Qigong Meditation

Using the ear is an example of how even a 2-inch part of the body can be put to good use for healing.

Western bodywork has something it calls ‘reflexology,’ such as what was called ‘nerve reflexes’ for the feet. This is based on an ancient and profound Chinese concept that each part reflects the whole.

In classical acupuncture, this was explored for diagnosis. It was particularly developed in viewing the face and later on, feeling the radial pulse at the wrist to get an overview of the entire body.

These micro-systems were combined for a better, deeper view. It is best not to rely on only one, but several instead.

In contemporary acupuncture, microsystems were explored more for their potential in treatment. Scalp acupuncture is a good example: It is very strong and used for brain disorders such as stroke rehab. The foot is the most popular form of massage in China. Yet the most developed, most-used and most-researched micro-system is that of the ear.

Each microsystem has unique effects for treatment, healing potentials shown by clinical effects:

• The ear is very relaxing, similar to when we listen deeply to music or another person, where we become more receptive. It is widely used in urban clinics in the United States to balance a fast pace of life. Massaging the ears after the Qigong meditations like the Turtle form add a meditative effect.
• The foot is very relaxing and grounding. Curiously, all acupuncture points on the feet are known to affect the brain and sense organs, so it is seen as a way of preserving brain health–an important consideration as we live longer lives.
• Abdominal acupuncture, centered on the navel, is found to be energizing in a grounded way, a way of safely working with fatigue without over-stimulation. Placing hands over the navel is done in Turtle Qigong for the ending of Parts 2 & 3.

The ear is used in Turtle Qigong more than any other form I came across. The relaxing effect goes well with the energetic atmosphere of this form. All Qigong forms are inspired: much like music, it is difficult or ultimately impossible to fathom why a Bach fugue or the Beatles can sound so inspiring.

When I teach Turtle Qigong, I like to point out the basic relationships in the ear. This helps students get a little more out of the movements by using their intention, something that helps acupuncturists. It also helps engage their appreciation by understanding more the healing potential of a lump of cartilage that we normally either ignore or make fun of.

Ear acupuncture was the first subject I ever taught. I had already touched tens of thousands of ears in my work as an acupuncturist in public health settings. I told my students: “Patients wear their medical files on the sides of their head, in their ears. You just have to know where and how to look.”

In truth, this is very difficult to do, but comes with experience. We get a feeling for the terrain with hands-on practice, such as the ending forms of all Turtle Qigong sessions. It helps to try to feel the effect of different parts of the ear as one massages them.

Ear charts look impossibly complex, with over a hundred points (and some of them oddly named). Here is one such chart that I made with a colleague, Kevin O’Neil, when he was a student. A 3-D chart comes from the greatest expert on this writing in English, Dr. Huang, Li-Chun.

As I tell students, the charts are simpler than they appear. It was Dr. Nogier of France in the 1950s who mapped out a complete correspondence between the ear and the body in this era. He saw the ear as an inverted fetus:

• The brain is the lump of cartilage above the ear lobe (known as the Antitragus)
• the spine is the ridge that gives structure to the ear (Antihelix)
  • The back of the ear treats the back of the body
  • The spine line is felt as a groove near the middle of the ear
  • Lumbars are upper third, thoracics the middle, and cervicals the lower third
• The shoulders and upper limb in the groove just outside of it (Scapha)
• All organs –and their associated acupuncture channels– are on the inner part of the ear:
  • The heart and lungs are outside the ear canal (Cavum Concha)
  • The kidneys and intestines are in the hollow above that (Cymba Conchae)
  • The uterus–a reservoir of precious Jing-Essence in Chinese terms–is in the middle of the uppermost hollow (Triangular Fossa):
    • Many systemic points are here, such as the commonly used Shenmen or Spirit Gate point.
    • The Lower Dan Tian that is key in Turtle Qigong, among others, is here.

For some of my patients, ear acupressure pellets in the form of seeds are their favorite for pain relief. These are left in for 5 or more days after an acupuncture treatment, and provide more continuous relief over a week.

The ear seeds are processed canola oil seeds (Vaccaria). Metal pellets are sometimes used: These are better for dispersing energy, such as when quitting smoking or addictions. When compared to each other, seeds and plants are relatively nourishing and add energy to the body, while metals disperse and release. Thus ear seeds may increase a strong physiological craving, while metal pellets of any type will calm it. This is my clinical experience from treating tens of thousands of patients in acute urban detox settings. Such is the power of tiny but persistent interventions in the ear.