On the Earth there is the balance of Yin and Yang, the Microcosm and the Macrocosm. Man stands between Heaven and Earth.
Man’s body is like the Universe, he is a part of nature, in the circle of life.
Health is the whole being. What ‘s good for nature supports also the Human Body and what harms the natural order harms man too.
Central to all ancient cultures is the Earth. These ancient cultures were completely dependent on their relationship with the Earth, living in harmony with the Seasons, the rhythmic cycles of nature and the natural patterns of interconnectedness.
The Earth, like a garden, supported everything, the living beings, the biospheres, the cultures.
Healers are like the gardeners, nurturing and cultivating Life.
Qi is life force, movement, unseen yet palpable, able to be felt. Qi forms substance or matter.
All things manifest come from the unmanifest. Mountains, rivers, wind and breezes, forests and animals are all vehicles of Qi. The human body houses the same structures as the Earth.
Mountains and valleys of connected tissues, rivers of blood and body fluids, breezes of inhaling and exhaling breaths, forests of gut flora, fields of villi for digestion, heat and warmth for metabolism.
A garden is alive and dynamic, it transforms with light and water and within the Seasons, there’ll be seeding, germination, growth, maturity, flowering, ripening, harvest, death and decay. The garden continuously cycles and re-creates itself.
In the same way, the human body transforms. When there’s balance in the natural order in the garden, the garden thrives and grows with health and resilience.
The gardener doesn’t force the garden to grow., life does. The gardener tends the soil, sows the seeds, waters the plants and removes the weeds. The gardener protects the garden from pests, diseases, improves fertility and growth. The garden and the human body are reflections of one another. What’s happening in the garden are similar to the human body.
Interwoven patterns form and move through even smaller systems. The human body is to nature as the flute is to the orchestra and all parts are tuned to create a harmonious melody with the whole of life.
The principle of harmony is fundamentally at play. Patterns of harmony reflect patterns in other systems, linked by the mutual force of Qi.
When the conditions in the garden are out of balance, the weeds grow, the soil dries out, pests over run it and the fertility is depleted. So too, the human body can become deficient, lack moisture, lose nutrients.
The gardener needs to apply water for moisture, regualte the weeds, control the pests, while still honouring the natural balance and health within the garden. The gardener observes, listens, touches, smells, senses the garden’s needs.
If the garden looks healthy, vibrant and lush, the conditions are right. If the garden is wilting or yellowing, more nutrients or mooisture is needed. This corresponds to the human organism too.
Chinese medicine and the Five Element Theory readjusts the balance, encourages health and vibrancy, treating the body through observation, within the structures, to prevent and slow down disharmony allowing the therapist to effectively support the health and wholeness within the body.