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Writer's pictureJan Bull

We Cannot "Make" a Seed Sprout: Creating Conditions for Health

We cannot make a seed sprout. All we can do is provide the right conditions: right

amount of water, right amount of sun, some soil. Then we wait. When the seed is ready and the qualities for growth are just right, it will sprout.


This is true within us as well. We must provide the right conditions for our mind, body and spirit to thrive. The rest happens on its own. And this is what is meant by the concept of Wu Wei in Daoism---literally it means "doing without doing." In practice it means that all we can do is to set up the right conditions, and then, the rest happens on it's own.


What are the "right conditions?" It is largely being able to settle the mind and open the body and then not do things that detract from health in the body and mind -- all that lifestyle stuff😉


That is what we will continue to work on starting next Saturday at 10am EST. 3 Week Immune Boost Qigong: Sat Sept 7, 14 & 21 10am EST | janbullacupuncture


Breath, Rest, Food and Fear impact our Immune Response

Your immune, AKA "Defensive Wei Qi" system is just that----a SYSTEM.  We need to build certain resources for a period of time in order for you to bolster your protective Qi capacity---Wei Qi.  This guardian Qi circulates in the skin and field just outside

Sadly, there is no silver bullet, no simple acupuncture point, that can magically boost you.  Daily practices are a key recipe for planting and growing a fruitful garden--and it takes time. 


I'm committed to helping you find ways to introduce practice into your life. We cannot just do a random exercise here or eat an occasional nutritious meal there and there and magically boost immunity and vitality.  Largely, it is also a matter of not zapping the functional Qi we have through deleterious eating, stress and over-doing.  

That is not to say we cannot also enjoy the occasional joyful moments of life, a nice glass of wine, a bit too rambunctious Christmas party, a big push to finish a work project, or an ambitious hike. But we must recover from those moments and be aware of their potential impact on our particular status.


 It is about balance and conscious choice about alternatives from a place of understanding.  Knowing now what I know, I would not have done 2 years of 200+K bike tandem rides when I was 50. This pushed me in to early osteoporosis.  A nice day walk and a picnic is entirely more healthful for me in every way. 


Watch out too for health trends that are depleting and not nourishing. 

Most current fads are either very dopamine producing and/or very purging both of which deplete. 


Be cautious about purges and cleanses!  We must be well-resourced before any sort of purging then release in small amounts over time--this is true also of releasing trauma! Therefore, caution with cold plunges, sweat lodges, plant medicines, breathwork, Kundalini, ecstatic dance, and Juice cleanses and colonics all of which can be extremely depleting.  Be aware.  


Truly, when your body is rested and well-resourced, it can often purge and cleanse on its own.


Qigong exercises help develop the body develop over a period of time!! So practice is paramount. You can't just do a movement exercise and have 1 healthy eating day and automatically boost your immune system.


3 Main organ systems as they are understood in Chinese medical theory are involved in our immune health in order to ward off pathogens invading:

  1. the Spleen is super key as it creates the Wei defensive QI via the digestion

  2. Kidneys are foundational energy for every organ;

  3. Lungs distribute fluids and wei qi through the body


Spleen Function is about good, local, seasonal food, and regular small meals. Note that if you sit a lot you need to get up and move more. The spleen/stomach function in Chinese medicine creates the defensive QI. We will primarily tonify Zhong Wan, Ren 12, (Yellow Court in solar plexus).  This also connects to the distribution function of Lungs.  

 Happy Spleen QI Foods (see Recipes for Self-Healing by Daverick Leggett): 

  • Spleen nourishing foods tend to be neutral to warm, and sweet in flavor: rice, pumpkin and squashes, lentils are considered sweet and release their sweetness slowly rather than the quick hit of sugar (see below).

  • prepare Qi rich foods and preserve the Qi by gentle cooking. Avoid highly processed foods and you'll already improve your food Qi.  Fresh is best

  • Eat seasonally and regionally. You are nature and the nature you live in is designed to nurture you best.

  • chew slowly and well as digestion begins in the mouth

  • Eat oxygen rich vegetables, fruits, and grains (especially ancient).  Lesser amounts of seeds, nuts and beans, and even smaller amounts of meat, dairy and fats. 

  • Fats are essential:   The Chinese prized eating small amounts of fat. Fats are considered a substance in alignment with supporting our Jing (vital energy) and therefore sexual essence. Patients who present with vaginal dryness are often on a low-fat diet. Fats also carry estrogen and therefore are quite essential at menopause. Fats and cholesterol form cell membranes and hormones

  • Ditch Refined Sugar!!!  basically an outright toxin.  Eliminate as much as you can.  It is inflammatory and it is a de-nutrient in that has been found to prevent metabolism of nutritious foods you eat with it.

  • Raw foods:  most vegetables should be very lightly cooked to enhance their digestibility but not destroy the Qi.  Fruits should be eaten seasonally and in moderation.  Fruits are also cooling and if you are having conditions of cold, they may be countraindicated.


Kidney function is the root of energy for all other organ systems!  You need good sleep, and to deal with FEAR and Anxiety. Men must deal with sexual desire and excess ejaculation. Note that if you work or on your feet a lot this can deplete your kidney energy. So, get off your feet as much as you can


Lung function distributes wei-QI and our main work is to release the diaphragm so the lungs can expand and contract with ease


The areas for our practice include:

  1. Rest & sleep 7-8 hrs by 11pm (I'll be giving you a Daoist sleep qigong)

    1. Spleen needs sleep for improving function

    2. Kidney needs mental rest: this means reduced stress, fear, and worry (relaxing qigong and SONG)

    3. Lungs need the diaphragm releseased

  2. De-stress and Release Emotional constraints and Come into YIN:  These are huge factors that impinge on defensive Qi because they put us in a sympathetic nervous system state.  And in SNS state, the body turns off it's immune function so it can respond to fleeing or fighting. So we want to come into the YIN state of calm abiding which is parasympathetic and where your body is able to assimilate nutrition and kick start the immune system.

  3. Good Nutrition and avoiding that which detracts See above (avoid highly processed foods, sugar, alcohol, etc). Body tends to respond to sugar as an foreign agent and it becomes inflammatory and prevents body from even absorbing the good nutrients.   Fermented foods!

  4. Breath efficiency to anchor Lung QI so it can distribute wei qi

    1. Anchor breath in the low belly (Lower Dan tian) to support kidneys and lungs. We often breath shallowly and high up. This is sympathetic --fight and flight breathing. We are aiming for a deep and relaxed breath. We cannot force this to happen!! Force = stress = fight and flight. We must allow for the breath to settle

    2. Release the diaphragm so lungs can fully fill with air and then we need to reduce stress and fear on Kidneys so they can anchor Lungs to fill

  5. Fitness: Walk, bike, stairs, swim, garden, get out in nature. Qigong and meditation is not enough. We must open the body and developed elasticized strength. We need some abdominal strength, some thigh strength, an elongated spine. How much is too much--it is individual but extreme sport, can deplete, body-building can constrict the flow of QI. Women need extra care (my story of osteoporosis above).

  6. Calm Abiding Ultimately want to find "calm abiding" as my teacher, Damo Mitchell translates the Daoist teaching of bringing the mind inside. The Daoist understanding is that from stillness, all things arise. Sounds crazy. But I can attest to its truth.

Cheers

Jan

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