רונית מלכין - מורה לצ׳י גונג ומטפלת שיאצו

במילותיו של כריס:

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The Four Seas – a Voyage of Discovery

In the dead of mid-winter 2013, a small group of experienced and dedicated acupuncture practitioners gathered for a winter retreat. As instructor and observer, I paid close attention to the atmosphere produced by the ongoing acupuncture treatments.

Gradually I noticed that my body was producing autonomic reactions – spontaneous, automatic movements and touch stimulation, specific to and characteristic of each sea and identifiable within the general domain of qigong and do-in.

The Sea of Marrow generated a deep bedrock of silent attention - a state of quiet, detatched contemplation, wholly undisturbed by emotion or thought; a condition of deep rest and silent, non-judgemental contemplation – like resting in the deep, dark silence of the ocean floor.

The Sea of Blood although still deep and restful, is inhabited by a more obviously emotional energy content. Here we find deeply stored emotional memory. Activating this sea can assist old and ingrained muscular patterns, still in need of repair and rehabilitation, to rise to the surface.

The Sea of Nourishment consists of a slow, almost immobile sequence of touch sensations and postures, a total and conscious experience of the para-sympathetic state. The aspect of movement is almost entirely absent. In the one standing posture, a forward bend, we let the breath to do the work and allow the stretch to take care of itself as the earth pulls us towards its core. We generate a cocoon of security; entirely contained within a feeling of enclosed and protected warmth, we find sensations and images associated with comfort, rest and trust; a warm, relaxed and internally oriented feeling of simple and complete enjoyment.

The Sea of Qi by contrast is spritely and dynamic, lithe and nimble. Here we create a light, youthful and playful energy. The movements are distinct and vigorous. They seem to centre around activating the breath and strengthening the functional connection between the lungs and kidneys. They demonstrate the joyful elasticity of the sympathetic state, when it is freed from stress and the stimulation of threat and danger: the alert, inquisitive mood of a child.

Join me in a celebration of the depths of human experience.