Chi...Energy...

One of the things that was a rewarding discovery in going to Korea, (and there were many great things, the food, the people, the learning)..but one of the revelations that was helpful to me as a practitioner of Oriental Medicine is that there is a cultural understanding of Chi. People understand what you are talking about when you refer to chi. Here in the U.S. the concept is not culturally understood. We don't really have an equal word for it.. and so we get a lot of intellectual prejudice and mistrust about acupuncture because what we do is so relatively new to this country. So to go to a country and experience a culture where chi is just a regularly understood concept was refreshing and relaxing..(no struggle to communicate, no explaining to do). It was a breath of fresh air and it was acknowledging because I have spent so much time learning, teaching and practicing a medicine that comes with it the challenge to educate our patients on the concept of chi. Once you get it though.."energy" is perhaps the closest word..Energy pervades everything..Once you begin to think about the energy of all things, it is a deep contemplation.I am grateful I was able to experience a cultural differnce that allowed me to relax and realize that the tools I use to balance chi have been widely accepted for centuries..The rest of us just have to catch up!