Singing Dragon, Author at Singing Dragon and Handspring Blog

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.

How can a new acupuncture practitioner become a great practitioner?

Singing DragonApril 25, 2012 0 Comments

By John Hamwee, author of Acupuncture for New Practitioners.

Students come out of College full of enthusiasm for acupuncture, inspired by treatments they have witnessed and keen to help patients who have found no solace in other systems of medicine. It is a wave they can ride for quite some time, and one which often helps them to do extraordinary work. But sooner or later they will come up against difficulties and dilemmas which are really challenging and which they will need to resolve if they are going to carry on doing good work. These difficulties may have been mentioned at College, but living through them is quite a different matter. How do you cope, for example, with a patient who insists of coming every week but shows absolutely no signs of improvement? Or who is clearly getting better but denies it? Or with a sudden influx of young adult patients with cancer?

My new book, Acupuncture for New Practitioners, provides some practical tools for dealing with situations like these, but in the end what it is all about is learning to practice in a way that does not deplete or exhaust you – a familiar experience for many practitioners – but instead nourishes and sustains you. It is quite simple, really, but it is profound; and once grasped it will affect not just your work but the whole of your life. For being able to stay steady in the face of suffering, to be compassionate towards those who annoy or frustrate you, to refuse to become downcast by failure or puffed up by success, and to find joy for oneself through helping others – these surely will enhance everything you do outside as well as inside the treatment room.

This book comes from two sources. One is that I found the first few years of practice really difficult. It took me many laborious years to learn the lessons contained in this book and it would have saved me much struggle and heartache if it had been available then. Secondly, I had the opportunity a few years ago to work in a clinic with a group of young qualified, but inexperienced acupuncturists, helping them with their diagnoses and treatments. What I saw, of course, is that they were falling into exactly the same sort of traps that had ensnared me, were puzzled by the kinds of responses to treatment that had troubled me, and were generally trying so hard to do everything right that they were missing what really mattered. I wrote this book for them. And I hope you can still hear the tone of an affectionate talk to a few dear friends – for that is what it is.

John Hamwee has been a practising acupuncturist for 20 years. He also teaches zero balancing workshops in the UK and US. He is the author of Zero Balancing: Touching the Energy of Bone and Energy Medicine. He previously worked as a Senior Lecturer in Systems at The Open University, UK, for whom he wrote numerous textbooks. He resides in Kendal, UK.

VIDEO: “The Art of Stop Fighting” – Master Zhongxian Wu and Damo Mitchell in conversation

Singing DragonApril 24, 2012 0 Comments

In this second of three videos, Masters Zhongxian Wu and Damo Mitchell look at the potency of softness in internal cultivation.

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

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.

Developing habits to restore calmness: Qigong healing sounds for children and adults alike

Singing DragonApril 23, 2012 3 Comments

By Lisa Spillane, author and illustrator of Six Healing Sounds with Lisa and Ted: Qigong for Children.

The Six Healing Sounds teach children the calming benefit of pausing and using the breath to connect to the present. Observing the sensations of the body without thinking about the past or the future strengthens our awareness of the peace we have at the core of our being. In Qigong, negative emotions are not considered ‘bad’. Holding onto, cultivating and acting on negative emotions is when the ‘bad’ comes into things. Because negative emotions are part of the ego and have a role to play (mainly related to survival) it’s good to learn how to acknowledge them, listen to anything useful they are trying to communicate and then release the excess of them. Central to this practice is an acceptance that trying to resist, ignore or smother your feelings will only, in the end, make them grow stronger. Rather than letting negative emotions have the driving seat over your brain and body you can teach yourself how to regain calm.

The exercise that generates the most feedback from my book,
Six Healing Sounds with Lisa and Ted: Qigong for Children, is the one that helps children to stop worrying. Basically, worry happens when we meditate on fear, and being fearful gets in the way of clear thinking. When faced with a threat, the mind instinctively becomes more focussed on the urgent actions needed for survival and less inclined towards higher levels of thinking. This ‘fight or flight’ response far exceeds the requirements of our contemporary daily stressors. For children, things like spelling tests and unfamiliar situations and ideas can be interpreted as a ‘threat’, stimulating their adrenal glands and provoking biochemical changes in the brain that incline them to freeze, fight, hide or run. Over-stimulation of the adrenal glands takes its toll on the body, so it’s especially important to develop habits to restore calmness. Through a combination of smiling, deep breathing, visualization, positive thinking, gentle movements and sound-making Qigong breathing techniques help to reverse the body’s stress response and instead support its physical and mental well-being.

These exercises might seem strange when you first encounter them but there is a growing body of scientific research to support them. In my book, Ted overcomes his worries by doing the healing sound exercise for the stomach. The stomach together with the oesophagus, small intestine and the colon, make up what we refer to as the gut. We all know what it’s like to have ‘butterflies in the stomach’ and ‘gut feelings’, but it is a lesser known fact that there are about the same amount of neurotransmitters (one hundred million) in the gut as in the brain. These nerve cells communicate with each other via chemical and electric signalling, processing information and learning from past patterns. The healing sound exercise for the stomach helps children to establish healthy patterns for when they encounter worry. Instead of supporting an anxiety-driven chain reaction, they learn to pause, close their eyes, smile and breathe in the feeling of trust and openness into the belly. They think about their stomach smiling and filling up with a warm yellow light. Then, with eyes open, they exhale worry with a ‘whooooooo’ sound, imagining it leaving them as dark cloudy smoke. Doing this helps the brain and the stomach to calm each other down. Smiling produces serotonin and nearly all of that ‘feel-good’ chemical goes to the gut to help it with digestion. It also reduces cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenaline and it helps you to relax by getting the brain to release chemicals that not only make you feel happier, but support your immune system too. And, breathing deeply gives the brain a chance to see the broader picture, it’s calming and detoxifying and helps you to feel more positive.

Click to hear what the Six Healing Sounds should sound like!

Worry and anxiety is what keeps most of us awake at night. I know from personal experience and from the response of many of my readers that this practice works as well for adults as it does for children. I actually get a lot of adults telling me they’ve bought my book for themselves!

When you are doing this exercise, yourself or with a child, gently rub your stomach in a clockwise direction. Cast your mind on beautiful images of late summer (in Qigong, each organ is associated with a season) and as you smile, picture your stomach smiling too. Practising gratitude is medicine for the body and the soul so as you do this exercise, say ‘thank you’ to your stomach for all the hard work it does.

A little bit of time spent doing the Six Healing Sounds helps to promote relaxation both physically and mentally. It is also a great way to introduce children to the benefits of Qigong from a young age, and crucially, gives them tools to help themselves to deal with life’s challenges.

Join the Six Healing Sounds with Lisa and Ted: Qigong for Children community on Facebook!

Teaching Yoga to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders? A Piece of Cake!

Singing DragonApril 2, 2012 1 Comment

By Michael Chissick, qualified yoga instructor, primary school teacher and specialist in teaching yoga to children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and author of Frog’s Breathtaking Speech.

Exciting New Training Project

An exciting new initiative which delivers the benefits of yoga to hundreds of children with autism will be the cherry on the cake. The project will be in action at a Special Needs Academy in Lincolnshire, UK, after Easter with more to follow.

Over the past thirteen years I have developed a model of how to teach yoga to children with autism. The model can be used by class teachers and teaching assistants with no previous experience of yoga. The structures, activities and postures are easy to learn and are safe to teach. The model is suitable for children across all key stages.

Special schools that have a high proportion of children on the autistic spectrum will use the model. The advantages are that teaching and training are geared to the specific needs of their pupils, and staff can be trained economically without time away from school; and the icing on the cake is that staff can use the model immediately.

How did we reach this point?

I have been teaching Yoga to KS1, 2 & 3 pupils as part of the integrated day at Special Needs School for thirteen years. Many of the children I teach have autism and sensory processing disorders. During each thirty minute session I work with the whole class, class teacher and teaching assistants. Time restraints make it impossible for me to teach all classes in my schools, so I tend to alternate classes every half term.

I had noticed that when I returned to a class to continue after a 5/6 week break there was a need to start over again, which can be frustrating. For many years I simply regarded it as part of the job of teaching pupils with ASD.

However over the last couple of years I have noticed that some classes had retained what I had taught them and were as enthusiastic as ever for their yoga. So what distinguishes the ‘ready-for-more-class’ from the ‘let’s-start-again-class? The answer is that the class teachers and teaching assistants have been teaching their pupils yoga without me… and doing a brilliant job at it too!

Why does it work?

The answer also lies in the fundamentals of my highly structured approach. For example, the children are seated on chairs in a circle. I use a visual timetable and posture cards to keep my verbal input to the minimum. Within the structure I target several layers or elements simultaneously; it’s like a multi-tiered cake. These layers are easily recognised by colleagues who are already experts at working with children with ASD and are using similar models in other curriculum areas.

The Layers

Engagement tactics are, for example, encouraging children to choose from posture cards hanging from an umbrella; or children throwing tiny bean bags into the holes on a colourful board as a means of choosing a posture.
Fun is key! Children eagerly get out of their chairs and into the posture because it’s fun; if it continues to be fun then they will want to stay in the posture.
Repetition of postures over the weeks is a crucial; as children become more at ease with the posture leading to improved skills and greater confidence.
Every child Achieves in the lesson.
Social Skills like waiting, listening, speaking, helping each other, taking turns and following rules are targeted.
Fitness Flexibility and improved co-ordination are the layers that tend to hit the news.
Sensory is the sweetest layer. The vestibular system ‘tells us if we are moving or still, while our proprioceptive system is the unconscious awareness of our body position’ (Yack et al 2002). A combination of both systems gives us vital information about movement and where we are in relation to, for example, the floor. I teach many children whose vestibular and proprioceptive systems are dysfunctional. Using yoga postures I help to regulate those dysfunctions.

Feedback

Feedback from the Academy in Lincolnshire was wonderfully positive describing the day as excellent and staff commented that the model:

‘…does away with many pre-conceptions and prejudices – it helps make different types of movement accessible to all.’

It is early days in Lincolnshire, but soon the children and staff will be enjoying their yoga while I’ll be teaching 175 miles away. Seems like I’ll be having my cake and eating it.

Author: Singing Dragon