Qigong for acupuncturists.
By Mir Ali, LicAc, MBAcC
I love qigong … so much so that I don’t think I could be a practising acupuncturist without it. Qigong helps me keep healthy, informs my diagnosis, helps my patients keep healthy, helps me treat patients!
When I started learning Shaolin Kung-fu in 1991, I began practising qigong in order to balance the very yang practices of limb conditioning, fighting and weapons training. In 2001, when I became a qualified acupuncturist, I started my journey into the Water method. My first introduction was a weekend of qigong tui na with Master Bruce Frantzis in Reading and, shortly after, a long weekend of Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong with his senior student, Paul Cavel, in York. I knew right away that the serious practice of qigong would be an important part of my professional life as a therapist, but not until I had completed the weekend with Paul did I realise the true depth of the possibilities of the arts. When I developed the ability to tangibly use qi in the clinic, another level of realisation came as I began to apply what I learned from my qi gong practice on a daily basis to help my patients.
Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong:
A Personal Practice
My daily Dragon and Tiger practice started like anybody else’s: it was basic, clunky; I forgot parts and did moves in the wrong order; I was tense, tried too hard and probably over trained too. So I did what any student wanting to get better should do: I spent as much time as possible training with the best teacher possible. For me that meant training with Paul at every workshop he offered in York and Brighton, where I could receive the personal corrections I needed. I began solidifying my knowledge and, over time, I learned more material. When Paul felt I had solidified previous teachings, he then offered upgrades that morphed my practice.
It didn’t take long before I was feeling the benefits. On a physical level, the first change I noticed was that the movement in my shoulder blades became a lot softer, but my overall outlook on training softened too. Being someone who had a tendency to train yang practices, qigong has provided a much needed balance to my life and enabled me to embody some degree of softness. This transfers very well into the clinic because I’m gentler in my demeanour and softer in my approach. I’ve always been known for being “the martial artist” (though being a true martial artist, still no-one knows completely what I do and to what level!), which carries with it a certain expectation that my treatments should be strong and effective. Of course, I always endeavour to meet that expectation, but qi gong has enabled me to apply a range of perspectives, skills I needed in the clinic and my life.
Qigong Practice: Benefits in the Clinic
After a number of years of practice, my use of qi has widened the scope of my skills in the clinic. On a very practical level, daily practice keeps my energy levels topped up, which is something I need for 14-hour days! I practice at the beginning of the day and even throughout the day to keep my physical body relaxed yet full of energy. I may have several hours of strong tui na treatments scheduled back to back, which can be tiring. So having a relaxed yet fully energised body and mind means that the treatments I give are as good at the end of the day as they are at the beginning. Of course this is important to patients, but also for me: qigong allows me to give each and every one of my patients the best possible care I can offer.
Regular practice also enables me to start afresh with each patient who walks in through the door. If the previous patient had issues that may have affected me in some way, a few repetitions of a particular Dragon and Tiger move, some breathing or Dissolving, generally clears my system and I’m ready to start again.
Qigong as Exercise Therapy: Patient Benefits
I regularly prescribe appropriate qigong movements to my patients too, which they use alongside existing rehabilitation exercises to strengthen and stretch injuries in a very safe and gentle way. They like the movements as well as the addition of breathing techniques. Often patients are unhappy with the rehabilitation exercises they receive after physiotherapy sessions or, even worse, just being handed an exercise sheet without any explanations at all! So they really appreciate it when someone takes the time to give them a guided explanation of appropriate exercises. Many report that they are instrumental to their full recovery. Having the ability to decide whether to give them a full movement or just a relevant component makes all the difference in the clinic and allows me to chart their progress.
Qigong for Energy Awareness and Cultivation
During treatments, the ability to be aware of my own qi and how it fluctuates throughout the day has been invaluable in keeping me balanced in my interactions with patients–verbally, physically, energetically and emotionally. Of course it can be very easy to become caught up in patients’ emotions, energy or way of being. The ability to inflate my energy and raise it means that I don’t get caught up in the moment or allow my patients to bring me down. If they pull me into them or try to draw from my energy, I can pull back and/or sink my qi, so that I don’t become depleted and lose my ability to guide them through the healing session. Some people naturally pull from you, some purposely and the rare person maliciously. Whatever the reason behind it, regular practice enables me to keep my ability to identify when I am being “tapped into”, remain alert and gives me the ability to stop it from happening. This is also very useful when working closely with someone you trust energetically, because you can feel when their energy bodies clear and change, which can signify a successful treatment. This ability to connect and feel etheric bodies (and occasionally the emotional and mental bodies) can be very useful in the clinic. Of course, working on this level requires the utmost care and a strong grounding in reality, otherwise you can too easily be pulled in by someone, scare off your patient’s energy or become intrusive.
When patients enter the treatment space, I Dissolve myself whilst becoming aware of their energy bodies. Every time someone walks in, I continue to Dissolve myself as well as them during the intake and sometimes also during the treatment. I find this keeps me switched on and fully aware of as many spaces within and around myself, the patient and the room during the time we are together. This helps in different regards: first, I’m always keeping myself in check and noticing how I am energetically affected throughout the treatment; it also informs me as to what the patient may be bringing in with them at that moment–energetically, emotionally and mentally–and keeps me in tune with any changes. I can then answer more clearly: What is changing in the room? How is it changing? How is the patient changing (or not) during the intake, treatment and afterwards too? Also, how much do I need to clear during and after the treatment? Do I need to go outside of the room and clear? Do I need to do a set of Dragon and Tiger? Do I need to sit and breathe for awhile? Do I need to sink my qi more? How successful/unsuccessful was my treatment? What else may I have been able to add energetically which may have helped somehow? There are many points to consider, yet I’m able to monitor, assess and amend the energetic balance throughout and after the interaction with a patient.
Qigong Training: An Invaluable Tool for Acupuncturists and Other Healers
All things considered, my qigong training is applied on every level of my treatment and everyday clinical practice. By no means do I consider myself an amazing practitioner or that I’m significantly gifted in the arts. I’m just someone who listens to my teachers, practises what they recommend every day, tries to keep myself in check, understands that keeping things simple and slow works well, and keeps on learning and studying with the best.
