Move: Hundred Rivers Method
Kungfu Grandpas, Image: Dailymail 20 July 2016
Move
It really is that simple: move. Movement is the key to longevity, a better, healthier life, and old age. We are, by nature, manifest, embodied beings. We are shape and must learn to move and harness that shape as it changes. How we move is equally important to the movement itself. The varying types of movement dictate and direct our bodies to function, flex, contract, and respond. Movement in and of itself is as much a physical act as it is spiritual and hence is considered a linking practice to stationary meditative training. Of late, many movement fads have changed the way people look at movement, however, these fads are often just diluted and re-purposed traditional systems. We see the same in breathing techniques around the world. This, of course, does not mean they are unnecessary or ineffective, on the contrary, all movement is good as long as the right person is instructed and moves the right way. So, what is correct movement?
The answer to this is multi-layered: why and how we move will heavily depend on what we wish to gain. Flexibility? Strength? Circulation? Health? A greater connection to self? Or all of the above? Each are valid, and each requires a differing lens into how the body moves and what the body can achieve. For the sake of this blog, and in light that the movement I will discuss is fluid in it’s own right, we will not talk about the technicalities of each individual movement, but rather the philosophy behind the Hundred Rivers Method (HRM) as taught to and by myself. It is a philosophy rooted in that of Daoism and its outlook on the universe. HRM is about embracing this philosophy and exploring it within our four fold cultivation categories of moving, sitting, standing, and breathing, while linking it directly to our internal, self-aware or conscious, state.
Therefore movement must embrace an element of spontaneity, yet also have proper structure to it that abides by the natural way we move. One of the most basic stretching methods I employ is called Daoyin (導引), or guiding and pulling. Here we practice full body stretching, massage, and breathing as a warm up for further movement patterns and more advanced internal work. Daoyin is a perfect morning routine for any body of any age, and as individual practices will be discussed at a later date, what’s important to grasp is that Daoyin and associated methods are about “waking” the body up. Daoyin as a method pre-dates and formed into further practices, such as Qigong, Taijiquan and more. Therefore one may see stretching of the joints and limbs, massaging of the face, back, ears, quiet sitting, breathing, etc all within a short period. This awakening of your physical and mental form is the elixir to a pain-free easy day.
Defining Dao (道)
Dao 道 and Dao 導 are two different things. The first is a character related to a processional path we all walk, a philosophical idea pertaining to how all things in the universe are created, interact, and change. Often called “the mother of all things” it is an always sustaining, always changing, naturally observable phenomena, like fish in water Dao is within us, around us, and with us at all times. The second character is a composite made up of Dao 道 and Cun 寸. Cun is a relative form of measurement, approximately the size of an inch, that is used in acupuncture to located specific regions. This character, Dao 導, is therefore about small incremental daily routines guiding oneself to health so that these movements are part of us, and every step we take in this ever-changing processional journey we call life.
Therefore, regardless of physical ability, characteristics, environment, or tendencies etc, how we practice the way we move will allow for a greater connection to self, our day to day, and more.
A simple start
Developing a movement routine can be as easy as joining a yoga class, or as complicated as learning a full system. As I mentioned above, all movement is good! For patients of mine, I often like to find out what their day to day routine is like to understand more of how they aren’t moving than how they are. As you can imagine someone who is stationary all day sitting at a desk will require different practices to someone who stands all day in retail, or someone who lifts heavy weights. Different muscle groups will have already developed in different ways, structures and postures will have set patterns already placed. Having said that, my biggest concern is the non-active, the non-mover. This is especially prevalent in the elder generation, where things become static easily, and patterns are already set in their ways. Here the most basic simple movements, standing exercises, and simple seated exercises are vital along with self-massage techniques and light stretches. More so, as with any practice, daily routine must be established. I find that is the hardest hurdle for most people - and I see it frequently in meditation, yogic, and martial arts practices. The class becomes the only training ground, when it should be your home or workplace. As I will discuss in a later blog, we sit, stand, move, and breath to establish a meditative state, we do not meditate when we practice, the meditation is the goal of the practice. So when we move, we practice posture, we practice flexing, so that it is a natural state of being at all times.
Move.
In Good Health,
David White
Classical Acupuncture Sydney