Lecture1 Defending Yourself from the Attack of the Scorching Summer

This summer season in Shanghai is really scorching and seems it will last for almost a whole season, which might be about 2-3 months, including the beginning part of autumn. Therefore, for people who have to cope with the hot weather for about 100 days, it will not be a piece of easy job, though you may keep yourself staying inside the room with air-conditioning and drinking the iced Coca Cola, water melon or various kinds of ice cream. However, from long term view, we know it is not a healthy way.

From a holistic view, we know that the human body is one part of the nature, which is the reason that the internal change of the human body is related with the change of the nature, vice versa. Therefore, if the weather is very hot and humid, it will also cause the people who live in this surrounding may have some internal “heat” and (or) “humidity” accumulate inside of their bodies gradually, if their bodies can not adjust themselves well and get rid of them.

Here, the meaning of “heat” inside of the body equals to the pathological state that is “hyper-activated”, which may have a series of symptoms, such as: feverish body, excess perspiration, thirsty, fidget, tantrum, reddish complexion, insomnia, dartre around the lip, constipation (or difficult defecation), and red tongue, with rapid pulse, etc., which the summer heat could be the key reason that is due to these symptoms.

And, the syndromes of “humidity” that stays inside of the human body may include the symptoms, such as: general debility, chest and epigastric fullness, inappetence, loose stool (or diarrhea), turbid urine, white thick greasy tongue coat with feeble pulse, etc., which could be caused by the summer dampness. Further more, it might be worsen by the over take-in of the cold food and beverage in the summer and long term staying inside of the room with air-conditioning.

So how to disperse the “heat” and (or) “humidity” inside of your body, and balance yourself with a healthy way? Here, I will offer you two pieces of methods of TCM, which might be helpful for you to defend yourselves from the attack of the scorching summer, you can select the suitable one (or ones) according to your personal condition or by the suggestion of your personal doctor.

Method 1. Movement: In summer, we still need to do some exercises, especially for the people who always stay inside of office with air-conditioning. And actually, in summer, to select the suitable exercise for your body is very important for improving your heart and blood vessel system, as the suitable exercises will promote the circulation of your blood, and help your body to get rid of some rejectamenta accumulating inside of your body by perspiration, which has the effect of dispersing “heat” and “humidity”. But what kind of exercises will be suitable? It actually depends on your personal feeling or reaction to the exercises. I think, after taking the exercises, you will not feel very tired, instead you feel your appetite is improved, your sleeping quality is better and after a night sleep you might feel more energetic, so that kind of exercises will be considered as “suitable”.

Here, I will suggest you to practice “Tai-ji” of Yang style, and it will be the suitable exercise for most people. Because the theme of the Tai-ji of Yang style is “to move your body by the will instead of strength”, which might be hard for the new practitioner to understand, however it is a very important way to guide you to be aware of the existence of “will” and to know how to balance the body holistically.

But, how shall we to feel this “will” hiding deeply inside your body? And what is the relationship with our TCM lecture here?

Here, I will first briefly discuss about “Qi” of TCM, a kind of invisible substance existing every part of a living organism. It can be classified into a few kinds, such as “Defending-qi”, “Great-qi”, “Nutrition-qi”, “Original-qi”, etc; among them, the “Original-qi” is a substance lying in the deep part of body, which is the base of other “qi”, as from it, it can generate the other “qi”, but generally people have no idea how to strengthen this “Original-qi”, as only by tonic food and herbal medicine, it is not enough to nourish it.

To nourish this “Original-qi”, first we shall know guide the movement of the qi go smoothly, otherwise the simple exercises and the application of tonic food and herbal will not reach the position that the “Original-qi” locates. While, to guide the movement of the qi go smoothly, we shall be aware “how to move the body by the will not the strength”. Because, our daily activity or exercises will mainly focus on how to exercise the muscle, and how to shape the body, while according to TCM theory, it ignores the importance of introspection and how to build the internal body strongly, instead of shaping the external part.

In sum, in summer, I suggest you need to move your body, but according to certain principle and degree. And the Tai-ji of Yang Style will be a good selection for you, as it will help you to feel how to move internally rather than move externally. You will disperse the summer heat by a peaceful movement.

Method 2, Meditation: in summer, most people will feel they are very irritable, tantrum, and insomnia, which is considered as a syndrome of “fire” by TCM theory. Actually, this syndrome is caused by the summer heat which induce the fire of heart becomes over active, and moves upward instead of move downward to the kidney, while as the deficiency of kidney yin, therefore the water of kidney can not move upward to nourish the fire of heart, which is called as “Disharmonious condition between heart and kidney”, which can be treated by “Jiao-tai pill”. But we can also choose meditation to improve this disharmony.

Meditation has the purpose to calm down the mind, which has a few methods, such like sitting quietly, standing quietly, and lying quietly. You can choose the one you like. Actually, quietness is a kind of ability that we gain from our birth, while as we grow up it is gradually covered by irritability, especially for the people who live in shanghai for ages may even do not understand what means quietness. But we shall know that the quietness is also a kind of natural power hiding inside of the human body. By constant exercises, we will enter a deep state that is full of quietness, which is full of harmony and peace. This state will help you to ignore all the difficulties that bother you and let you feel that you become one part of the nature and yourself is a unique universe. That is the power of quietness.

First, we start from the simple sitting medtiation exercise, which will take about 10 to 30 minutes.

Find a place that makes you feel cozy, and close your eyes slow down the rhythm of your breathing, to feel the inhale and exhale of the air, but shall not try too much to alter your breathing.

Slowly, you start to feel your body, first pay attention to your feet, to feel the different sensation inside of your feet, such as cold, hot, or even pain; then focus on your hip, lower-back, and up-back, to feel the change of the spine and back muscle that is coordinate with the rhythm of your breath; then pay attention to your chest, and to feel the movement of your chest chamber; you shall close your eyes, without any extra movement, just feel the existence of yourself and your breath. Gradually, you will feel that nothing can bother you and you fully enjoy this state, which brings you joy and peace. In the end, you exhale deeply and slowly, and open your eyes slowly, stretch your back slowly and feel the peace and power after taking this meditation.

TCM is dainty about “ maintaining”, but how to “maintain your body”, our ancestors once said “ to combine to movement with quietness, and to move and meditate with principle”. From my personal view, “ movement” belongs to Yang and “meditation” belongs to Yin, therefore, the balance of Yin and Yang is we shall balance ourselves by a good combination of movement and quietness.

In this summer, if we can not rely on the air-conditioning and ice-cream, instead, we defend ourselves by some simple and healthy methods, we are successful in fighting against this summer.