Welcome to China! Having just come off of some serious astrological shenanigans (including Mercury & Venus being retrograde, a Full Moon Lunar Eclipse and New Moon Solar Eclipse in *THE SAME* month, plus Neptune moving into Aries – 1st time since 1861!!!), I am called to reflect on a trip to China 13 years ago as part of my training in Chinese Medicine. The following article was written and (I am honored and proud to say) it was published couple months later for a Complementary Medicine magazine. I offer it to you this month as we prepare to undergo some serious transformative changes moving forward. You are not and will no longer be who you thought you were. I ask that we consider the dualities of our existence as we grow through the months and years ahead. See you on the Other Side….
The Dualities of My China Trip
Audrey Steele (East West College of Natural Medicine - Class 37)
“Ni hao, Auntie Audrey! Yi, er, san”. “Ni hao, Elijah! Si, wu, liu”; and then in unison: “Qi, ba, jiu, shi!” Thus went the dialog between my (then) 4 year-old nephew & I, practicing our hellos and counting to ten in Chinese after each episode of “Ni Hao Kai-Lan”. Little did I know those very same words would come in handy again two years later on my trip to China.
For me, China is a city of sharp contrasts. Our visit (April 2012) to Hang Zhou as part of an intense clinical internship through East West College was educational & inspiring, yet intimidating & humbling all at the same time. Against the backdrop of office buildings, high rises, cramped dwellings and every form of transportation known to man, the adrenalin-pumping hustle & bustle of the traffic as people went about the business of the day, contrasted dramatically with the beautifully serene West Lake near our hotel. At West Lake, by 7am each morning, mist softly covered the lake - so still, it was as a sheet of light grey silk - while the neighbors gathered to do their morning ritual of Qi Gong, Tai Chi or some other form of martial arts, dancing or a casual stroll around the lake. Here & there, little pockets of men would sit, hunched over a board game - quietly contemplating a strategy for the next move - itself very much like a form of sitting meditation. Just steps away, the city would come alive a few hours later, & thus began the duality of daily life in China, as bicycles, trolleys & cars intermingle and fought for forward movement against the buses, taxicabs and pedestrians. From the 31st floor of the revolving restaurant in our hotel, I could see the neatly manicured rooftop gardens and individuals - alone and in silence - do their morning stretch or Qi Gong, while the street life, honking horns and blaring whistles screamed below. I am reminded of a line from "Desiderata”: "Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence", and I am inspired.
I automatically awakened at 530am each morning, and looking out my hotel room window, I would notice a lone figure 9 floors below. Dressed in an orange uniform carrying a make-shift “broom” was a lone street sweeper, who - despite all the technology, science & mechanizations in China - went about his daily routine of sweeping the streets clean. I watched fascinated every morning as this lone person went about the 'Zen of street sweeping', as businessmen in suits screaming into their cell phones, scurried around, weaving in and around the sidewalks, frantically trying to make an important deadline. And yet, the humble orange-clad street sweeper, gently and ever so patiently… conscientiously, continued to sweep, leaving no speck of litter behind, and I am humbled.
From the modern furnishings of my hotel room, I would venture out every week to tour a historic museum or herbal pharmacy, shop the old streets of Hong Cun or the Old Market, or climb Mounts Qi Yun and Huang Shan. I was awestruck by the original, ornate architecture and furnishings dating back hundreds - even thousands of years. Sacred temples, caves and mountains left us speechless. That these temples and deities were created thousands of years ago and were still standing in their awesome glory - remains the most indescribable memory of this trip. We walked in reverent silence, honoring the sacredness of the space, taking it all in, yet knowing no pictures or words could ever capture the pulse of the energies that flowed in and around us, and I am moved.
While the caves, temples and mountains showed us a glimpse of the ancient and historic spirituality of China, our clinical internship at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University and the various hospitals we visited, highlighted for us the spirituality as well as the science of the ancient practice of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). Here in America, this is still seen as 'alternative therapy'. In contrast, in China no one has to be convinced that the practice works for it is as natural as breathing. We were all amazed by the skill and compassion of the teachers and doctors we shadowed every day. My EWCNM education & training served to be a strong foundation for my TCM practice, but I was so grateful to have been a part of this internship as I saw that success rested on so much more that I had to learn. It was with a new hunger and passion that I returned to school - determined more than ever to be the best TCM doctor that I could be. Was I intimidated? A little; could I do it? Absolutely, for it is in doing our very best, being of service and honoring our soul's purpose that we are fulfilled.
For me, the contrasts highlighted above to some degree reflect the duality of the teachings of Yin & Yang so inherent in TCM and the natural cycles of life. I now feel comfortable counting to 10 in Chinese, thanks to my (then) 4 year old nephew, but although my training at East West concluded over a decade ago, the journey continues......
In good health,
Dr. Audrey Steele, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture Physician
www.Acupuncture4YourHealth.com
"He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the Universe.’ (Marcus Aurelius)
The Dualities of My China Trip
Audrey Steele (East West College of Natural Medicine - Class 37)
“Ni hao, Auntie Audrey! Yi, er, san”. “Ni hao, Elijah! Si, wu, liu”; and then in unison: “Qi, ba, jiu, shi!” Thus went the dialog between my (then) 4 year-old nephew & I, practicing our hellos and counting to ten in Chinese after each episode of “Ni Hao Kai-Lan”. Little did I know those very same words would come in handy again two years later on my trip to China.
For me, China is a city of sharp contrasts. Our visit (April 2012) to Hang Zhou as part of an intense clinical internship through East West College was educational & inspiring, yet intimidating & humbling all at the same time. Against the backdrop of office buildings, high rises, cramped dwellings and every form of transportation known to man, the adrenalin-pumping hustle & bustle of the traffic as people went about the business of the day, contrasted dramatically with the beautifully serene West Lake near our hotel. At West Lake, by 7am each morning, mist softly covered the lake - so still, it was as a sheet of light grey silk - while the neighbors gathered to do their morning ritual of Qi Gong, Tai Chi or some other form of martial arts, dancing or a casual stroll around the lake. Here & there, little pockets of men would sit, hunched over a board game - quietly contemplating a strategy for the next move - itself very much like a form of sitting meditation. Just steps away, the city would come alive a few hours later, & thus began the duality of daily life in China, as bicycles, trolleys & cars intermingle and fought for forward movement against the buses, taxicabs and pedestrians. From the 31st floor of the revolving restaurant in our hotel, I could see the neatly manicured rooftop gardens and individuals - alone and in silence - do their morning stretch or Qi Gong, while the street life, honking horns and blaring whistles screamed below. I am reminded of a line from "Desiderata”: "Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence", and I am inspired.
I automatically awakened at 530am each morning, and looking out my hotel room window, I would notice a lone figure 9 floors below. Dressed in an orange uniform carrying a make-shift “broom” was a lone street sweeper, who - despite all the technology, science & mechanizations in China - went about his daily routine of sweeping the streets clean. I watched fascinated every morning as this lone person went about the 'Zen of street sweeping', as businessmen in suits screaming into their cell phones, scurried around, weaving in and around the sidewalks, frantically trying to make an important deadline. And yet, the humble orange-clad street sweeper, gently and ever so patiently… conscientiously, continued to sweep, leaving no speck of litter behind, and I am humbled.
From the modern furnishings of my hotel room, I would venture out every week to tour a historic museum or herbal pharmacy, shop the old streets of Hong Cun or the Old Market, or climb Mounts Qi Yun and Huang Shan. I was awestruck by the original, ornate architecture and furnishings dating back hundreds - even thousands of years. Sacred temples, caves and mountains left us speechless. That these temples and deities were created thousands of years ago and were still standing in their awesome glory - remains the most indescribable memory of this trip. We walked in reverent silence, honoring the sacredness of the space, taking it all in, yet knowing no pictures or words could ever capture the pulse of the energies that flowed in and around us, and I am moved.
While the caves, temples and mountains showed us a glimpse of the ancient and historic spirituality of China, our clinical internship at Zhejiang Chinese Medical University and the various hospitals we visited, highlighted for us the spirituality as well as the science of the ancient practice of TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine). Here in America, this is still seen as 'alternative therapy'. In contrast, in China no one has to be convinced that the practice works for it is as natural as breathing. We were all amazed by the skill and compassion of the teachers and doctors we shadowed every day. My EWCNM education & training served to be a strong foundation for my TCM practice, but I was so grateful to have been a part of this internship as I saw that success rested on so much more that I had to learn. It was with a new hunger and passion that I returned to school - determined more than ever to be the best TCM doctor that I could be. Was I intimidated? A little; could I do it? Absolutely, for it is in doing our very best, being of service and honoring our soul's purpose that we are fulfilled.
For me, the contrasts highlighted above to some degree reflect the duality of the teachings of Yin & Yang so inherent in TCM and the natural cycles of life. I now feel comfortable counting to 10 in Chinese, thanks to my (then) 4 year old nephew, but although my training at East West concluded over a decade ago, the journey continues......
In good health,
Dr. Audrey Steele, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncture Physician
www.Acupuncture4YourHealth.com
"He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the Universe.’ (Marcus Aurelius)
