December 2011

Welcome to Yang-Sheng! 《養生》欢迎您!

Yang-Sheng (Nurturing Lif e) is an E-magazine and a network for all mind-body exercise (such as Qigong, Tai Chi, Yoga, Reiki, mindfulness and meditation) practitioners, health seekers, and spiritual cultivators. It promotes philosophy and methods of self-healing, positive mind and health preservation, and shares knowledge and experiences with those who are interested in the subjects and their applications in everyday life.

Yang-Sheng merges traditional life-nurturing knowledge with modern scientific research and clinic evidence, and combines ancient wisdom with our own experience to support our daily practice and well-being,  and to reach true meaning of health in body, mind and spirit… Your contribution, participation, sharing and suggestions are truly appreciated.

Download the December issue of Yang-Sheng as a PDF

Highlight’s December Issue (Vol 1, No. 10)

[From the Editor 主编的话] by Rebecca Kali, Editor-in-Chief – 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 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.  To recognize “the healer within” is to know that you are in charge of your wellness, that you intrinsically have the inner tools to manifest your own health and well-being.


[Featured Article] The Miracle of Self-Initiated Healing (自愈力的奇迹) by Roger Jahnke, OMD – In the amazing universe of Mind-Body Practice and Energy Based Healing, there is one profound bit of information that turns on our sense of the possibilities: The human – spirit-mind-body – is naturally enabled to heal – the most powerful healing elixirs (medicines) ever developed are produced naturally in the human system – for FREE!

[Simple Natural Healing] Winter Wellness and Self Care (冬季的保健和自我照顾) by Aihan Kuhn 爱寒, C.B.D, Dipl., OBT – In the wintertime, especially during the holiday season, we need to pay careful attention to our digestive system and do daily exercises. This promotes proper digestion, maintains immune function and provides a daily energy boost. Here are some diet tips and five exercises perfect for everyday practice

[Integral Wisdom] Stay Healthy in all Seasons (在各种季节中保持健康) by Mark Melchiorre, L.Ac. – Our system of traditional medicine is intimately connected to the ebb and flow of the energy in our universe. Far from being some mystical concept, one can see and feel this energy on a daily basis. Over time, these observations were codified into a system of correspondences known as the Wu Xing or Five Phases (五行).

[Featured Article] Awaken the Healer Within (唤醒体内医者—采访Jahnke 医生) –– NIH Interview with Roger Jahnke, OMD – How Qigong and Tai Chi – Chinese Mind-Body Wellness Practices – Promote Healthy Function. This brief interview with Dr Roger Jahnke, OMD, director of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC), was published in the In-house, newsletter of the NIH (National Institutes of Health) in September of 2009 to inform NIH employees about strategies for wellness and disease prevention

[Learn About Dao] Daoism and the Origins of Qigong (道家与气功的起源) (Part 1) by Livia Kohn, Ph.D. – Qigong or “Qi Exercises” describe a group of practices highly popular in China and increasingly well known in the West. Historically, gymnastic and breathing exercises formed a part of traditional Chinese medicine that specialized in preventative practice, known as yang-sheng or nourishing life. They follow the dictum that the best physician is one who prevents disease and never even has to treat a patient.

[Meditation in Motion] Taiji and Qigong for Immune System Health (太极拳和气功有利免疫系统的健康) by Eric Borreson – Evidence shows that taiji and Qigong can help strengthen your immune system. Doctors do not fully understand what happens, but they do agree that taiji and Qigong help. Activating our relaxation response and our lymphatic system are shown to be two of the ways that taiji and Qigong contribute to maintaining a strong immune system.

[From the Master] Daoist Internal Alchemy: A Deep Language for Communicating with Nature’s Intelligence (道家内丹修炼术: 一种与自然智慧沟通的深层语言) by Michael Winn – When Michael was first initiated into Daoist Qigong and internal alchemy 20 years ago, he began having exciting and profound experiences. Mysterious hidden inner worlds were suddenly revealed. As he progressed through “Seven Alchemical Formulas for Attaining Immortality”, he came to recognize the nei dan formulas themselves reveal a deep language by which Nature communicates with the different dimensions of its own intelligence. This universal field of intelligence in alchemical terms is the mind of the Dao.

[Research Update] Mind-Body Medicine Research Update (身心医学科研动态) collected by Kevin Chen – Effects of Tai Chi on pre-landing muscle response  latency during stepping down while performing a  concurrent mental task in older adults • Mindful attention reduces neural and self-reported cue-induced craving in smokers • Effects of yoga exercise on serum adiponectin and metabolic syndrome factors in obese postmenopausal women • Effect of short-term pranayama and meditation on cardiovascular functions in healthy individuals • Impact of Relaxation Training According to Yoga in Daily Life(®) System on Self-Esteem After Breast Cancer Surgery • Tai Chi Enhances the Effects of Endurance Training in the Rehabilitation of Elderly Patients with Chronic Heart Failure • A perception theory in mind-body medicine: guided imagery and mindful meditation as cross-modal adaptation • Which health conditions cause the most unhappiness? • Health and Gross National Happiness: review of current status in Bhutan • Association between perceived happiness levels and peripheral circulating pro-inflammatory cytokine levels in middle-aged adults in Japan

[Energy Healing through Science & Spirit] The Healer is the Spirit Being Within… (医者乃内在之精神…) by Sifu Cicero – Is it possible that the healer within is a spirit being that inhabits our human host body?  If this is possible, could this healer within be the one that exists beyond the body?  Or we are only the physical body that ceases to exist after death? In her exploration of these questions, Cindy Cicero discovered that there is more to the “healer within” than she could ever have anticipated.

[A comedy moment 开心一刻] When asked what he wanted for his birthday, the Yogi replied, “I wish no gifts, only presence.” and more …

[Stress Less] How To Eliminate Stress And Triple Your Productivity （怎样去除压力、倍增你的工作效率） by Niraj Naik, M.Pharm. – We live a world where it is not uncommon to be talking on the phone, while checking emails, cooking dinner and taking care of the kids all at the same time! When your brain engages in several tasks that require conscious attention it “discounts” the attention applied to each by spreading its processing power across each of the tasks…that spells bad news for your productivity!

[Tales from the Dao] Looking Up (向上看) by Solala Towler – It is just a wonderful   practice to look up and really see what we don’t usually notice when we are walking or driving along. Just looking up can be a  practice that allows us to become free of our earthly-bound material body and perceptions and find ourselves soaring and swooping through the blue, blue sky, free like a bird on the wing.

[Wuji in Motion] The Nurturing Gong of Push Hands (推手练功) by Rodney J Owen – Push hands is a crucial component of a complete Taiji curriculum.  Push hands is not about fighting but about cooperation, redirecting opposing energies and learning to go with the flow, harmonizing with the environment and finding peace of mind in the midst of chaos.

[Seasonal Harmony] Winter: The Season for Contemplation and Restoration (冬：沉静和恢复的季节) by Ellasara Kling – The Winter Season is ruled by the Kidney-Urinary Bladder organ system. Ellasara Kling explains some of the relationships of this season and what we can do to preserve our essential Qi in Winter. Healing foods for the Winter season and delicious recipes for Winter Congee, Ethiopian Inspired Vegetables, Black Rice Dessert, & Kale and Black Beans are featured.

[From Dr. Love] The Embodiment of Mind and Spirit in Chinese Qigong and Philosophy (心灵在中国气功和哲学中的体现) by George Xavier Love, OMD – Body and mind possess their distinct functions, but according to classical Chinese they are understood to be a fluid continuum. Fluids and energies constitute the body. The mind permeates the body and is contained in the blood and Qi.

[Experience Exchange] Daoist Yang-Sheng: Preserving Life at All Costs (道家养生：不惜一切保养生命) by Neil Kingham – Highlights of an inspiring day at the “The Embodiment of the Dao: Daoist Yang-Sheng Practices and the Cultivation of Health and Vitality” conferences and workshops. Speakers contrasted the pressures of the modern world with simple Daoist beliefs – today we strive for success, wealth and fame at the cost of our health, while to the Daoists, health and well-being were precious treasures to be guarded and preserved at all costs.

[From the Doctor] Holy Shift: Some Personal Clinical Pearls (神圣的转变： 一些个人的临床经验) by Nadia Linda Hole, MD –   “Happy Holidays”, are for many, a less than comfortable  time of year.  How are these times, honestly, for You? Your clients?  Your loved ones?   Anyone  feeling a bit unsettled? Disoriented? Noticing that what used to work, somehow is no longer working, on so many levels?  Isn’t it time to awaken the Healer Within? Dr. Hole shares some basic Qi tools, incorporated into her medical practice, over the years, that simply work.

[The Tai Chi Examiner] Improving Immunity with Tai Chi (太极提高免疫力) by Violet Li – It has been shown that in certain circumstances, practicing tai chi has an effect on boosting the immune system for older adults similar to getting a vaccination.  Practicing Tai Chi Chih, a modified tai chi form, provided the same benefit as getting a vaccination to prevent Shingles.  In a related study, people who practiced Tai Chi Chih were also vaccinated and their immunity levels were doubled.

[Scientific Qi Exploration] Part 17a. Meridians and Organs – Yin Organs (气的科学探索(17a)：经络与脏腑器官)  by Martin Eisen, Ph.D. – The Chinese concepts of Meridians and Organs will be introduced in a series of articles and possible western scientific explanation of some of these concepts will be introduced. Part 1 includes channels and organs, their connections and energy flow, formation of the 8 Extraordinary Channels and the 12 Meridians and the Heart (Xin), Pericardium (Xin Bao), Lungs (Fei), and Spleen (Pi).

[Experience Exchange] Chinese Ways to Open Your Perceptions Through Training Kundalini Energy (中国式的能量训练打开你的感知) by Raven Cohan – The Chinese (or ancient Daoist) ways of looking at the systems of Kundalini energy development has many variants and do not make one pathway right or another wrong.  Raven Cohen leads us on an exploration of expanding perceptions and the limits of possibility. Maybe even including in your bucket list, the idea that you could learn to SEE from the back of your head.

[Soul Salon] A Legacy: Your Final Footprint (遗产：你最后的脚印) by Rena Reese – How do you mindfully create a legacy when it is something that seems so illusive and intangible? Heroic acts based on making decisions in the moment may become a person’s legacy.  However, in the same way, a lifetime of simple interactions and day-to-day decisions construct a  life legacy.  Deciding whom you will be in your every day relationships and in moment-to-moment decisions offers a great place to begin mindfully building your legacy.

[TCM Food Therapy] Traditional Chinese Medicine, Food Therapy, and Cancer Prevention (中医、食疗与癌症预防) by Helen Hu, OMD – The cells in our bodies need a healthy, nourishing, and non-toxic environment. By the time cancer begins to grow, the body already has a “pro-cancer condition” that creates a cancer-friendly environment. Eliminate the pro-cancer condition and the more chance one has to win the battle. Dr. Hu explains the pro-cancer condition and offers several basic food therapies/recipes to consume daily if one sees signs of it.

[Book Review 书评] The Way of Energy: Mastering the Chinese Art of Internal Strength with Chi Kung Exercise reviewed by Sal Casano, RN, Ph.D. – This well done book on the Zhan Zhuang (“standing like a tree”) system of Qigong is meant for individual self-study. “Like a tree with its deep roots, powerful trunk, and great spreading branches reaching into the sky, you will appear to remain unmoving.  In reality, you will be growing from within.” (p11). The book is easy to read with lots of beautiful photos and instructional diagrams to help perform the exercises and to emphasize certain concepts.

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Yang-Sheng network wishes everyone Happy Holidays
and a Prosperous New Year!

《养生》杂志祝大家节日愉快！新年好！

Best wishes for a successful
“World Congress of Yang Sheng” in Hang Zhou, China
Dec 28-30, 2011

并预祝中国杭州“世界养生大会”圆满成功！

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