For example, my qigong students often feel a tennis-ball-sized vortex of energy at laogong (勞宮), which is located in the center of the palm.

In other words, they feel not a tiny point of energy, but a vortex. And this happens in qigong, not acupuncture.

Actually, vortex is a good word because it gives us a better idea of what acupuncture points really are.

In Chinese, the two most common terms are:

• xuewei (穴位)
• shuxue (腧穴)

Those words give us the idea of a cavity or depression where “movement” takes place.

What kind of movement takes place in these depressions?? The movement of qi, of course!

Summing Up

Whew! We covered a ton of ground in just one post! Anyone ready for recess?

Remember, you do NOT need to memorize this information in order to have a healthy, thriving qigong practice.

Here are the things that I hope you take away from this post:

1. Chinese medicine has many branches, including acupuncture and qigong
2. The 12 Primary Meridians are important (but not worth memorizing)
3. Two of the 8 Extraordinary Meridians are important (especially for advanced qigong students)
4. The Meridian is a system, not just an organ.
5. Acupuncture points are not tiny points, and aren’t just for acupuncture

I hope this post helped you to better understand the meridians and how they relate to your qigong practice, even if it’s just food for thought.

Many of my students enjoy having a better working knowledge of Chinese Medicine theory, and our Facebook group has become a great place to discuss these topics. Why not join us over there! It’s free!

You can also post your questions and comments below.

And as always, if you think that this post will help someone, then please click the share buttons below.

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Qigong Students: Here’s How to Make Sense of the Meridians appeared first on Flowing Zen.

I stared at the question in my inbox, blinking for at least 10 seconds. “So ignorant!” I thought to myself.

The question came from a sincere student, and what it revealed was not his ignorance, but my own.

Here’s the question:

Dear Sifu Anthony,

How can I balance my meridians and remove blockages? Or how can I keep them flowing and strengthen them? Do they self balance and clear with daily qigong practice? Thank you for your time in advance! It is appreciated.

-Joshua

Let me be clear: I know the answer to Joshua’s question. That’s not the ignorance I’m talking about.

Ignorance can mean a lack of knowledge or information, but it also means a lack of awareness.

In my case, I don’t lack the knowledge or information to answer the questions above. But I did lack the proper AWARENESS.

As a teacher, it’s my job to be constantly aware of what qigong looks like through the eyes of my students, including fresh beginners.

That’s not always easy. Like most teachers, I’ve been doing this for a long, long time. Decades. Maybe lifetimes.

I’ve studied with masters from all over the world, read hundreds of books, practiced for thousands of hours, and I even went to acupuncture college to deepen my understanding.

And yet, as I read Joshua’s email, I saw my own ignorance, my own lack of awareness.

Concepts like “meridians,” “energy,” and “blockages” are still completely foreign to most people. It’s MY job as a teacher to make those concepts clearer.

And that’s what I’m going to do in this post.

What Are Meridians?

Let’s start with the word “meridian”. This word is widely used in acupuncture, qigong, Chinese herbal medicine, and tui na (Chinese massage therapy).

Unfortunately, the word “meridian” is a poor translation from the Chinese word:

經 絡 (jīngluò)

The simple translation is “channel”, like a channel that water runs through. In this case, it’s qi, or vital energy, that flows through the channels.

But there’s an additional connotation here.The 2nd character, 絡, means “net-like”. So the jingluo are a net-like series of channels through which qi flows.

Think of a highway system, with big Interstate highways and smaller roads, all forming a complex network. Except that instead of cars, it’s qi that flows along the network.

Note: Even though the word “channel” is a better translation, I’m going to continue to use the word “meridian” because it is already in common usage. Hell, even Google translates the Chinese word to “meridian”. I’m too busy with my teaching to pick a fight with Google right now!

What is Qi?

I mentioned that your meridians are a net-like series of channels through which qi flows.

But what is qi?

Qi is THE central theme in qigong, acupuncture, and Chinese herbal medicine. It’s also central in feng shui and tai chi chuan.

I’ve written about this in the past (for example here and here), but let’s keep things simple.

Qi is your life energy or life force.

Whether that’s the energy that moves food through your digestive system, or the energy that mobilizes your immune system, or the energy that powers your cells — all of that is qi.

Qi is also information — like data running through an internet network. For example, the information that signals the production of a hormone, or that tells certain genes to turn on or off — that is also qi.

This is the “substance” that flows through your meridians.

How Does Qi Flow?

Most of the classics talk about a “flow” of qi. A common analogy is to compare it to the flow of water.

In fact, some of the Chinese Medicine classics compare the flow of qi to water flowing from bubbling springs, streams, rivers, seas, or oceans.

It’s important to remember that the concept of qi is ANCIENT. It’s thousands of years old.

Back then, they didn’t know about protons, neutrons, or electrons. They had no electric lights, no electric cables, and (gasp!) no WiFi.

In the 21st century, it’s natural to think of qi as a form of energy, like a current running through a wire.

And that’s fine as long as we remember that the ancient masters didn’t have this paradigm. They had a close connection with nature, so that was where they looked for analogies. And I think that these analogies still work today as long as you don’t take them too literally.

Where are the Meridians?

Speaking of taking things too literally, skeptics love to point out that the meridians can’t be found and therefore don’t exist.

It’s true that if you dissect your leg (please don’t do this), you won’t see any acupuncture meridians. But that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Don’t let 21st-century hubris block you from benefitting from this ancient wisdom. Just because we haven’t understood something yet doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.

Open-minded researchers are doing interesting studies into the meridians, and I believe that the next 10-20 years will confirm their existence.

For example, this study looked at wave-induced flows in the meridians. This is a bit obtuse, but the study concluded: “that the strong light propagation and optical properties along the meridian channel comprised a histological structure correlated with interstitial fluids.”

And this study tried to document a new micro-circulatory system that corresponds to classical acupuncture meridians.

Not convinced?

What would you say if I told you that researchers just recently discovered a whole new organ in the human body?

It’s true. In this new study, researchers discovered not only what they think is a new organ, but the largest organ in the body!

The new organ, the interstitium, contains tiny fluid-filled structures that can be found just about everywhere in the body.

Will this discovery eventually lead to a deeper understanding of the Chinese meridian system? Who knows, but it’s definitely an exciting time to be alive!

How Were Meridians Discovered?

This raises an important question: How did ancient masters discover the meridians?

After all, they didn’t have microscopes or high-tech equipment. How could they possibly have known about such a complex, invisible network in the human body?

Years ago, I taught qigong at an acupuncture college. I had both students and professors in my classes.

After practicing qigong for about a year, one of the professors had an epiphany.

“I can feel my Gallbladder Meridian!” she said excitedly.

The same thing sometimes happens in acupuncture. I’ve seen patients talk about a strong sensation running down an arm or a leg. If you ask them to trace the sensation, they’ll trace the meridian almost exactly! How cool!

In qigong, feeling acupuncture points along the meridians is quite easy. Most of my students can start to feel this within 1-2 years of practice, especially my Qigong 101 students.

For example, acu-points like laogong (P 8) in the palm, baihui (GV 20) at the top of the head, or hegu (LI 4) in the web of hand — all of these points are can be felt even by beginners.

At more advanced levels, techniques like the Small Universe Qigong give you a clear and obvious perception of acupuncture meridians.

Back to the question about how the meridians were discovered: I believe that ancient mystics began to perceive the flow of energy in their own body. It’s likely that they transmitted their discoveries through oral traditions, and eventually through writing.

Creating Harmony and Clearing Blockages

Let’s come back to Joshua’s questions. His original email contains 3 related questions:

1. How can I balance my meridians?
2. How can I remove blockages in my meridians?
3. How can I strengthen my meridians?

If we’re talking about Acupuncture or Chinese Herbal Medicine, then the answer is simple: leave all of this to your physician. In other words, don’t try to self-diagnose what your meridians might need. (That’s a subject for a future blog post.)

But qigong is a self-healing art, especially the category called Medical Qigong. With the right qigong method, you can heal yourself, even without a proper diagnosis.

Notice that I said “with the right method”, not “with the right exercises.”

My students are always asking me which exercise they should practice for _____ problem. I’ve written about this in depth (click here to read more), but the takeaway is the same.

To balance, strengthen, and clear your meridians, you should practice the following routine:

1. Entering Zen
2. Smiling from the Heart
3. Lifting The Sky
4. Pushing Mountains
5. Carrying the Moon
6. Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow
7. Flowing Stillness
8. Washing the Face with Both Hands
9. Combing the Hair with the Fingers
10. Massaging the Vital Points
11. Rubbing Two Coins
12. 24 Heavenly Drums

The above routine will simultaneously balance, strengthen, and clear all of your meridians. (I teach this exact routine, and much more, in my Qigong 101 program.)

Because of the way this routine is organized, you don’t need a diagnosis, and you don’t need to worry about which meridians are blocked, weak, or unbalanced.

But you do need to practice diligently!

The 12 Dimensions

Does that mean you only need the above routine to heal anything and everything?

No. It doesn’t.

In the world of qigong, there are many different styles and methods, but there are only 12 different things that you can do with your qi.

In my teachings, I call these the 12 Dimensions of Qi Mastery. (Click here to read more about the 12 Dimensions.)

Different teachers may use different names, but when you boil everything down, the skills are the same.

The routine I listed above focuses on the first 4 of the 12 Dimensions:

1. Discovering the Qi
2. Circulating the Qi
3. Aligning the Qi
4. Gathering the Qi

I call these The 4 Pillars of qigong because they form a stable foundation for any holistic qigong practice. If you don’t have this foundation, then advanced qigong skills will continue to elude you.

The 8 remaining skills are:

5. Protecting the Qi
6. Purifying the Qi
7. Mobilizing the Qi
8. Directing the Qi
9. Consolidating the Qi
10. Transforming the Qi
11. Unifying the Qi
12. Transmitting the Qi

As you become more skillful in qigong, you can use more advanced skills to continue balancing, strengthening, and clearing your meridians.

For example:

1. To balance the meridians, you can use: Circulating the Qi (#2), Aligning the Qi (#4), and Mobilizing the Qi (#7).
2. To remove blockages, you can use: Purifying the Qi (#6) and Protecting the Qi (#5).
3. To strengthen your meridians, you can use: Gathering the Qi (#4), Consolidating the Qi (#9), and Transforming the Qi (#10).

In other words, focus on learning and mastering the 12 Dimensions and you will have ways to balance, clear, and strengthen your meridians for the rest of your life!

(Read more about the 12 Dimensions here, here, and here.)

Remember that these are skills, not techniques. The techniques may differ from teacher to teacher, but the underlying skills are the same.

Want to Learn More About Meridians?

I hope you found this article helpful. As always, if you have questions, post them below.

If you’d like me to write more on the subject of meridians, then please let me know in the comments below.

Honestly, I only scratched the surface here. I didn’t talk about the 12 Primary Meridians, the 8 Extraordinary Meridians, or the Yin and Yang Organs.

There is a ton of Chinese Medicine theory and philosophy that I can write about, but I need to know if you’re interested in this stuff! So whadaya say? Are you interested?

The post Acupuncture Meridians: What Qigong Students Need to Know appeared first on Flowing Zen.

I teach Qigong, which is one of the major branches of Chinese medicine.  I’ve also done 1500 hours of training in Chinese medicine, including acupuncture and Chinese herbology.

Because of this, people often assume that I encourage my students to take Chinese herbs.

The truth is that I often DISCOURAGE students from taking Chinese herbs — especially ginseng.

Here’s why.

The Story of Martha and Jane

Let use a hypothetical example.  Martha is a 63-year-old  woman who is struggling with severe fatigue.  For over a year, her energy has been super low.

While having coffee with an old friend, Jane, the following conversation ensues:

“I’m just dragging my feet lately,” Martha says.   “I can’t seem to get my energy levels back to normal!”

“The same thing happened to me last year,” Jane says. “Then I saw an article in the newspaper about ginseng, so I started taking some.   It has really helped!”

“What is it?” Martha asks.  “Is it some sort of herbal medicine?”

“Yes, but you can just buy it at the health food store.  I make tea out of it.  You should try it!  It’s completely natural, so you know it’s safe!”

If this were a Broadway show, now would be the time to cue the orchestra to make the classic dun-dun-DUUUN sound.

I’m Not A Doctor, But…

Jane means well, of course.  She wants to help her friend Martha.  But in Martha’s case, taking ginseng is a bad idea.  A terrible idea.  Maybe the worst idea ever.

Am I exaggerating?  Not really.  Ginseng could  do considerable harm to Martha.

What Jane doesn’t know is that Martha also has high blood pressure.  And even if she did know, would it really matter?  Would that fact be significant to Jane?

Or even Martha, for that matter?

Unless you’re a doctor of Chinese medicine, you probably don’t understand the connection between Martha’s high blood pressure and ginseng.  And that’s to be expected! You haven’t done 3000+ hours of training in Chinese medicine, you haven’t passed the national board exams, and you don’t have a license to diagnose conditions nor prescribe medicine.

In other words, there’s no good reason for you to play doctor.

I’m Sooo Tired…I Haven’t Slept a Wink…

Let’s come back to the hypothetical example of Jane and Martha. In this example,  fatigue was the common factor between the two women.

But in Chinese medicine, fatigue is just one of many symptoms and signs. There are probably a hundred different things that could be causing fatigue in these women.  So fatigue, in and of itself, is relatively meaningless symptom.

And yet, for both women, it was the ONLY symptom that was analyzed.  Medicine was the prescribed based on that one, meaningless symptom.

Folks, that is NOT Chinese medicine.

Stick Out Your Tongue

Ideally, both Martha and Jane would go through a thorough diagnostic exam.  An acupuncturist would use several diagnostic methods, like pulse diagnosis, tongue diagnosis, asking diagnosis, etc.  Some acupuncturists, like my wife, also use other diagnostic methods, like applied kinesiology, functional neurology, and blood tests.

In our hypothetical case above, however, we already have enough information to know that Martha should NOT be taking ginseng.  We don’t need a diagnosis to know that it’s a bad idea.

The key piece of information here is Martha’s high blood pressure.

Qi Stagnation vs. Qi Deficiency

Someone with high blood pressure probably has what is known in Chinese medicine as Qi Stagnation.  In other words, their Qi is stuck, like a traffic jam.

Martha probably has Qi Stagnation.  Because her energy is stuck, she is experiencing fatigue.  The solution is to get the Qi unstuck, and her energy will naturally return.

Jane, on the other hand, probably has what is known as Qi Deficiency.  Her energy isn’t stuck, like Martha’s.  It’s just too weak.  The solution is to tonify her Qi, making it stronger.

Ginseng is one of the best Qi tonics out there. In other words, it tonifies the Qi. And that’s why it worked for Jane.  Her Qi was weak, and ginseng helped to build it up. The result was that Jane got her energy back.

I’m Still Sooo Tired…

If Martha, on the other hand, starts taking ginseng, she’s likely to develop anxiety and/or insomnia.   Her blood pressure may also get worse — which can be very dangerous for some people.

In other words, ginseng will aggravate Martha’s condition, one way or another. Oh, and it won’t help her fatigue either.

Why?

Because ginseng will build up Martha’s Qi, just like it did with Jane.  In Martha’s case, however, the problem is not a deficiency of Qi; the problem is that there’s a traffic jam.

What happens if you add more cars to a traffic jam?  That’s basically what’s happening when Martha takes ginseng.

Leave the Doctoring to the Doctors

On the one hand, people want Chinese medicine to be powerful.  They often come to me and my wife hoping that Chinese medicine will help with issues that Western medicine couldn’t.

And that’s great!  Chinese medicine is amazing.  My wife and I have helped many people with issues that even the Mayo Clinic couldn’t heal.

But you can’t have it both ways.

If Chinese medicine is powerful stuff — and it is — then it’s not something that should be practice by laymen or laywomen. Would you go to the drug store and self-prescribe Plavix because a friend told you that it was helping them?  (You can’t do that because Plavix requires a prescription.  But even if you could, I hope you wouldn’t!)

I’m not saying that Chinese herbs should require a prescription.  That’s a bigger topic, really.  But I am saying that Chinese medicine is best left to those who are trained in Chinese medicine.

If you want to do Chinese medicine safely on yourself, then you have 2 options.  Either go to acupuncture school for 4 years, or learn Medical Qigong.

Medical Qigong doesn’t involve diagnoses or prescriptions, but it’s still strong “medicine”.  It’s an amazing way for people to participate in their own healing.

If you are seeing a licensed acupuncturist, and you’ve been prescribed some Chinese herbal medicine — great!  Absolutely take it! Chinese herbs work wonderfully alongside Qigong.

If not, if you just picked up some Chinese herbs at the health food store, then I’ll tell you the same thing I’ve told dozens of students in the same situation:

Stop it!

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

…

The post Why You Shouldn’t Take Ginseng (or Any Chinese Herbs) appeared first on Flowing Zen.