CIRCULATING THE STAGNATION – A Taoist View of Health
by Ken Bendat, Licensed Acupuncturist
(written sometime in the 90s….)
We live in an increasingly complex and diverse set of circumstances – and this seems to require from us a response that is flexible and adaptable, yet grounded and substantial. If we can choose, with some consistency, to “keep one corner of the picture nailed up on the wall”, perhaps that is enough to allow for the mysterious wisdom of our body’s inherent intelligence to right the rest of our being.
“One corner”. . . a good meal eaten every day in peaceful surroundings, a brisk walk to the point of sweating, a time set aside for a friend. We all have different energies and capacities – but we also are facing a societal condition of not paying attention to the basics.
Enjoying life is a basic; paying attention to being a human being in relationship to Nature – the enjoyment of a walk in the park, of a young child’s smile, of listening to music, of being in touch with our sexual vitality, of seeing the new flowers in the spring.
Here in the 90s, we are faced with the conditions, in mass, of fatigue, anxiety, degenerative diseases, weakened immune deficiency diseases, and overall – stress. Does an ancient, traditional system like Traditional Chinese Medicine, with its philosophical Taoist roots, have much to offer as far as understanding how to address these conditions? The body, in Taoist terms, parallels the universe in its energetic makeup. The body – like the universe – exhibits a kind of innate intelligence that “circulates,” always staying fresh and open, without exhausting the larger, living, system. When we are not “circulating” well, due to living in a stressful and conflictive inner and outer environment – we begin to get away from the open, universal, naturally relaxed experience of energy and health that is our inheritance. We have never really “lost” the openness – but we can forget to return to this source of health and harmony.
When we limit ourselves and cramp our infinitely wide energy channels, we become “stagnant” in body, mind, and outlook. The nourishing, circulating pond at the center of our being begins to feel more like a stagnant marsh. We can feel vague “stuck” feelings, frustrations and sudden outbursts. We can feel cramped, bloated, gassy, and uncomfortable with ourselves and with others.
Westerners are becoming more and more comfortable, finally, in allowing for the reality that the mind influences the body. A fuller understanding, however, would allow for the reality of the body influencing the mind, as well. Certainly this is easy to understand experientially by remembering how our mental state can change after a brisk workout, a drinking binge, or a sexual experience. More subtle, but not less profound, is the change that can occur while meditating, having a good night’s sleep, or confidently digesting our lunch.
It seems funny to say so, but digesting lunch may be the most profound act you have engaged in all day. Consider the intelligence involved in the act; if you had to “think” and “figure out” all that was required in the act of digestion, you would go completely crazy! Our digestive intelligence, when it is in order, parallels the patterns of circulation inherent universally, so that by digesting lunch you are partaking in the most fundamental act of connection with Nature. And according to Traditional Chinese Medicine, if the digestive intelligence is strong (good appetite, healthy stools, proper assimilation of food and resulting transportation of fluids and blood throughout the body), this intelligence can contribute much to deciding what is nourishing to us in general: physically, emotionally, and spiritually. If one “tries” hard enough, it is completely possible to throw off-track our basic human ability to properly nourish ourselves. This is done by the overconstriction of our mental and emotional processes upon our native body intelligence – thus directly interfering with the process of choosing healthy and appropriate nourishment. Over a period of time assimilation weakens, there is poor nutritional absorption and utilization, and a cascading series of events occurs which lead to ill health, exhaustion, and chronic disease.
It seems that every few years there is a consensual agreement to label conditions related to gastrointestinal stress and its resulting breakdown in the body’s systems in new ways – hypoglycemia, Epstein-barr or chronic fatigue, candidiasis – which really are measurements of an underlying inappropriate response to our true nature. We can concentrate our desires so that we “forget” our true appetite.
When we allow for the reestablishment of proper energy circulation, we find that we naturally acquire a more sane motivation for living. One way of doing this is with acupuncture and Chinese herbal therapy – which has been developed on the basis of this viewpoint. As we gently allow the stagnant energy to circulate, and the deficient organ systems to be strengthened, we can find ourselves to be more at ease and comfortable in the large space Nature provides us. It is there that we can live our unique, individual, and creative lives in enjoyment, and health.
-recommended reading: Dragon’s Play by Charles Belyea/Stephen Tainer – excellent book about the Taoist view, available at Soundpeace in Ashland