VIDEO: Master Zhongxian Wu demonstrates a section of Fire Dragon Meridian Qigong

Singing DragonJuly 18, 2012 0 Comments

Fire Dragon Meridian Qigong is a traditional Qigong form that embodies the spirit of the rising dragon, an auspicious symbol of transformation in Chinese culture. The rising dragon represents the rebirth of new life energy. Regular practice of this form establishes free flowing Qi in the 12 meridian systems of the body and helps transform areas of stagnation

In this exclusive video, view a demonstration of part of the Fire Dragon Meridian Qigong form, bringing forth the power and energy flow of the form.

Master Zhongxian Wu is the lineage holder of four different schools of Qigong and martial arts. He was Director of the Shaanxi Province Association for Somatic Science and the Shaanxi Association for the Research of Daoist Nourishing Life Practices. Since 1988, Master Wu has instructed thousands of students, both Eastern and Western. He synthesizes wisdom and experience for beginning and advancing practitioners, as well as for patients seeking healing, in his unique and professionally-designed courses and workshops. Master Wu is the author of Vital Breath of the Dao, Seeking the Spirit of the Book of Change, The 12 Chinese Animals and Chinese Shamanic Cosmic Orbit Qigong, all published by Singing Dragon. Please visit www.masterwu.net for details about his teachings.

Five essential oils – an Introduction to Plant Derived Scents and their Role in Wellbeing. Part Three: Cardamom

Singing DragonJuly 18, 2012 0 Comments

This post continues Jennifer Peace Rhind‘s exploration of five essential oils and their roles in wellbeing. Click through to read earlier posts on Neroli and Benzoin.

Photo: Singing Dragon author Jennifer Peace Rhind

Author photo: Robert Taylor

Cardamom

Cardamom essential oil is derived from the seed capsules of Elettaria cardamomum – native to Southern India, and a member of the same botanical family as ginger. It was exported from India as early as Hellenistic times, and remains one of the world’s most expensive spices, second to saffron. Cardamom has been used for thousands of years; it is a very important spice in Arabic cultures and in Eastern traditional medicine. It is still added to Turkish coffee to counteract acidity. Like neroli, it is often considered to be an aphrodisiac – but not quite to the same extent, and usually in combination with other aromatics. However, according to Vedic texts, it had a reputation as a powerful aphrodisiac. Cardamom was used as a mediaeval love potion, and was known as ‘the fire of Venus’ (Venus being the Roman goddess of love and beauty). Cardamom features in incenses too, for example in Tibetan practice it is used medicinally for anxiety, and in Hindu ceremonies it forms part of a powdered incense formula called ‘Abir’. In ancient Egypt, cardamom was sometimes included as an ingredient of the incense known as kyphi, as an alternative to cinnamon. However, the Egyptian texts do not have a word that has been identified as meaning cardamom; it was the early writers such as Plutarch, Galen and Dioscorides that made these comments about the mysterious and celebrated kyphi.

Cardamom has been distilled to yield the essential oil since the 16th century, and is used in perfumery to give spicy, warm notes in floral fragrances. Its use in perfumery has perhaps been eclipsed by its medicinal attributes. An ancient Roman perfume called ‘Mendesium’ included cardamom, along with ben nut, myrrh and galbanum; this was valued not only as a perfume, but as a treatment for sore muscles – an early aromatherapy preparation? The essential oil should have a fresh spicy character; if there is a harsh or strong medicinal eucalyptus-like note, the quality may be questionable. This medicinal note is caused by the presence of a constituent that is also dominant in many eucalyptus essential oils, commonly known as eucalyptol, that gives the typical eucalyptus, or cineolic, odour. It can be present in cardamom essential oil at fairly high levels, but too much is detrimental to the fragrance. Eucalyptol, or 1,8-cineole has been shown to increase blood flow to the brain – hence the reputation of scents such as eucalyptus as stimulants to combat fatigue.

In aromatherapy, the main psychotherapeutic use of cardamom is for mental fatigue. Other uses are for the digestive system (echoing the traditional medicinal uses), the nervous system (traditional and contemporary evidence to support this) and as an expectorant (because, partly of the influence of the 1,8-cineole which has this property).

When smelling cardamom essential oil, look for a strong, penetrating, slightly cineolic note at the beginning that quickly gives way to the aromatic, sweet, spicy body before the balsamic nature of the dry out starts to be revealed. As you might expect, the eucalyptus-like top note can confer a feeling of alertness and clear sensations, so this scent can be very useful to help promote mental clarity, vitality and serenity.

Read tomorrow’s post to discover the properties of Virginian cedarwood

Five essential oils – an Introduction to Plant Derived Scents and their Role in Wellbeing. Part Two: Benzoin

Singing DragonJuly 17, 2012 0 Comments

This post continues Jennifer Peace Rhind‘s exploration of five essential oils and their roles in wellbeing. Click here to go to the first part in this series – Neroli.

Author photo: Robert Taylor

Benzoin

Benzoin is an aromatic resin that exudes from the wounded bark of small shrubby trees that are native to tropical Asia. The botanical names for the sources are Styrax benzoin, Styrax paralleloneuris and Styrax tonkinensis. The second part of the name indicates the different species, but they are all members of a larger botanical group known as the genus Styrax – tall, rapidly-maturing, birch-like trees. Two types of product are obtained, depending on the geographical and botanical origins. Siam benzoin occurs in brittle, yellow-brown to white ‘tears’, while Sumatra benzoin is a milky resinous sap which hardens before it is scraped off the bark. Benzoin cannot yield an essential oil, because its odorous molecules are not sufficiently volatile to distil over. Instead, benzoin is solvent extracted to give the material used in perfumery and aromatherapy; this product is known as a resinoid, and it can be further treated – for example, it needs to be dissolved in alcohol to facilitate use in perfumery. Resinoids themselves are difficult to handle, as they are thick, sticky, usually brown coloured extracts.

Benzoin, sometimes called gum Benjamin, was well known in the ancient world, and it has a very long tradition of use as a fragrance. Benzoin resin was a valuable commodity in ancient Greece and Rome, where it was used as a fixative in perfumes. The Romans called it laserpitium, and it was valued not only for its own contribution to a perfume, but also because it helped prolong the odour profile of the perfume and increase its staying power.

Benzoin was introduced to Europe in the 17th century. Its popularity endured, with the result that Siam became a major producer and supplier. Although it had medicinal uses, in Hindu and Buddhist practices benzoin was one of the incenses used to drive away evil. It is interesting to note that one of the ancient practices was to burn the resin at the feet of the dead, so that their souls were lifted to heaven with the smoke.

Both types of benzoin resinoid have a soft, sweet, vanilla-like scent; both are still used as a fixatives and base notes in perfumery. Siam benzoin resinoid has a sweet, balsamic, chocolate-like scent, and Sumatra benzoin resinoid is warm, sweet and powdery. Balsamic scents are sweet and warm, with a soothing character. The term powdery is used to denote a note that is reminiscent dry powder. Benzoin resinoid has a low evaporation rate, and is classed as a base note. This means that its odour molecules are amongst the last to evaporate and thus it contributes more to the final phases of a perfume rather than the initial impact. However, the resinoid does have its own top and middle notes. In Siam benzoin, which is more commonly available, the top note has a floral character, and the body is sweet, balsamic and the vanilla notes begin to emerge; the vanilla character is the part that persists and really characterises this resinoid. The vanilla note is due to the presence of a constituent called vanillin – the synthetic version of this is widely used in modern perfumery.

As well as being a valuable perfume material, benzoin resinoid has many other uses, for example in pharmaceutical preparations for the gums and skin, and as a component of tinctures to aid the respiratory system such as ‘Friar’s Balsam’. In in aromatherapy, it is primarily used for its calming, comforting scent, for stress-related problems, for skin problems and respiratory problems. Benzoin does have a reputation as a sensitizer (causing an allergic type of skin reaction), and it is sticky to touch, so it does require care in skin preparations. However, sniffing and inhalation are completely safe activities.

The scent of oils from resins such as benzoin can be used to help impart a sense of inner peace and security, stability and equilibrium. The sweet nature of benzoin is also experienced as nurturing and comforting, grounding and calming.

Read tomorrow’s post to discover the properties of Cardamom

Five essential oils – an Introduction to Plant Derived Scents and their Role in Wellbeing. Part One: Neroli

Singing DragonJuly 16, 2012 0 Comments

By Jennifer Peace Rhind, author of Essential Oils.

Author Photo: Robert Taylor

Over the next five days, I would like to introduce five very different plant derived scents, and, as well as throwing some light on the traditional uses of these scents, show how current research supports their use in aromatherapy, and how they can be used to enhance wellbeing. Along the way, we will explore a variety of interesting olfactory experiences.

Neroli

Neroli essential oil is obtained from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree. The botanical name of the tree, and source of neroli oil, is Citrus aurantium subspecies amara flos. (amara meaning bitter, and flos. indicating that the oil is derived from the flowers). This tree is the source of three very distinctive essential oils and one absolute (an absolute is obtained by solvent extraction rather than steam distillation, which yields essential oils). Apart from neroli essential oil and the orange blossom absolute from the wonderfully scented blossom, there is bitter orange oil from the peel of the small fruits, and petitgrain oil from its leaves and green twigs.

Neroli first become popular as a fragrance in the 16th century. The scent was named after a town called Neroli, near Rome, whose princess used the scent and thus made it popular. Other writers suggest that it was named after the Italian Duchess of Nerola, who scented her kid gloves with the fragrance. Whatever neroli’s original claim to fame, over the years, its use became widespread in Europe, from princesses to prostitutes. It is one of the most expensive natural materials in perfumery. The natural perfumer Mandy Aftel describes its fragrance as ‘cool, elegant and intense…. with suave strength and understated sexuality’. Interestingly, her words might indeed echo the characteristics that appealed to its earliest users! Many of the floral oils and absolutes, especially those derived from white flowers, such as jasmine and neroli, contain tiny amounts of indole, a compound that is also present in animal and human faeces. This might just have an erotic attraction for the animals involved in pollination, and is perhaps why many of the scents categorised as aphrodisiacs do contain traces of indole. However, it should be stressed that indole is not the main chemical that contributes to the characteristic, disgust-provoking odour of faeces – it is compounds that contain sulphur that are the culprits.

The essential oil is often referred to as neroli bigarade. The scent is a light, ethereal, although persistent floral, and some might detect a lily of the valley type of note. In the top and middle notes (that is, the first impression and a short while later, when the scent is developing on the smelling strip) you might detect a fresh green note, like crushed green leaves, and a faint impression of citrus, and even a slight bitter note, overlying the more typical, heady orange blossom fragrance that persists until the ‘dry out’ – the last notes that remain after the main phase of evaporation. A few noses might just get the very faint faecal impression, but this is unusual, and should certainly not deter you from experiencing this beautiful and complex scent.

Aromatherapists use neroli in many situations – it is regarded as ‘safe’ in most circumstances. It is often found in prescriptions for muscular aches and pains, especially the stress-related variety, and for skin problems such as sensitivity and acne. However, it is best known for its uplifting, anxiety-relieving and calming actions that are of value in both aiding sleep and counteracting fatigue. Both animal and human studies support these aromatherapeutic uses. Neroli is also said to induce a trance-like state if it is inhaled when warm. Several aromatherapists have reported experiencing this when conducting massage treatments. This emphasises the difference between sniffing to detect and appreciate an odour, and inhaling a larger quantity of the vapour. A therapist will actually inhale as much as, if not more than their client will inhale, as the therapist is much more active and taking more breaths!

In perfumery, neroli is an important ingredient in classic Eau de Cologne, and as a top note in many fragrances. Its solvent extracted counterpart, orange blossom absolute, plays more of a role in the middle notes of perfumes. Floral oils such as neroli, with their intense, sensual odours have become associated with aspects of creativity – and this includes having fun, feeling relaxed and in touch with the senses, and stimulating the imagination. Perhaps the main potential benefit of engaging with the scent of neroli is the dissipation of anxiety, and so the pleasure of being in the moment.

In tomorrow’s post, Jennifer will explore the properties of Benzoin

VIDEO: Christa Mackinnon on using shamanism techniques and approaches in therapy

Singing DragonJune 21, 2012 0 Comments

In this exclusive video, Christa Mackinnon gets to the heart of how adjusted shamanic healing techniques can be a major asset to any therapeutic practice.

Christa Mackinnon is the Founder and Director of Kamdaris Psychological Consultancy and Training and is an Honorary Fellow and Associated Lecturer at Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, UK, where she teaches special study units on trauma as well as clinical hypnosis. She is a social psychologist, family counsellor, clinical hypnotherapist and group facilitator with over 25 years of professional experience as a therapist as well as an international trainer and lecturer.

Christa has spent time as an apprentice to shamans in South America and has received various trainings from spiritual and shamanic teachers in Asia, the USA and the UK, which led her to design and run training courses for therapeutic professionals combining western approaches with indigenous spiritual teachings. She is the author of Shamanism and Spirituality in Therapeutic Practice: An Introduction.

The cranio-sacral therapy spectrum

Singing DragonJune 18, 2012 0 Comments

By Thomas Attlee, founder of the College of Cranio-Sacral Therapy and author of Cranio-Sacral Integration

There are various approaches to cranio-sacral therapy, partly reflecting the development of the therapy over the years, partly suiting individual practitioners and differing styles. I see all these different approaches as part of a spectrum, complementary rather than antagonistic.

All cranio-sacral therapy is subtle. The spectrum ranges from the extremely subtle, with minimal physical input from the practitioner – an approach sometimes described as biodynamic, primarily concerned with creating a therapeutic space within which the forces of nature can enable profound healing, rather than actively doing anything.

The other end of the spectrum is still very subtle by any conventional standards, but may involve more physical input and intention from the therapist and a wider range of resources – an approach sometimes described as biomechanical (although the term mechanical is misleading in this context as it is not a mechanical process or even a particularly physical process, and is still a very subtle gentle energy-based approach).

The whole spectrum is valuable and all aspects of the spectrum can be integrated together for optimum effectiveness. This integrated approach is the approach that I teach at the College of Cranio-Sacral Therapy, and is the basis of the book Cranio-Sacral Integration.

The value of an integrated approach:

An integrated approach embraces the whole spectrum and enables the implementation of a wide range of resources, rather than laying down a particular method. The needs of each individual will inevitably vary and different circumstances will benefit from different responses. Just as a patient may sometimes benefit from orthodox medicine, osteopathy, homeopathy, or acupuncture, so within the field of cranio-sacral therapy, patients may respond to various levels of engagement and benefit from different aspects of the spectrum.

Cranio-Sacral Integration adopts an open flexible approach, developing a broad understanding of the value of different styles, and consequently providing the resources to respond effectively to each individual according to his or her needs.

Practitioner ‘presence’ is the key:

Ultimately, the most significant element in the therapeutic process is the ‘presence’ of the practitioner, the qualities that he or she brings to the therapeutic interaction. This is relevant for any practitioner, or doctor, or anyone working in health care, but it is particularly relevant in Cranio-Sacral Integration where we are working with subtle forces and quantum energies. The whole process of Cranio-Sacral Integration is an interaction between patient and practitioner, a process of entrainment, and the profoundly therapeutic presence of the practitioner plays a vital part in this interaction and in the therapeutic responses within the patient, and is therefore a crucial element in Cranio-Sacral Integration.

The way in which each practitioner develops these qualities is of course individual. There is no particular method that is suitable for everyone. But Cranio-Sacral Integration is much more than mere knowledge, technique and practical application. And the training in Cranio-Sacral Integration therefore involves, as a fundamental element, the development of these therapeutic qualities and practitioner presence, in order to enable the most profound healing of body, mind and spirit.

VIDEO: “Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches” – Master Zhongxian Wu & Damo Mitchell in conversation

Singing DragonMay 25, 2012 0 Comments

In this final instalment of their discussion, Masters Zhongxian Wu and Damo Mitchell turn their attention to a fundamental aspect of Chinese philosophy which is often neglected in both Qigong practice and Chinese Medicine – the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

Watch Video #1: The foundation form as the most advanced – true learning in Qigong »

Watch Video #2: “The Art of Stop Fighting” »

Master Zhongxian Wu is the lineage holder of four different schools of Qigong and martial arts. While in China, he served as Director of the Shaanxi Province Association for Somatic Science and the Shaanxi Association for the Research of Daoist Nourishing Life Practices. He has now been living and teaching in the West for just over ten years.

Damo Mitchell has studied the martial, medical and spiritual arts of Asia since the age of four. His studies have taken him across the planet in search of authentic masters. He is the technical director of the Lotus Nei Gong School of Daoist Arts, and teaches Nei Gong in the UK and Sweden.

The therapeutic properties of the Yidaki (didgeridoo), by Si Mullumby

Singing DragonMay 24, 2012 0 Comments

Si Mullumby has dedicated his life to playing the Yidaki (didgeridoo). His career has spanned many countries and he has performed countless concerts and performances as well as taught workshops on Yidaki playing.

The Tzolkin Trilogy is the maturation of Si’s playing. It uses the primal sounds of the Yidaki to explore the universal processes of creation and consciousness as represented in the Tzolkin, or Mayan Calendar, and the nourishing and healing aspect of the sound of this instrument.

In this exclusive extract from the work, Si Mullumby discusses the therapeutic potential of the Yidaki:

Firstly there is the breath. The Didgeridoo uses a rhythmic breathing method known as circular breathing. It’s a way of pushing air out of the lips using the cheeks as bellows, while snatching quick breaths of air through the nostrils into the lungs, keeping the sound droning continuously. When playing the didgeridoo, the breath moves in rhythmic cycles, and these cycles alter consciousness.

Secondly there is the element of catharsis. An aspect of the expanding awareness that this rhythmic breath creates is that it opens a channel for any unexpressed emotions lingering in the zone between the conscious and unconscious mind. These feeling may be expressed by voice and expressed from the body as sound.

Thirdly there is the drone. Unlike the human voice, which stops and starts while chanting AUM, the didgeridoo sounds this syllable continuously without interruption producing very powerful low-pitch frequencies and undertones. This instrument is the ultimate tool for meditating on the vibrational essence of AUM.

And finally it is music. With capacity of the entire vocal spectrum, plus the infinite range of rhythm, the didgeridoo combines all these incredible spiritual tools within the warm embrace of music.

It’s a great tool for self-transformation, and for transmitting truth to the world in sound. It inspires people who hear it to come along for the journey – the inner journey guided by the Dream Drone. And those who listen lend the light of their awareness to that of the player, adding the dynamic force of collective consciousness to steer the journey to deeper levels.

Explore the sounds of The Tzolkin Trilogy – Yidaki music for sound therapy

Singing DragonMay 23, 2012 0 Comments

The didgeridoo, or yidaki, is one of the most ancient musical instruments on Earth. The Tzolkin Trilogy, by Daniel Reid and Si Mullumby, showcases the primal sound of the didgeridoo as it has never before been heard, in three original compositions, based on the Mayan calendar. This unique sound has been shaped and developed into a form that can act as a tool for healing and spiritual awakening.

Using the Traditional Chinese Medicine principle that degeneration in the physical body is caused by imbalance and functional disharmony within the energy system, the sound vibrations work to connect with the human body’s natural energy vibrations, in order to rebalance and restore their functional harmony and imbue the listener with a renewed sense of lightness and freedom.

Listen to a clip from Track 1: Habla Tune – The Cellular Sound

Singing Dragon attends the 2012 TCM World Congress in Rothenburg, Germany

Singing DragonMay 21, 2012 0 Comments

This month, Singing Dragon was delighted to attend the TCM Congress in Rothenburg, an event which over the past 43 years has built a strong reputation as a key gathering for learning, discussion and development within the field.

This year’s focus was on fertility and paediatrics in Chinese Medicine, subject areas particularly relevant for Singing Dragon given our recent array of books for those working with children, as well as a new title in the pipeline on acupuncture for fertility.

Singing Dragon author Gordon Faulkner provided a number of popular sessions on Qigong for the kidneys, as well as for stress relief and prevention, making use of the idyllic riverside location and rolling hills of the conference venue.

True to form, there was also a healthy emphasis on fun and relaxation, and a series of concerts, dances and bonfire socials helped to refresh and balance Qi whilst bringing practitioners together.

As a first-time exhibitor, it was particularly rewarding to be able to meet with so many of our readers – thank you to those who did for visiting our stand.

And for those of you who entered our mailing list competition, congratulations go to Donald Halfkenny who has won a copy of Tianjin Liu’s Chinese Medical Qigong.

We shall hope to see you at next year’s congress, but until then please visit our website and Facebook page for all of the news on our latest releases.

Author: Singing Dragon