The Universe in a Fingertip

 In Spring Forest Qigong, every person’s body is defined as a “Small Universe.”

As Master Chunyi Lin says, “You were created in the image of the universe.” This is in keeping with the Taoist tradition and philosophy that gave birth to the practice of Qigong. 

Like so much of Spring Forest Qigong, that simple statement – you were created in the image of the universe – bears so much meaning within it that a lifetime of observation and practical application would not be enough to exhaust the experience of the multiplicity of its manifestations. 

There is a reason Qigong and Taoism have been around for thousands of years. 

Inside each of us, as in the world without, are male and female, the sun and the moon, the seasons and the elements, the planets, and the cycles of transformation that govern them all. What happens outside, on the large scale, is the same as what happens inside, on the small scale. From a certain perspective, the whole universe is only a harmony of cycles reflected within cycles, a symphony of one note played endlessly in endless ways. 

But that is rather high-minded and poetic. 

How does knowing this help us to enjoy a healthy body and enjoy our life on this planet? Because, as Master Lin says, in the end, we are here to enjoy life, to play with the energy we are given. 

Well, consider this. 

In our observation, especially at the Healing Center, where (in the case of healing clients) we get to see the same people over time, we often see something like this. Someone has a health challenge. They hear about Spring Forest Qigong, come in for an appointment, and, along with the healing they receive, they get some recommendations: do this meditation daily, do these healing movements daily, remember these things daily. Sometimes, it’s a lot to do! Still, so many people are very diligent and, right away, make time to do everything they’re recommended. 

Then... sometimes... daily life has a way of Re-Asserting Itself. It’s natural! Here you are planting some tender new habits with shallow little roots, and, before you know it, some big, gnarly, deeply-rooted habits have crept up and thrown their shadows over you. It can be a little... intimidating. 

What happens then? 

Sometimes, people find themselves doing less and less Qigong until, at last, they’re not doing anything at all. Other times, it’s as abrupt as saying, “Well, I’m not doing everything I’m supposed to, so I must not be getting the benefits I need, so I might as well just stop.” 

Does that sound familiar? 

Of course, you know that doing no Qigong is not as helpful as doing all your Qigong – like, making time for healing movements and a healing meditation. But maybe you don’t believe that doing just a little Qigong can give you really big benefits. In our observation, that’s one reason why some people just stop doing Qigong altogether – that “all-or-none” perspective. But Spring Forest Qigong doesn’t teach “all-or-none”; it teaches “good, better, best.” Any Qigong you make time for is good. More is better. And doing all the wonderful things you learned how to do is best. 

All that is to say, we want to show you how knowing just one thing about your Small Universe and taking one minute to apply it can benefit your whole body. This is something you already know if you learned Level One or the Five Element Qigong Healing Movements, but maybe you never realized how powerful it is. 

Just as the Small Universe of your body reflects the greater universe, the even-smaller-universe of your humble ears reflects the Small Universe of your body. 

Did you know that on your ears are acupuncture points that connect to all the parts of your body? You could map out every single limb and organ of your body on your ears, so exact and direct are the correspondences. What that means is, one of the simplest and most effective things you can do to stimulate the energy in your entire body and open blockages in all your organs... is to massage your ears. 

That’s it! 

Massaging your ears is like giving your whole body a quick tune-up. 

Just close your eyes, relax, and massage the entire ear, from the top all the way down to the earlobe. Then, pull the earlobe down and hold it for three seconds. Let it go, and do the entire exercise a total of nine times. Do this for both ears at the same time. 

Here is a simple illustration of what we mean, taken from the Head to Toe Healing manual: 

Sometimes, as you are massaging the ears, you may find a particular spot feels strange or hurts; that usually means there is an energy blockage in the part of the body that corresponds to that part of the ear. So, you just keep massaging that spot until the strange feeling or pain goes away; that is your sign that the blockage has been released. Just know that having an energy blockage does not mean the corresponding part of the body has a serious problem; energy blockages come and go all the time. Most of the time, that is it. But by doing this massage regularly, you help those blockages to move along. 

So, there you go! 

One simple, easy, quick Qigong exercise you can do at any time, anywhere, to help your body’s energy to stay in balance. One simple, practical application of a profound universal truth. 

Now, is massaging the ears the same as taking time to do the whole set of the Five Element Healing Movements and the Small Universe meditation? Are the benefits the same? 

Well, no! 

But one of the keys to Qigong, and one of the keys to your success in realizing your healing goals, is consistency. If you remember that any Qigong you make time for is already good and you remember that a simple exercise like massaging your ears can benefit your whole Small Universe, then you will have no trouble being consistent. And if you can be consistent, you will already have surpassed many others with loftier goals, and be well on your way to a perfect healing.