Anmo, Chinese Health and Massage

Prevention.

Anmo or Chinese Massage is based upon entirely different concepts and principles to the view of massage and therapy which we are familiar with in the West. We all must have heard the phrase 'an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure', this is the fundamental basis which all Taoist medicine is built upon. Taoist philosophy emphasizes knowlege and education, so rather than relying on doctors and medicines we can learn to recognise the roots of illness and treat the problem even before it has begun to manifest as obvious symptoms. This means learning to diagnose imbalances on three levels: mental, physical and spiritual. The types of treatment we are looking at are also preventative and are designed to support the natural defences of the body and to provide immunity to disease. These include dietary recommendations, breathing exercises, energy meridian massage, contact thermogenesis and herbs.

Practical work.

The TCAA course consists in some practical work with partners under the supervision of a teacher to practise and learn the basic massage techniques. We will also be using online resources to discuss the basic concepts of Chinese medicine as outlined below. The course is essential for anyone who is interested in taking their T'ai Chi onto another level, but is also suitable for anyone who is looking at alternative ways to aid the body's defences and ability to regenerate itself and recover from diseases as well as building a stronger immune system.

History

Even Western anatomy and physiology is fundamentally different to the theory of Chinese Medicine because the Chinese view of the internal organs was not developed from dissection of dead bodies. The Chinese theory of internal organs or 'Zhang Fu' was developed from research and studies conducted by Taoists from early times, for example the Nei Ching or Yellow Emperor's classic originated in the Xia dynasty of 5000 years ago. It is based upon the flow of energy around the body which interconnects the organs according to a series of functions which is unique to Traditional Chinese Medicine. Each organ is not just an anatomical unit but also includes an energy meridian or channel and is linked to other functions in the body including emotions.

 

Massage

Over this five day course you will spend each day learning one of the ten basic massage techniques which are designed to stimulate or sedate the flow of life-force or 'Chi' around the body.

Diagnosis

We will also be looking at diagnosis methods based on the system 'the five methods of examination':

Asking, looking, touch, listening, olfactory.

This is a traditional method based around the five elements and the five senses, and involves a variety of ways to observe the illness and get better feedback before proceeding further. This includes observation of posture, sound of the voice, asking quaestions about life history and the pathology of the disease, pulse taking, tongue diagnosis and various other methods from the Nei Ching or Yellow Emperor's book of Internal Medicine.

Treatments

We will be looking at some typical examples of ways to treat common diseases based on the following principles:

  1. Diet: Chang Ming or Taoist Long Life diet is a time tested approach to nutrition which has been researched by Taoist Masters since before recorded history. The diet is highly effective in boosting the store of 'Chi' or life-force within the body and is based around the Taoist principles of respect for Nature. This means eating natural foods which are unprocessed and avoiding any chemical additives and colourings etc as well as cutting down on red meat and dairy products.
  2. Herbal therapy: Herbs are a large part of Chinese Medicine and thousands of herbs have been catalogued over the centuries, each herb can have varying yin or yang effects. We have mainly applied these principles to common western herbs because even though Chinese Herbs are now more widely available we follow the Taoist principle of using locally grown substances for treatment.
  3. Meridian massage: Located throughout the body are special pathways through which the life-force flows including eight special meridians which act as storage vessels similar to the streams, rivers and reservoirs which supply the landscape with water. The meridian massage can be used to stimulate or sedate the flow of energy depending on the elemental imbalance and is also a good way to open up the channels to free blockages and improve the flow of Chi much like the sap in a tree.
  4. Breathing exercises: Deep breathing is essential for stimulating the production of Chi in the lower abdomen but there are also many specific exercises which can not only help with the process of Chi cultivation but help with a variety of specific diseases.
  5. Contact thermogenesis: Moxa or Ginger Compress is similar to acupuncture but uses heat to stimulate the energy, the body fluids and the regeneration of body tissues. It is very good for removing stagnation in the system and helps to focus the repair process for example with bruising or injuries.

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Locating the meridians

We will be learning practical exercises to help us locating the eight extra meridians as well as the ten organ meridians in the body and their associated important energy centres and points related to acupressure.

Understanding the five elements theory

To begin with we will be having a look at how the five elements are related to the way energy is balanced between the internal organs as well as relating this to emotional as well as physical factors of disease.

Understanding the eight principles of disease classification

Eight principles is a major form of disease classification used in modern Chinese medicine to differentiate syndromes according to Yin or Yang factors.

 

Journal of Chinese Medicine.

JCM

Enrolling on the course includes a year's subscription to the Journal of Chinese Medicine archive which has a wide range of articles on health and Chinese Medicine approaches from 1974 to the present day.