Back to basics - part one

Whilst reflecting on my shiatsu I have become interested in the six divisions. I have read Bill Palmer's very engrossing articles but am somehow drawn back to have another look at my understanding at Yin and Yang and their place in my practice before trying to make sense of the divisions.

I have taken my books off the shelf, Shiatsu, Taoist and TCM and reread the multivarious definitions of Yin and Yang. It can be really confusing as the way we see Yin and Yang can differ between one tradition and another. I have chosen to focus on a snippet of the Tao te Ching, The Yellow Emperor and some text from a lovely book called "The Taoist Ways of Healing" (hereafter called Healing). I have had this book for over twenty years and have never stopped dipping into it for inspiration. So it was now.

It says that as Li (which is the energy of the supreme spirit and which was allowed out of the void to create the whole universe through the spirit of the Tao) comes into the earth's atmosphere it passes through all things that are Yang, before entering into the soil, and once the world is full to capacity it then overflows and returns to heaven, and therefore it is now Yin and it will pass through all things Yin on its return journey.

Travelling down the spine and and out through the abdomen and then to earth, the Yang is transformed into Yin which then enters through the abdomen and travels up the spine and out of the head.

So it seems that Yang travels toward the earth and Yin away from it. This seems confused with the Yellow Emperor which states that "In the universe, the pure yang qi ascends to converge and form heaven, while the turbid yin qi descends and condenses to form the earth".

In the Tao te Ching there are many examples of Yin and Yang and how they complement eachother. In chapter 42 it says

...

All things have their backs to the female

and stand facing the male.

When male and female combine

all things achieve harmony.

Before going into the treatment possibilities though let us be sure what energy we are talking about. In the Healing book two energies are spoken of at the beginning. The first is Li (the universal energy which travels through the bones and tissues) and the second is the internal energy Neichung Ch'i which is a personal power, as only we can cultivate, develop and control it. This Ch'i circulates through the body along the lines of the meridians. Not only does this energy provide our daily vitality for life but it helps fight off disease.

Yang illnesses can be cured by Yin treatment and Yin sickness can be overcome by Yang influence, cancer being an example of the latter.

Is a Yang influence the same as a Yang treatment and how can we differentiate? It seems that receiving a Shiatsu is a treatment and it can have an influence but perhaps an influence is more empowering for the client. In order to turn around a Yin sickness they must take action and choose to drive it out (Yang).

I want to continue this idea focusing on a client patient group. If they are suffering from a Yin sickness how do I go about helping them bring a Yang influence to their lives? Often relaxation and letting go of the stresses and pains of the medical treatment they are undergoing is the priority for the client. I believe that, though it can be seen as a Yin treatment in response to the Yang of chemo or radio therapy, this is necessary before the client can gain control and take their own action to deal with the Yin sickness itself. Knowing the Yin brings the Yang to life and soon clients find themselves more engaged with their process and with life itself.

What we are really talking about is the result for the client of treatment.

A Yin treatment that deepens the clients knowledge of, and takes them further into Yin will eventually cause an internal effect of changing their internal energy to Yang and so we have a Yang influence.

One client came just after diagnosis and she was extremely distressed. Her first Shiatsu was quiet and tender (treating HP mostly) and the palace of anxiety point released her tension and she said that it reminded her that she was not alone. Her treatments continued through surgery, chemo- and radio-therapy. She had panic attacks each time she had to visit the hospital and had very little or no faith in her consultant. Quiet treatments to relieve and relax her eventually helped her to see that she could, to some degree, control her own state through the use of breath and visualisation. We began to touch on yang during one session where I was aware of a great deal of anger and so was she. Recommendations to deal with and express this moved her to a place of greater control and she began to take back her life and to call the shots as she said. Now, two years on, she is once again the proactive, potent, vital lady she was before it all started.