Welcome to the December issue of Yang-Sheng! “The Healer Within” is the theme of this issue. The ability to maintain one’s health and balance is an integral aspect of every person’s body, mind/heart and spirit. Each of us has that potential; an inner power of healing so great that it can shift matter and transform illness. To acknowledge it is self-empowerment. Recognizing it is to know that you are in charge of your own wellness, that you intrinsically have the inner tools to create the level of wellness you want and need. That knowledge also honors the great web of life, and our undeniable interconnectedness and existence as an inseparable part of it. To engage in the “healer within” practices is to become the designer of your own unique human experience, a participant in the integral order of life and co-creator of manifesting your own health, healing and well-being.
Recognizing and honoring “The Healer Within” is also the foundation of most traditional healing systems. This has not been passed down in our western culture. Sometimes western health care has gone in the opposite direction regarding health care, however that pattern is starting to change. The benefits of Qigong, tai chi, yoga and other mind-body practices are now recognized by the National Institute of Health (NIH) as well as many other western institutions of medical study and research.
In this issue, you will find many articles that share insight, invite exploration and offer tips and methods of practice to support your own inner healer. How Qigong and tai chi, Chinese mind-body wellness practices promote healthy function is the subject of Awaken the Healer Within – NIH Interview with Roger Jahnke, OMD. In Daoism and the Origins of Qigong, Livia Kohn, Ph.D. describes the historical roots of Qigong. Winter Wellness and Self Care by Aihan Kuhn, C.B.D, Dipl., OBT offers five exercises perfect for everyday practice. In Holy Shift: Some Personal Clinical Pearls, Nadia Linda Hole, MD shares some basic Qi tools, that she has incorporated into her medical practice, over the years. In How To Eliminate Stress And Triple Your Productivity, Niraj Naik, M.Pharm. tells us when our brains engage in several tasks that all require attention it spells bad news for productivity! Ellasara Kling explains what we can do to preserve our essential Qi and shares seasonal food tips and recipes in Winter: The Season for Contemplation and Restoration.
One of the most widely read books on Qigong, titled The Healer Within, was written by one of our contributors, Dr. Roger Jahnke, OMD. You will find an article adapted from this book, The Miracle of Self-Initiated Healing, on page 5. The Healer Within is also the name of a non-profit institution, The Healer Within Foundation, which brings mind-body practices to populations who would otherwise not have access to them. Dr. Jahnke is also the author of The Healing Promise of Qi and the director of training and research for the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC).
This holiday season, the season of celebration and exchange of gifts, I invite you to give yourself a gift… give yourself the present of really claiming the time and space in your life to honor and support your own “inner healer,” and follow the daily practice that is just right for you. Just do it…and expect miracles!
Best wishes for happy holidays and a peaceful and joyous new year to all of our contributors, supporters, and readers from all around the world, our Yang-Sheng community,
Rebecca Kali, Editor-in-Chief
