A completely different meaning of "acupuncture"
For the last month or so I have been practicing archery. It is an amazing discipline to enter. I am sensing a more palpable link between my thinking/awareness and my physical beingness.
In shooting, once one gets the physical stance sorted out and smooth the next step becomes "consistency." This can manifest in many ways; are my arrows grouped together or all spread out over the target, or did I completely miss the target bale? OOOOPS, it is always embarasing when that happens... LOL ;-)
If I get my physical structure to be consistent, then my internal beingness has to become calm, centered and focused. I have found that even a blip of a thought just at or just the instant before releasing the arrow will cause my arrow to be slightly off target. I am also amazed to find that if I move my arm holding the bow BEFORE the arrow hits the target that too has an effect on my accuracy.
I am enjoying this process and I am seeing improvement in my form, accuracy and understanding.
But how, or maybe even does this manifest in my work as an acupuncturist? A good question.
I am reading more and more about how important "pattern differentiation" is in TCM. As I went through school I appreciated the impact of pattern differentiation as a way to formulate a language to express what I was seeing in any given patients presenting signs and symptoms. For example a patient has low back pain I would know to look for signs of Kidney deficiency.
The pattern differentiation became the "structure" in diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine. As any black-belt worth their rank will tell you "Mastery of any art is found in the thorough understanding and mastery of the basics." Or stated another way if I do not understand how to execute an effective front-snap kick how can I reasonably expect to learn how to execute a jump-spinning-backside kick?
As I return to a deeper level or awareness of the implications of pattern differentiation I also am more aware of how my own internal structure IS influencing my execution of correct pattern identification. As I said earlier if a blip of a thought goes through my mind just as or just before I release the arrow it affects my accuracy. Yes I still hit the target, but it is not as accurate as it could have been. Yet, how do I contain this if my pattern identification is dependent on my thinking? A catch-22 to be sure.
What I am seeing is that it becomes a situation of awareness. In this I mean that I do not expect my mind to shut off as I work my way through a complex diagnosis, but I do expect my mind to focus on the essentials and leave my particular bias outside. I find that as I enter into and focus on being present in the moment it is easier to hear the subtle whisperings that may make a difference in my pattern identification. I also find, as in my practice in archery or in my martial arts training (when I take the time to return to that...) that the basics are so fundamentally important to effective work. Yet as I look at completing my tenth year of study of TCM I find that as with my martial perspective I am only a senior beginner. I strive to drink my cup empty as frequently as I can so I can learn more and refine my understanding of my study of TCM.
I am still growing and evolving. Maybe it would be more accurate to refer to myslf as an expert-beginner?
What do you think???
In shooting, once one gets the physical stance sorted out and smooth the next step becomes "consistency." This can manifest in many ways; are my arrows grouped together or all spread out over the target, or did I completely miss the target bale? OOOOPS, it is always embarasing when that happens... LOL ;-)
If I get my physical structure to be consistent, then my internal beingness has to become calm, centered and focused. I have found that even a blip of a thought just at or just the instant before releasing the arrow will cause my arrow to be slightly off target. I am also amazed to find that if I move my arm holding the bow BEFORE the arrow hits the target that too has an effect on my accuracy.
I am enjoying this process and I am seeing improvement in my form, accuracy and understanding.
But how, or maybe even does this manifest in my work as an acupuncturist? A good question.
I am reading more and more about how important "pattern differentiation" is in TCM. As I went through school I appreciated the impact of pattern differentiation as a way to formulate a language to express what I was seeing in any given patients presenting signs and symptoms. For example a patient has low back pain I would know to look for signs of Kidney deficiency.
The pattern differentiation became the "structure" in diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine. As any black-belt worth their rank will tell you "Mastery of any art is found in the thorough understanding and mastery of the basics." Or stated another way if I do not understand how to execute an effective front-snap kick how can I reasonably expect to learn how to execute a jump-spinning-backside kick?
As I return to a deeper level or awareness of the implications of pattern differentiation I also am more aware of how my own internal structure IS influencing my execution of correct pattern identification. As I said earlier if a blip of a thought goes through my mind just as or just before I release the arrow it affects my accuracy. Yes I still hit the target, but it is not as accurate as it could have been. Yet, how do I contain this if my pattern identification is dependent on my thinking? A catch-22 to be sure.
What I am seeing is that it becomes a situation of awareness. In this I mean that I do not expect my mind to shut off as I work my way through a complex diagnosis, but I do expect my mind to focus on the essentials and leave my particular bias outside. I find that as I enter into and focus on being present in the moment it is easier to hear the subtle whisperings that may make a difference in my pattern identification. I also find, as in my practice in archery or in my martial arts training (when I take the time to return to that...) that the basics are so fundamentally important to effective work. Yet as I look at completing my tenth year of study of TCM I find that as with my martial perspective I am only a senior beginner. I strive to drink my cup empty as frequently as I can so I can learn more and refine my understanding of my study of TCM.
I am still growing and evolving. Maybe it would be more accurate to refer to myslf as an expert-beginner?
What do you think???
posted by Michael Clifford, L. Ac. | 11:51 AM
2 Comments:
When I say "No, you're much more than that", you feel I'm saying that because of our relationship. But that just isn't so. There are many, many persons who would echo that sentiment. Unfortunately, they're mostly too busy to read blogs and make comments. This was an interesting comparison.
You post is very interesting... Acupuncture therapy is basically an ancient Chinese medicine therapy that is in practice from around 3,000 years. It is very effective in treatment of chronic muscle pain, stress, PMS, Asthma, ENT and Allergies, weight loss etc....
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