Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
On this page, I will explain some of the central concepts used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and what this means for your (Shiatsu) treatment.
Eastern and Western Medicine
In the West the body and the mind are often seen as two separate things. Accordingly, different physical and emotional symptoms are therefore usually treated separately, by doctors, medical specialists or psychologists. In the East, on the other hand, a more holistic view prevails: the body and the spirit-mind are seen and treated as a whole. According to this view, it is obvious that physical problems will have an effect on our emotional well-being and the other way around.
In the same way that the Enneagram is an expression of the Laws of One (Unified source), Three (opposing forces) and Seven (vibration and process), Chinese Philosophy talks about the Tao (primordial essence or fundamental nature of the universe) that expresses itself in Yin and Yang and The teachings of the Five elements (Wu Xing)
In the same way that the Enneagram is an expression of the Laws of One (Unified source), Three (opposing forces) and Seven (vibration and process), Chinese Philosophy talks about the Tao (primordial essence or fundamental nature of the universe) that expresses itself in Yin and Yang and The teachings of the Five elements (Wu Xing)
Yin & Yang
Everything in the universe can be classified according to Yin and Yang. Yin represents the feminine passive, negative force, Yang the masculine active, positive opposite. Yin symbolises everything that is internal, dark and cold, Yang stands for the external, bright and warm. Deficient and chronic conditions in the body are Yin, excess and acute conditions are Yang. The laws of Yin and Yang describe how these two forces are related, amongst others that Yin and Yang create and control each other. There can, for example, be no birth without death, no action without rest. Yin and Yang and constantly transforming into each other to keep the balance.
This is also constantly happening in the human body. If (and when) the harmonius equilibrium is disrupted, either Yin or Yang will become the dominant force. Something that begins as an energetic disturbance, may eventually result in various physical and emotional complaints. For example: if you are very busy all the time (Yang) and do not take the time to rest (Yin), your body will - eventually - start protesting and will force you to rest (all else failing, by making you ill). During a Shiatsu Massage I always look at the relative 'proportions' of Yin and Yang and what you need most to restore balance in your body.
This is also constantly happening in the human body. If (and when) the harmonius equilibrium is disrupted, either Yin or Yang will become the dominant force. Something that begins as an energetic disturbance, may eventually result in various physical and emotional complaints. For example: if you are very busy all the time (Yang) and do not take the time to rest (Yin), your body will - eventually - start protesting and will force you to rest (all else failing, by making you ill). During a Shiatsu Massage I always look at the relative 'proportions' of Yin and Yang and what you need most to restore balance in your body.
Vital Substances
In TCM, people differentiate between 5 vital substance in the body:
I terms of Yin and Yang, Shen is the most Yang and Jing is the most Yin substance in our bodies. Just like with Yin and Yang, the proportions of these substances may be disturbed. If you have a shortage of Xue (NB: Blood in TCM is a much broader concept than in Western Medicine), you may look pale and experience dizziness, depression, fatigue, memory loss, sleeping problems etc. A shortage of Qi may result in dullness, lifelessness, tiredness, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating during the day, sensitivity to cold etc. A Shiatsu massage can be very helpful to restore the balance.
- Shen (Spirit)
- Qi (Life Force, Energy),
- Jin Ye (Body Fluids),
- Xue (Blood) en
- Jing (Essence).
I terms of Yin and Yang, Shen is the most Yang and Jing is the most Yin substance in our bodies. Just like with Yin and Yang, the proportions of these substances may be disturbed. If you have a shortage of Xue (NB: Blood in TCM is a much broader concept than in Western Medicine), you may look pale and experience dizziness, depression, fatigue, memory loss, sleeping problems etc. A shortage of Qi may result in dullness, lifelessness, tiredness, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating during the day, sensitivity to cold etc. A Shiatsu massage can be very helpful to restore the balance.
The 5 elements (Wu Xing)
According to the Five Elements everything can de divided into groups of corresponding energies. Phenomena with a similar 'vibration' belong to the same element. There are 5 elements in the TCM: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Every element stands for different aspects of life, the human body and psyche and nature. Here are a few examples:
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In this way, the Earth element, for example, corresponds with the organs Spleen and Stomach, but also with the emotion worry. It is thus no coincidence that people who worry a lot are more prone to developing gastric ulcers. Another example: the Wood element corresponds with the organs Live and Gallbladder, but also wit the emotion anger and frustration. Is it a coincidence that people who bottle up their frustration often end up with gallstones? Probably not...
Together, the Five elements form a generating cycle. Wood feeds Fire and Fire feeds Earth etc. In order to keep the balance, the elements also control each other according to the controlling cycle. In this way Metal controls Wood, for example (think about an axe chopping off a tree) and Water controls Fire. |
The nice thing is that is is also possible to make a Chinese Horoscope based on the Five elements on the basis of your birth year, month, day and time. This gives insights into your constitutional strengths and weaknesses. Naturally this is all included in the decision making of the best possible Shiatsu treatment for you.
Read more about:
Shiatsu Massage and When Shiatsu Massage can help.
The way I work in general and Shiatsu Treatment Options.
Other Methods and Techniques I use.
Shiatsu Massage and When Shiatsu Massage can help.
The way I work in general and Shiatsu Treatment Options.
Other Methods and Techniques I use.
