Engaging Vitality® Fundamentals Course Series
How to make contact to feel the qi
The fundamental course series consists of three modules, each module building directly on the previous one. Each of the three modules is a prerequisite for the next. Modules are paced to allow for depth of learning, building on skills from the course that came before, allowing ample time to practice skill sets, and opportunities to learn how to integrate these skills into your practice to improve clinical efficacy.
To afford extensive hands-on practice with direct supervision, class size is limited.
In Modules 1 and 2, participants learn to practice assessing the Qi, the Yang Qi, and active acupuncture points by assessing diagnostic changes in the body’s motions, rhythms, discrete temperature changes, and areas of restriction. These EV methods are the core of this palpatory approach to TEAM, and lead to greater appreciation of the dynamics of Channel Pathways and physiology, greater efficacy with one’s TEAM treatments, and real-time feedback on the body’s response to treatment.
In Module 3, we will show how these diagnostic aids can deepen our understanding, improve our ability, and assess the body's yin aspects: the Body Fluids, Yin and Blood, as well as beginning to enter into a palpatory relationship with the Extraordinary Vessels.
+ Module I
Listening skills you'll learn:
Shape of Qi: Direct palpatory experience of Qi. Learn about its normal and pathological qualities. Learn to listen and facilitate the conditions to the state of dynamic stillness, where the natural healing capacities take charge. This is the first gateway that will lead you out of your head and into your hands.
Shape of Qi needling: brief introduction to a way of needling consistent with the state of Qi we're trying to facilitate.
Manual Thermal Evaluation: active points and areas give off a thermal signal, train your hands to feel it precisely. A tremendously helpful tool in point selection, even if you follow protocols, now you'll know when a point is active or not (and if it makes sense to needle it or not!), also will help you track when it is time to remove your needles. Excellent tool to help you prevent overdose. Manual thermal evaluation is also used to evaluate the vitality of the 3 burners, giving you a sense of the overall state of your patient and immediate feedback about your needling technique.
Yang Rhythm: Palpatory experience for the yang qi in the body. Learn to identify normal and pathological qualities. Use as feedback for effective needling. Effective measure to prevent overdose.
Local listening: Learn to feel the place(s) where Qi is not open, the local restriction(s) around which everything organizes.
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+ Module II
Listening skills you'll learn:
Global listening: After being exposed to Local Listening, now learn to feel the least open place from a global perspective. A quick way to get you to the least open place where you can start the conversation with your patient's presentation in the present moment. Global Listening will take you to Local Listening in seconds. It'll help you bypass apparent conceptual contradictions and take you to the place where Qi's flow is restricted and disturbed.
Channel listening: Learn to feel the channels as a whole, start exploring their qualities and the experience of openness or blockage. Channel Listening Selection: learn to feel the connection between a local listening and a singular channel, identify the distinct hallmark and work with this information to get to a profound and gentle resolution.
Refine Needling: Learn to accurately locate the point and the depth and angle of insertion by refining the quality of your contact and attention.
+ Module III
Listening skills you'll learn:
Yin Rhythm: After being exposed to the Shape of Qi and the Yang Rhythm, you'll be ready to engage a deeper rhythm, the Yin Rhythm. You'll learn to palpate the rhythm (yin tide, or yin rhythm) and the state (the fluid body). With this you'll have the gateway to a deeper state of dynamic stillness, and access to the palpatory experience of all fluids in the body, including Xue, JinYe, Phlegm & Dampness... you'll be able to feel under your hands yin deficiency as different experience than damp-heat or blood stasis.
Extraordinary Vessels: Closely related to the fluid body, the Extraordinary Vessels give us a means to engage with the deeper state of dynamic stillness and Yuan Qi.
Channel Listening Evaluation: continue developing how to listen to the channels, refine the palpaptory skills and grasp nuances.
Shape of Qi needling: Now with a better grasp of the Shape of Qi, this technique is presented in depth and practiced in all practice sets. The goal is to facilitate engagement with Qi and be able to effectively work with the dynamic.
In this final module, you'll review all the topics you've been exposed to in the 3 modules.
