Resolutions and Realisations
December 2006 Filed in: Eastern
culture
According to Chinese beliefs, winter is
‘yin’- associated with rest,
responsiveness, passivity, darkness, inwardness,
tranquility and quiescence. Yang is its opposite,
representing brightness, activity, movement,
excitement, light and dynamic potential. We need a
balance to keep us well, healthy and happy, so
although this season may be predominantly
‘yin’ time, we need some yang to function
well – otherwise we wouldn’t make it out
of bed at all!
Yin time lends itself to reflection and thinking about where we are in our lives. It is a time to lay down plans. Interesting then to consider the tradition of making New Year resolutions, which people have been doing since 153 B.C. Traditionally, many of those resolutions are connected to health: ‘I want to lose weight’. ‘I want to stop smoking’. ‘I want to get fitter’. And this comes after the Christmas period, when we have eaten and drunk rather more than we do at other times of the year. We feel heavy, lethargic and stuck, with not much to look forward to until the Spring.
Balance is important here too. At the turning of the calendar year, it’s natural to look back as well as looking forward. You can often learn more from the things that have made you feel great in the previous year than from the negative stuff. Ask yourself ‘ What have I achieved this year?’ ‘What can I feel proud about?’ ‘What aspects of my job do I enjoy?’ ‘What made it worth while getting out of bed in the mornings?’ Ask yourself the ‘miracle question’ : ‘If I had a perfect day, how would it look? How would I feel? Who would I share it with? What would I do?’ The answers to these questions can help you to see the things you cherish in life. Make a resolution to have more of this great stuff in your life. Then ask yourself: ‘What do I need to happen to bring about this change?’ and ‘ Who can help me make this change happen?’
Acupuncture can help you with this process. I sometimes have to warn new patients that with treatment, change can happen in ways that we may not have predicted. This reflects the relationship between physical and emotional health. In the West we are only just beginning to learn about this relationship and consider how the physical and the emotional interact. In the East it is recognised that this relationship, just like yin and yang, needs to be in balance. Some patients notice that as they have treatment they begin to feel motivated to make changes in their lives. They may even come to the realisation that their illness is a symptom of some greater imbalance, such as hating their job or needing to make a change in a personal relationship. The needles themselves cannot directly influence this, but acupuncture can act as a tool for rebalancing the body in a holistic way and as patients go through that process, all areas of their lives move towards greater harmony.
Yin time lends itself to reflection and thinking about where we are in our lives. It is a time to lay down plans. Interesting then to consider the tradition of making New Year resolutions, which people have been doing since 153 B.C. Traditionally, many of those resolutions are connected to health: ‘I want to lose weight’. ‘I want to stop smoking’. ‘I want to get fitter’. And this comes after the Christmas period, when we have eaten and drunk rather more than we do at other times of the year. We feel heavy, lethargic and stuck, with not much to look forward to until the Spring.
Balance is important here too. At the turning of the calendar year, it’s natural to look back as well as looking forward. You can often learn more from the things that have made you feel great in the previous year than from the negative stuff. Ask yourself ‘ What have I achieved this year?’ ‘What can I feel proud about?’ ‘What aspects of my job do I enjoy?’ ‘What made it worth while getting out of bed in the mornings?’ Ask yourself the ‘miracle question’ : ‘If I had a perfect day, how would it look? How would I feel? Who would I share it with? What would I do?’ The answers to these questions can help you to see the things you cherish in life. Make a resolution to have more of this great stuff in your life. Then ask yourself: ‘What do I need to happen to bring about this change?’ and ‘ Who can help me make this change happen?’
Acupuncture can help you with this process. I sometimes have to warn new patients that with treatment, change can happen in ways that we may not have predicted. This reflects the relationship between physical and emotional health. In the West we are only just beginning to learn about this relationship and consider how the physical and the emotional interact. In the East it is recognised that this relationship, just like yin and yang, needs to be in balance. Some patients notice that as they have treatment they begin to feel motivated to make changes in their lives. They may even come to the realisation that their illness is a symptom of some greater imbalance, such as hating their job or needing to make a change in a personal relationship. The needles themselves cannot directly influence this, but acupuncture can act as a tool for rebalancing the body in a holistic way and as patients go through that process, all areas of their lives move towards greater harmony.