TOYOHARI (East Asian needle therapy)
Toyohari is a refinement of a 4,500-year-old tradition of acupuncture derived from the Chinese classics. Its powerful effects and simple, gentle style was developed in Japan. It is a powerful therapeutic system for both preventing disease and maintaining health.
Traditional perspective – the body’s natural wisdom:
The core concept of Traditional Eastern Medicine (TEM) is the idea of the body as ‘self healing’.
TEM sees the body as a self rectifying dynamic whole – a network of interrelating energies (all of the inner chemistry of the body and its relation to the external world: see below- What is Ki?) . This means that health is maintained when the distribution and flow of energies is even and harmonious. Ill health and disease therefore arise from depletion, stagnation or exacerbation of energy within the body.
How does it work?
Acupuncture utilizes specific points on the body which act as gateways into the body’s energy system which in turn govern the functioning of the internal organs, glands and tissues. These points allow the practitioner to correct imbalances and restore harmony not only to the specific area affected, but also the body as a whole. Health is maintained within certain limits yet illness arises when our biological activities move outside the optimum levels, leading first to decrease in activity then malfunction and finally disease.
What is Ki (Qi)?
Many interpretations exist for the word, often translated as energy. This can also be understood as information. The body is constantly circulating information in the form of nerve impulse, blood, fluids, hormones etc. in response to external and internal stimuli i.e. to secrete gastric juices when we eat food, gaseous exchange occurs with respiration and the blood which is sent to all tissues etc). Our health relies on the clear communication of all these messages so as to function optimally.
What are Acu-points and Meridians?
In the Oriental medical model this communication of information and the region of influence of the internal organs is processed along meridians (pathways of energetic influence) upon which acu-points lie (the access points to the energy within the meridians). These meridians traverse and connect all areas of the body.
Diagnostics
When imbalance or loss of function occurs signs and symptoms arise diagnostically such as pain or pressure points, hot or cold spots, muscle contraction or lack of tone, loss or inhibition of function. The collective nature of these signs and symptoms indicates the disease process. These are determined through consultation, pulse diagnosis and palpation. By accessing these points with needles or moxibustion we can regulate the distribution of information throughout the body to achieve optimum balance and therefore health.
Toyohari is a refinement of a 4,500-year-old tradition of acupuncture derived from the Chinese classics. Its powerful effects and simple, gentle style was developed in Japan. It is a powerful therapeutic system for both preventing disease and maintaining health.
Traditional perspective – the body’s natural wisdom:
The core concept of Traditional Eastern Medicine (TEM) is the idea of the body as ‘self healing’.
TEM sees the body as a self rectifying dynamic whole – a network of interrelating energies (all of the inner chemistry of the body and its relation to the external world: see below- What is Ki?) . This means that health is maintained when the distribution and flow of energies is even and harmonious. Ill health and disease therefore arise from depletion, stagnation or exacerbation of energy within the body.
How does it work?
Acupuncture utilizes specific points on the body which act as gateways into the body’s energy system which in turn govern the functioning of the internal organs, glands and tissues. These points allow the practitioner to correct imbalances and restore harmony not only to the specific area affected, but also the body as a whole. Health is maintained within certain limits yet illness arises when our biological activities move outside the optimum levels, leading first to decrease in activity then malfunction and finally disease.
What is Ki (Qi)?
Many interpretations exist for the word, often translated as energy. This can also be understood as information. The body is constantly circulating information in the form of nerve impulse, blood, fluids, hormones etc. in response to external and internal stimuli i.e. to secrete gastric juices when we eat food, gaseous exchange occurs with respiration and the blood which is sent to all tissues etc). Our health relies on the clear communication of all these messages so as to function optimally.
What are Acu-points and Meridians?
In the Oriental medical model this communication of information and the region of influence of the internal organs is processed along meridians (pathways of energetic influence) upon which acu-points lie (the access points to the energy within the meridians). These meridians traverse and connect all areas of the body.
Diagnostics
When imbalance or loss of function occurs signs and symptoms arise diagnostically such as pain or pressure points, hot or cold spots, muscle contraction or lack of tone, loss or inhibition of function. The collective nature of these signs and symptoms indicates the disease process. These are determined through consultation, pulse diagnosis and palpation. By accessing these points with needles or moxibustion we can regulate the distribution of information throughout the body to achieve optimum balance and therefore health.