Reflections on “the Eight-Extraordinary-Meridian Balances”
Nur (Suzhou, China)
The Central Meridian acts as a long-term energy reserve in relation to the Twelve Meridians, while the Governing Vessel is a short-term reserve; during the balancing processes of these two meridians, I changed some of my old patterns that were no longer useful. In that, I was so grateful. I was bothered by Ankylosing Spondylitis for decades since high school. It had given me a lot of reminders in the form of pain. When I was in college, I would be woken up by the pain of morning stiffness every morning at around four or five. Now, through specially-designed body movements, I had come to enjoy it, so that I could let it go. After that day end, I noticed my lower back and waist from time to time; they were relaxed. In the past, whenever I thought about my waist, it was always stiff.
When balancing the Governing Vessel, I sweated profusely from physical games. Originally, whenever I was hot, my face would flush and I would feel it ugly. However, I was very involved in the games that day. After it all ended, I glanced at myself in the bathroom. Oh! It was a healthy red on my face. One of the adjustment exercises was “segmental rolling”; the seemingly easy movement was actually hard to do. I really put in effort but could not do it right. After resting a bit, it suddenly became easy to do. More and more, I knew how to live in a relaxed way.
In the morning of balancing the Chong Meridian, when everyone shared in a circle, the words “clear up” said by a classmate somehow made a deep impression on my heart. The lengthening movement done to boost one¡¦s general condition during the Chong Meridian balance did not look complicated, but when I did it, my waist and back that had been stiff for decades started hurting excruciatingly. I looked outside the window by myself; as I thought about the loneliness that often arose in me, tears came down my face. It was not grief but a touching feeling. Suddenly, I felt that my pain and sickness were a kind of protection and reminder for me. The feeling of pain was also a living sensation. It allowed me to live on, and only by living on would there be a chance to live well. I fully felt my pain and sickness; I cleared up my pain and sickness, and let go of old patterns. I enjoy the present and face the future.
When balancing the Belt Meridian, my goal was to have a suitable degree of tension both inside and out, to enjoy the process as well as the result. When doing an adjustment, the fascia massage, several acupoints on the left side of my groin hurt badly. Why must I focusing only on the result? Or on my contributions? Or on the process and ignore the result? Everything is important! This is what Mr. Conrad Ho meant by “balance”!
When balancing the Yin Heel Meridian, I lied down on my belly facing the window alone. Scenes from the past emerged one by one. I remembered that I had always wanted to appear nice, appealing and pretty, and had neglected my feelings and emotions. I could not help but cried out loud. I had always feared that I would be abandoned, and continued to express myself to re-affirm my loveability. I thought about how my parents were both abandoned by their parents. However, the fates of my parents were theirs; from this moment on, I chose to live my own life.
When balancing the Yang Heel Meridian, I had built a new balance point. I had a light-hearted, relaxed day.
When reading the notes on the Yin Link Meridian, an excitement arose in me: “An imbalance of the Yin Linking Meridian mainly causes heartache and waist pain. When the “coldness” within the chest builds up around the heart, the emotions will be affected, which would turn inward to cause depression.” I often felt pressure on my chest and pain around my heart, so this balance might be exactly what I needed. For a long time, on the surface I looked happy and cheerful, but there was a lot of pain and sadness inside. In order for the people around me to be happy, I suppressed myself. When boosting my general condition around the meridian, I rubbed both hands until warm, and placed them on my chest near my heart. Only after a while and I felt heartache. Emotions surfaced, and a lot of memories of people, events and things turned up. I cried for a long time, and with noticing: I would drink water on my own and asked classmates to cover me with a blanket. After crying it all out, my balancing goal appeared in my mind, and the numbness in my hands started to gradually dissipate. Setting the balancing goal and doing adjustments through exercises and games; more and more, I learned how to play. At the same time, my physical conditions improved and my old patterns were adjusted. It was worth it!
When balancing the Yang Link Meridian, to boost my general condition, I rubbed both hands warm, and placed them on both sides of the waist. During the balance, I paired up with a senior classmate. I could calmly enjoy the fascia massage he gave me, and I could carefully gave him a fascia massage as well.
