Crafting the meaning in life, choosing our purpose and then having the courage and wherewithal to unfold that is not an easy task. Are we puppets in the hands of fate, or do we have the capacity to influence the rudder and chart our life path?
Human beings have long grappled with questions surrounding our fate and destiny. And according to traditional Chinese medicine, the answer may lie in the extraordinary channels. Accessing the Chong meridian may be key to tapping a stable foundation that allows for accessing our truest nature.
In this conversation with Ann Cecil Sterman, we unravel the notion that all intention is heart-centered unless interfered with by the mind. The topic takes us down a fascinating path where we mull over the idea of accessing the Chong meridian and uncovering the blueprint of our life. We also explore what it means to be a proficient practitioner, the issue of the mind defending against destiny, and why acupuncture is all about the channels.
Listen into this discussion on mind, intention, fate, and navigating the blueprint of one’s destiny.
Here’s a clinic tip taught to me fifteen years ago by my dear student Rebecca Tracey. I’ve used it every clinic day since and my patients love it. – When you’ve finished needling your patient, take each corner of the bottom sheet and gently draw it toward the navel of your patient.
Then fold the bottom edge over the feet and the side edges toward the navel. You can even take the top edge and fold it over the forehead. Rebecca called it the burrito wrap. It gives the patient a feeling of being gently swaddled, allowing them to fall asleep more easily, greatly enhancing the treatment.
Remember always to needle the ribcage very obliquely and this will always be safe.
Ann Cecil-Sterman
Ann Cecil-Sterman is the author of the widely acclaimed books: The the Art of Pulse Diagnosis (https://anncecilsterman.com/product/the-art-of-pulse-diagnosis/), Tongue Diagnosis (https://anncecilsterman.com/product/tongue-diagnosis/) and Advanced Acupuncture: A Clinic Manual (https://anncecilsterman.com/product/advanced-acupuncture/) a required text in many acupuncture schools. Currently she teaches a six month training and mentorship immersion program to students on five continents every year. She also travels extensively to reach students in person for refining practice of the Complement Channels, pulse diagnosis, and with her husband, Andrew Sterman, the use of food as medicine.
For many years she taught Advanced Clinical Observation and was a senior clinic supervisor at the school of acupuncture in New York founded in 1997 by the great master Jeffrey Yuen, who was her teacher for over twenty years. Her patients— children and adults of all ages—have come from all over the world to work through illnesses or on personal cultivation. She lives in Manhattan with her family. www.anncecilsterman.com
Visit Ann on Instagram or on her www.AnnCecilSterman.com.
You can also hear our conversations in episode 252 on acupuncture and in episode 274 where she was a panelist on the subject of wei qi.
Also for another perspective on the importance of the Chong channel, listen to episode 272 with Kubota Sensei.
