My time here in Thailand is once again supporting a deep dive into the human condition; what it is to be in a human body and how to nourish our relationship in this realm.
I think that it is fair to say, we take our bodies for granted unless we have been in the unique position of having lost functionality in some capacity. It is usually not until we encounter a malfunction that we really stop to consider how we are using our body and what we are asking of it. It is also at these times we realise how every part of our make up is intrinsically connected. Bodies are brilliant - they are robust and resilient and always looking to find healing and balance to carry us through. They are constantly responding to the environment around us by protecting us from harmful organisms while peacefully coexisting with healthy ones.
When I am in Thailand I spend time with some incredible teachers. Teacher Dot runs the Toaist Temple in Chiang Mai and Stone and Stella and their son Matthew are students of the healing arts of the Tao. I am absorbed into their world and there is much to be learnt. Through the lens of Toaist philosophy the body is understood as a microcosmic replica of the macrocosm which is the Universal System that our Earth sits within. We are an expression of the Universe from which all life began. The elements that make up our universe exist within our bodies and interact with one another creating our inner homeostasis.
The Toaist philosophy has a lot of wisdom to share and I am ever curious and committed to studying this area. In truth I will never be a fundamentalist; I am of the opinion that there are many ways and means to make sense of and view this world and our body and our human experience. This is the magic of the human being, we are so similar yet so diverse, our minds are capable of creating infinite possibilities; we choose many ways and means to make sense of the world. Our gift of imagination and the power of belief are extraordinary facets of our mind that we can utilise to create and form our human experiences.
I am fascinated by the Taoist view of nature and the universe and how the human energy system mirrors and reflects this. The world exists entirely of energy and the energy or Chi that flows through us has incredible capacity to nourish and heal us and to cause sickness and illness.
A short introduction to Five Element Theory…
It goes like this, our body is balanced by these 5 elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood. These forces are knitted together by two cycles that are known as The Law of Creation and The Law of Control. Within these two paradigms the elements have natural order and by understanding this order the individual and a practitioner can diagnose and treat imbalances in the body. Each organ correlates to one of these elements and each element has its own list of characteristics. For example, the heart and small intestine are a pair and they are ruled by the Fire Element, of which the colour is red, the season is summer and the direction is north. The Fire element is the creator of Earth and it is controlled by the Water element to keep it in balance. The temperature is hot and the emotions expressed are joy, courage and compassion alongside cruelty, callousness and viciousness. The Fire element is seen through facial colour and commands and opens the tongue. The taste is bitter and the element nourishes the vascular system. So it goes with each element, we find a correlating set of organs and qualities and expressions that define its character. This is a useful system for making sense of how our body is behaving and how we might seek to sustain inner balance.
This is not a replacement for modern allopathic medical treatment but a supporting system that focuses on maintenance of good health.
The Chinese tradition centres on prevention of illness and disease whereas our modern medical systems have excelled in treating disease and providing advance emergency and intensive care. To combine both systems in my mind is incredibly powerful.
The next subject that has dominated my studies here is the bowl. Bowl heath is of the upmost importance for maintaining and sustaining a healthy body. Why? Because the bowl is a giant sewage system that passes though our body and it’s role is the extraction and conversion of nutrients while also the elimination and disposal of waste products. In a healthy body the bowl regularly discharges waste. There is SO much advice on gut heath, it is the zeitgeist of 21st century health but actually this is ancient wisdom. You are what you eat and furthermore you are what you are able to absorb!
While learning about gut health and Taoist philosophy I have also been the recipient of one of the most extraordinary massage experiences to date. I had a very powerful Chi Neitsnag treatment that actually has changed the experience of my body. The treatment was deep, slow and truthfully uncomfortable at points. Never painful and never did I feel that it was too much. I was floating afterward but then in the 3 days following the session my guts felt tender, sore and bloated. My practitioner said my small intestine was inflamed and boy did I feel it in those coming days. Food did not appeal. This phase demanded rest and easy to digest food. Stuck in a noisy, large city that loves spicy food did not feel the place to process this treatment! Of course the processing did happen and I only wish I could have another session.
The most interesting part of the whole process was the awareness of blood flowing through my body. Where the practitioner use deep holds that put pressure on the abdominal cavity, the flow of blood was restricted and then on release the fresh blood flowed through to this part of my body. It was exciting and fascinating to feel so clearly where the blood tracked.
We all hold beliefs about what it means to be in a body. We hold beliefs about what is good for us, what is bad. There are numerous voices through all our lives that want to share, dictate, advise or control this narrative. The Government offering new guidelines on food labelling, companies pushing the sale of a product, parents or schools as they raise us, influencers in social media sharing tips and tricks, the beauty industry, the glossy magazine brands, your extended family, you name it, everyone has something to say on the body because all share the experience of having one. Another great book I am currently reading is ‘Blood and Guts - A Short History of Medicine’ by Rory Porter. This book looks at how humans have long battled disease and the developments and discoveries that have shaped our understanding of healing and medicine.
While all the voices on bodies and health swirl around I hope that you remember and hear your own innate wisdom. What is good for the Goose is not always good for the Gander. You are your own unique microcosm. Trust your self and your body. Listen to others but remember that no one is you.
I am truly grateful for the folk I have met so far who have offered me nutritional support, delicious facials, shiatsu massage, reflexology, chiropractic, craniosacral massage, Chi Neitsang, chi massage, yoga, dance, meditation instruction, jenzu, Akido, Qi gong….. so many amazing experiences.
I am now learning gratitude for the internal - thank you to my vital organs for seeing me though this far to the kidneys and bladder, stomach, spleen, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, lungs, heart, ovaries, womb - I never used to think about you, and now I know you are me! My brain just one of the many parts. When I was 21 and had no foothold in this world my Shiatsu practitioner told me we needed to clear my liver. I thought she was funny, I’d never thought about my liver before.
I hope that reading this is food for thought and brings to you a sense that you a much more than what can be seen. You’re a wonderful recipe of tissues that all organise themselves into a human body!
Sending love lights and musings on the human condition
Natalie
