Livio Bucci
Shiatsu and Centering
The concept of “center” and “grounding” is central to Eastern disciplines such as yoga and tai chi. These concepts refer to the sensation of having a solid and stable connection with the ground and of being centered in one’s physicality and awareness.
Bioenergetics is a discipline that focuses on the relationship between body and mind and uses physical exercises to release emotional and physical tensions. Centering is one of the goals of bioenergetics, which aims to strengthen the connection between body and mind.
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Determination is an important quality in bionatural disciplines, which require constant and disciplined practice to achieve results. These disciplines, like shiatsu, are based on understanding the body as an energy system and work to rebalance this energy to promote health and well-being.
One’s vitality and ability to perceive one’s body, one’s energy and one’s environment (proprioception) are considered fundamental to health and well-being in bionatural disciplines. Shiatsu, a Japanese massage practice, focuses on stimulating pressure points to promote the flow of energy (Qi) in the body and natural healing.
Empathy is an important quality for shiatsu practitioners, who seek to understand and respond to the individual needs of each person they treat.
In summary, bionatural disciplines enhance the connection between body and mind and seek to restore the body’s natural balance to promote health and well-being. Constant practice, determination and attention to one’s vitality and proprioception are fundamental to the success of these disciplines.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine: QI
THE QI :
Basically Qi is divided into two aspects:
The prenatal one which is produced at the moment of conception and is then stored in the kidneys in the form of Jing (essence).
Then there is post-natal Qi, that is, that which is generated by man through thought, breathing, nutrition, movement and sexuality.
This postnatal Qi normally accumulates at the spleen level.
But it can enrich Kidney Qi if it is in excess: it increases post-natal Jing.
Qi like blowing (breath) Qi is expressed as soon as the child takes his first breath; therefore the first Qi of the later sky occurs with the first breath.
In the body there is pathogenic Qi determined by external and internal factors and non-pathogenic (good) Qi; the conflict between these two then determines the disease.
In the I-Ching we read: “In the immensity of space there exists an essential, primitive energy from which all the elements arise and into which it integrates.” Therefore from primordial Qi the sky, man and earth are born.
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We can summarize the creation of the known world thus:
TAO: generates the PRIMORDIAL QI : this is divided into: LESS MANIFEST ENERGY: SKY and MOST MANIFEST ENERGY: EARTH
LIVING BEINGS are born from the energy of heaven and earth.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, the energy of the earth rises towards the sky and then that of the sky descends to the earth; it can be said that all energy phenomena depend on and are influenced by these two fundamental movements of energy. We know that man is found between earth and sky, consequently man’s energy will be influenced by celestial and terrestrial energy movements.
The change of yin and yang can be seen very well in the succession of seasons; this is the perpetual movement of energy.
Man must adapt harmoniously to these continuous movements of cosmic energy, otherwise he becomes vulnerable and develops disease!
In humans, the less manifest energy, therefore, yang corresponds to Qi, while the more manifest yin energy corresponds to Blood.
Each season has particular characteristics, in fact it is said that it has its own character; man must understand these ways of being of the environment and behave accordingly.
Man is produced by his environment, it is nothing other than a moment of universal transformation, it is an expression of this great energy that the Chinese call: “Qi”.
The character Qi has various meanings: air, gas, steam.
The internal breath is called Nei Qi, the external one Wei Qi; knowing and moving the internal breath is very difficult, it takes a Master to understand how to do it.
Very often it happens that if we let Qi flow freely in the body without trying to control it then in some way we know it naturally; we have a direct experience of its nature.
The main energies are:
YUAN QI: original – ancestral energy
TIAN QI: air energy – sky
GU QI: food energy
ZONG QI: essential energy
WEI IQ: defensive energy
ZHEN QI : real energy
RONG QI: nourishing energy