This is an account of my experience with Tian Mo Gong, a form of traditional Qigong. The course was conducted by Mr Cheong, a former Permanent Secretary and assisted by Mr Wong. In the olden days, to be an official of some standing, he must be good at calligraphy. In Singapore today, it was the gift of the gab, Mr Cheong did not disappoint us. We were very thankful that he was so for he was able to explain Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) concepts that we could understand.
The exercises were broken down to simple steps and we were able to repeat them on our own. The first lesson focused on fifteen acupuncture points and a simple exercise. During the second lesson, I related to Mr Cheong about my sinus problem: for the past few weeks, I woke up with running nose and this coincided with the driest season (Feb 2010), Singapore has ever experienced since record keeping days. Because of the heat, I wore less to sleep but woke up catching a cold.
His advice was very simple – wear socks to sleep and massage two acupuncture points near the nose. But what I really appreciated was his explanation in TCM. The Yong Quan acupuncture points (at the bottom of the foot) need to be kept warm especially at night when the blood flows towards the liver and kidney for cleansing. This leaves the body vulnerable to external elements such as wind and dampness. Being an obedient student that I am, I followed his advice to the letter. Lo and behold, I do not have running nose since.
As we practiced a simple Qigong exercise in lesson three, I felt warmth in my hands that I only got to enjoy once in a while. This was very significant to me because I have cold hands and feet since young. I was told that my condition predisposed me to problem like gout (inflammatory joints especially at the body extremities). The reason is that the coldness facilitates mineral deposition at the joints and any area of wear and tear. My hands did fell warm once in a while but such times did not last and the frequency far in between. This time, it not only lasted but I knew how to repeat it.
Knowing that we are desk bound people, Mr Cheong taught us to massage certain acupuncture points to relief the stress on our back and eyes.
In lesson 4, we did a simple experiment and I felt qi for the first time in my life. It was very real, not a bit or maybe. When I first felt it, I was caught by surprise for I had not expected it. I was very happy for it answered the nagging question of the existence of qi. I knew for sure now.
We were introduced an acupuncture point, San Ying Jiao, on the lower leg, which related to three vital organs. When I massaged the right acupuncture point, I felt an excruciating pain but no such pain on the left point. The intensity of the pain is disproportional to the force applied. I examined the right leg for bruises but could not find any. This pain did not go away for the next couple of days. One interesting thing was that there was no pain when I massaged it right after my run. This showed that jogging was able to purge the blocked acupuncture point. Unfortunately, the effect did not last; it reverted to its blocked state not long after the run. I was very happy to note that after regular massages on the point, the pain was mostly gone.
I was held up in a meeting when it was time for our fifth lesson and only managed to get a glimpse of the last 15 minutes so I missed the health tips. In the sixth lesson, on top of the usual Tian Mo Gong, we learnt 3 ways of walking:
1. Lean slightly forward and walk. Land heel first and then roll onto the ball. Kick off with the ball and the toes.
2. Walking backward to strengthen neglected areas.
3. Walk on heels only to counter balance walking on high heels for ladies.
As I practiced the first method of walking, I found that it improved my running as well. I was able to run faster but my muscles also ached a bit more, probably because they were not used very much before. We learnt deep breathing exercises to purge stagnant air in our lungs and another exercise to massage our internal organs in the sixth lesson. On Mr Cheong advice, I am going to place a cactus plant next to my computer to absorb its radiation.
At the end of the basic course, I felt strong. I felt the same way too when I trained for events like IPPT or Project Nutz but the difference is in the past, at the peak of my strength, I felt vulnerable too. As I see my timings improving, I would push myself harder and harder. At some point, something would snap, I would sprain my ankle or came down with something unpleasant. I would be out of action for a while and the cycle repeated itself.
This time, nothing like that happens; the training was not hard, nothing to break. I feel I can stay in his state of strength for a longer period. The good news is this is not the end of the course, I am continuing the training.
