Wu Xing ( 5 Elements in Chinese Medicine )

For the purpose of this blog, Im not going to explain too much about the 5 elements of chinese medicine. I would like to explain what does it mean and why for me it is the basis of my work.

The five traditional Chinese elements are Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. These are the five basic forms of energy, which are constantly being transformed from one into another throughout the natural world. This is a very organized scheme, and its very similar to the way nature works, does it sound crazy that our bodies act in a similar way? Nature is about creation and transformation, and so we are. 

If we think about the seasons of the year or phases then it could become clear the characteristic of each element:

• Wood/Spring: a period of growth, which generates abundant wood and vitality

• Fire/Summer: a period of swellness, flowering, which overbrews with fire and energy

• Earth: the in-between transitional seasonal periods, or a separate 'season' known as Late Summer or Long Summer - in the latter case associated with leveling and dampening (moderation) and fruition

• Metal/Autumn: a period of harvesting and collecting

• Water/Winter: a period of retreat, where stillness and storage pervades

I believe that nature is wise, and that nature in us is wise enough to make us heal by ourselves. A massage or any therapy that is oriented to keep your body in balance is something that in my opinion should be practiced often along with meditation and exercise. We shouldn't wait till we are ill or very sick to start taking care of us. Like in nature we go through many phases in our lives, but allowing those phases to happen and continue the cycle will help us to live the way we truly mean to. 

We can also see these elements as characteristics of our personalities. Are u stiff and strict as metal? are you like fire burning up easily? Are you like a river, a pond or a puddle? Are you so flexible that the air breaks you easily? Are your feet well rooted in the ground?

In Shiatsu, we work with the 5 element theory in the body. Each organ and also emotion is related to it. And remember that emotions affect our bodies. Bad emotions will most probably cause sickness while happy and love emotions will improve everything :)

About dreams and winter

So, since Im starting my blog, and  I will probably have some followers soon, I just want to say, that I will be posting things that I find interesting about healing and personal devolpment and I will also write my conclusions about it. My intention is to understand better what surrounds us and whats inside us to help you and me find a balance in our everyday lives. Im not saying that these will be truths for everyone, but it could trigger some questions in your mind that will help you in your own path.

I found this project called Project dreamer :) and this made me think about my dreams.

When did I stop dreaming like a kid and started to do it more ¨realistic¨. When I was a child I remember talking about my dreams, like I wanted to be a doctor to help people feel better, I wanted to be an arquaeologist to discover treasures, and find revelations that would change the world. I also wanted to be a pilot to be able to see from above, I wanted to be an astronaut to get closer to the stars, and finally I wanted to be an inventor, to invent things that doesnt exist just for the pleasure of seeing new things in front of my eyes. I was 8 then.   Now im 31, and looking back to my dreams, I think I did pretty good. I´m a creative in an advertising agency, and my work is to invent stories, images, objects, spaces, things that could be fun. I also managed to train my brain to export all those ideas as drawings and images. I also do massage and take care of people so in a way they can feel better.

When I was thinking about dreams, I also thought about the 5 elements theory used by the oriental medicne, this theory refers to the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water, which are the basic elements of the material world. I was thinking, where our dreams are coming from? and What happens in the people who have lost their dreams?

I think that dreams are an element of water and therefore a characteristic of winter. Dreams are like little seeds with a lot of potential inside, that will gather energy during the winter to later burst forth during the spring, and continue the cycle till the next winter.

Now, Im not saying that you should be dreaming during winter only, but dreaming is part of a cycle, if you want to dream, you have to stop and think, if you want that dream to come true, you have to gather energy, you have to prepare that dream to start the cycle till you complete it.

Some people is unable to start the cycle, and they live only thinking about their dreams,  you can see now, there is an obvious imbalance that could be changed and treated like a plant, from my point of view. Maybe that person needs more yang energy, more sun, more warmth to be able to start and complete the cycle.

So, keep on dreaming, but more important, keep on going with the cycle :)

Happy winter¡

Healing Touch

When we say that somebody touches us emotionally, it means he or she has gone to the core of our being. Physical touch, too, is more than skin - deep. Skin is the human body’s largest organ, containing millions of receptors - about 8000 in a single finger tip - that send messages through nerve fibers to the spinal cord and then to the brain. A simple touch - a hand on a shoulder, an arm around a waist - can reduce the heart rate and lower blood pressure. Even people in deep comas may show changes in their heart rates when their hands are held. Positive, nurturing touch appears to stimulate the release of endorphines, the body’s natural pain suppressors. That may explain why a mother’s hug can literally "make it better" when a child skins his knee.

Reference: http://www.toddlertime.com/mh/terms/healing-touch.htm

Badly drawn boy made this nice song for his album One plus one is one in 2004, but the video is the best example of what I mean by touching heals not only your body, your mind and your soul but your society, your work, etc. Many people out there just need to be held to improve :)