NAYKA: The Failed Beauty Queen Turned Dakini

Namaste from your favorite Tantra dakini, mentor and friend, NAYKA…..

"The expense of spirit in a waste of shame IS lust in action." –William Shakespeare

Once upon a time, NAYKA tried out for a beauty pageant. It was during my third year of college and I believe it was Albany's Tulip Festival Queen. My mother thought it funny that I should have been interested in doing such a thing since I renounced my desire to EVER join a cheerleading team, and had just mastered the art of not looking as if I ever wore makeup through my later years spent in a French high school. This wasn't going to be the last time NAYKA tried "auditioning" for such contests as I'll soon share, but the common denominator in all of the various experiences I am about to share is this: I was never quite appropriate in my approach to any of them.

So during that first "tryout" pageant experience, I showed up with my Amy Grant circa 1990 long, curly hair, and proceeded to answer a slew of questions about what would make me an excellent Tulip queen, how I would best represent the city, and if I had any unique talents that would make me stand out from the other candidates. I proceeded to share that I was capable of speaking three languages, could make a mean, French salad dressing, mastered how to make the most believable monkey sounds(yes, I can still do it today), and I was taught the art of the perfect French kiss. The judge, a Friar Brother look-a-like, cast me in the top ten candidates but I would be later eliminated as queen due to the fact that all of my talents were not perceived to make that much of a difference to the world, or the City of Albany.

Later after college, I moved to Washington, DC with a slew of college debt and a casting call opportunity for Playboy Magazine. Under the impression that they paid this large amount of money to their centerfolds if accepted, I convinced a girlfriend and I to head on down and take a peek. We entered the glamorous DC hotel where hundreds of women of all shapes, sizes and lipstick shades sat around eyeing one another to see who would get accepted in the magazine. Once again, there was an interview process following a photo shoot. During the photo shoot, the camerawoman kept teaching us how to nip, tuck, duck, tilt, bump, squeeze, breathe, suck in, disguise, shade, and maneuver into anything BUT a goddess-like pose. Although interesting to learn how the photos are manufactured to give the impression that women sit around on their elbows and ankles facing the ceiling, I couldn't help think that THAT version of feminine sensuality was anything remotely as sexy after viewing thousands of paintings I viewed during my trips to the Louvre Museum in Paris. Frustrated that this didn't seem to represent my idea of feminine sensuality, I left the hotel that day and stopped thinking Playboy was the representation of real sensuality.

A few years later, I had entered an audition tape into the show THE APPRENTICE during the height of my Dot Com days. A few weeks later, I got a call from the producers stating I was a finalist and to come on in for an in person interview at a swanky Washington hotel. The email stated to purposely dress down, and to represent ourselves as accurately as possible. I thought this was one of their secret "tasks" to see if we eliminated ourselves by not following their specified directions. Of course everyone would be dressed in a suit, trying to impress the Donald. We already witnessed how Season One attracted the cattiest, highest-heel wearing "Business-Bitch" types that had each woman spending more time perfecting her cat-fight howl than her business skills. We need a different version of sexy this time. So I decided to wear black, skinny jeans with a black T-shirt that had on the front the photo of George W. Bush and a bottom half of a woman's legs that read: GOOD BUSH, BAD BUSH. Needless to say, walking into the hotel where EVERYONE was indeed wearing a business suit and tie that day, I DID stand out. I figured if worse came to worse, I'd simply show them my Playboy pelvic tilt and place my elbows on the floor. (wink) When asked the question what I thought I could contribute to the Trump enterprise, I replied, "I could help Trump to design buildings that do not resemble a phallic sign, thus furthering his need to satisfy his insatiate, sub-conscious desire for power and bring balance to his empire by showing him the benefits to children who indeed get breast-fed by their mothers at birth." The producers smiled and told me they would be in touch. Instead, they decided to pick some more pencil-skirted real estate agents. I sent him a thank you card and a dozen Tulips to his office.

Fast forward a few years later when I am sitting at a temple in Jaipur, India and an old woman with a hundred bangles lacing up her arms notices that I am throwing pigeons some food when I am not suppose to. (At this particular temple, it is considered bad luck to feed the birds. Instead, you should buy food from a holy man and feed the monkeys and cows) She then brought me to a secret back room that had a shrine set up with the Goddess Kali. She told me to sit and meditate. She began chanting and I followed her lead. She kept getting louder and louder and told me to get louder, moving my body from side to side in sitting pose. She started flailing her arms all around madly, and her entire body began to shake furiously, as if she was in anger. She was building up a sweat on the very hot day, and I could tell she was doing a sort of prayer chant. It seemed as if she was praying her body out, repeating names of everyone she knew, and sweating out their tears through the pores of her skin. In that moment, she felt to me like the most beautiful, powerful woman in the world. She then opened her eyes and pointed to me and muttered, "Devi." She kept saying it over and over again, "Devi! Devi!" and I wasn't sure what to do. At the time I didn't know what it meant but when I asked my driver later on in the car, he stated, "It means Goddess." I didn't know it then but I had just accepted a calling to become a dakini.

Now I will share with you what the true meaning of being a Dakini.

In the Tibetan language the Sanskrit term DAKINI is rendered Khandroma (mkha'-'gro-ma) meaning "she who traverses the sky" or "she who moves in space"; this is sometimes rendered poetically as "sky dancer" or "sky walker". Ichnographically, their bodies are depicted curved in sinuous dance poses. They dance as they are active manifestations of energy or shakti. dakini (Sanskrit: "sky dancer") is a Tantric priestess of ancient India who "carried the souls of the dead to the sky". This Buddhist figure is particularly upheld in Tibetan Buddhism. The dakini is a female being of generally volatile temperament, who acts as a muse for spiritual practice. Dakinis can be likened to elves, angels, or other such supernatural beings, and are symbolically representative of testing one's awareness and adherence to Buddhist tantric sadhana.

According to legend, members of the Indian royal castes and the wealthy nobility brought their deceased to the far North to visit the Shrine of the Dakini (located at the foothills of the Himalaya). Other legends mention a Tibetan myth which says dakini first appeared in a remote area "pure of man". Dakinis are timeless, inorganic, immortal, non-human beings who have co-existed since the very beginning with the Spiritual Energy. In some New Age belief systems, they are angelic. This New Age paradigm differs from that of the Judeo-Christian by not insisting on angels being bona fide servants of God.

Moreover, an angel is the Western equivalent of a dakini. The behavior of dakini has always been revelatory and mysterious; they respond to the state of spiritual energy within individuals. Love is their usual domain - one explanation for dakini or angels supposedly living in the sky or heaven. Manifestations of dakini in human form occur because they supposedly can assume any form. Most often they appear as a human female. By convention, a male of this type is called a 'daka'. In Tibetan Buddhism and other schools closely related to Yogacara and Vajrayana practices, a dakini is considered a supernatural being who tests a practitioner's abilities and commitments.

When the dakini's test has been fulfilled and passed, the practitioner is often then recognized as a Mahasiddha, and often is elevated into the Paradise of the Dakinis, a place of enlightened bliss. It should be noted that while dakinis are often depicted as beautiful and naked, they are not sexual symbols, but rather natural ones. There are instances where a dakini has come to test a practitioner's control over their sexual desires, but the dakini itself is not a being of passion. Tantric sex may involve a "helper" dakini - a human female trained in Tantra Yoga - or an "actual" dakini. Both increase the level of erotic pleasure for the sexual participants by helping them focus on a non-physical state of spiritual joy and the physical pleasure of sex at the same time.

Dakini is the Goddess of Life's Turning Points. Distillations of archetypal emanations, the Dakinis represent those essence principles within the self which are capable of transformation to a higher octave. Dakinis are 'sky dancers,' heavenly angels devoted to the truth (dharma), woman consorts of and partners with the god-creators of India and Tibet. Dakini serves as instigator, inspirer, messenger, pushing the tantrika (aspirant) across the barriers to enlightenment. Dakini's wrathful aspect is depicted by the mala of skulls. Her peaceful aspect is depicted by the lotus frond. Like Hindu goddess Kali, her role is to transmute suffering. Her left hand holds high the lamp of liberation. Dakini represent the sky being a womb symbol connoting emptiness, creativity, potentiality. They are objects of desire and also carriers of the cosmic energies that continually fertilize our human sphere. Dakinis bring us pleasure and spirituality. They provoke the enervating lust that brings life into being. They are poetic and cosmic souls, put here to tempt us to spirituality.

Dakinis are questing and testing agents. There are instances where a dakini has come to test an aspirant's control over his or her sexual desires, but the dakini should not themselves be construed as beings of passion and sexuality. When the dakini's test has been fulfilled and passed, the aspirant is often then recognized as a Mahasiddha and often elevated into the Dakini Paradise, a place of enlightened bliss.

So I share all of this in-depth knowledge of the technical meaning of a dakini because most people who come across Tantra think of the dakini's role as a sexual equal, a sexual replacement of sorts. In truth, the dakini's role is specifically as a guide to getting you understanding of your path to love through God. She is solely responsible for your own enlightenment and the path to true ecstasy in recognizing the divinity of love (and all of love's powers) versus the superficial manifestation of love in lust.

Now on to my schedule and notes for the month!

This is my latest CALENDAR OF AVAILABILITY. As always, in scheduling, please begin by filling out my web site's online AVAILABILITY form for my latest session info. And scheduling, and THEN contact me directly at 301-789-2503. Mornings are best in reaching me directly! THIS MONTH's SPECIAL is get $75 off a 3 hour session!

JANUARY 1-24: Schenectady, NY JANUARY 25-27: BOSTON, MA
JAUARY 28-31: Schenectady, NY
FEBRUARY 1-3: PITTSBURG, PA,
FEBRUARY 4-11: SCHENECTADY, NY.
FEBRUARY 11: CONGO, AFRICA through HealAfrica.org (Feel free to make a donation in advance for this trip which I am going to in helping Congolese women heal through Eastern methods after massive rape and torture in war-torn Congo. Recently featured in last week's 60 Minutes episode. To read and view video explaining the issues there now, please visit: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/01/11/60minutes/main3701249.shtml

I am also happy to share with you that I am also including as part of my sessions, an opportunity to learn and purchase Chinese herbs in pill format that may help in such areas of concern as sexual dysfunction, infertility, performance issues, anxieties, energy loss, diabetes, and obesity. Most 3 month supplies are between $15-$30 per bottle with a full page of directions and details about what is in each bottle particularly in herb format. If you are interested in purchasing some, please ask at time of your appointment. I'm including some details below about the Benefits of Chinese medicine as a supplement to your Sexual Health.

Basic Characteristics of Traditional Chinese Medicine
1. The Concept of the Organism as a Whole
The term "organic whole" means the unity of the human body and its surroundings. The human body is an organic whole itself and has close relations with its external surroundings. TCM is based on this relationship. This unity between the two is known as an organic whole.

a. The Unity Within the Body
Viscera, bowels, tissues, and other organs make up the human body. Each has their own physiological functions, which make up the life process of the body. The different functions are all related, supplementary, and conditional to each other, and therefore are unified with each other. These relationships are shared between the main five viscera through channels and collaterals: the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney

b. The Unity Between Body and Nature
As man lives in nature, he is influenced by the changes in nature. For example, as the climate changes within the four seasons, the normal pulse conditions change as well. With this fact, doctors have been able to relate certain diseases with the seasons. For example, epidemic febrile diseases are more likely to occur in the spring. People do physical exercises in order to avoid seasonal diseases.

TCM physicians have also observed relationships between diseases and the time of the day. Diseases may become milder or more severe depending on the whether it is early morning, late afternoon, or night. There are diseases that are mild in the morning and get worse by night. This is because the body has more vital energy, which overcomes the pathogenic factors. By nighttime, the body returns the vital energy to the organs, leaving the pathogenic factors to get stronger. There have been findings that show human pulse conditions, temperature, the amount of oxygen taken in, carbon-dioxide releases and the amount of hormone secreted have a pattern during the 24 hours of the day.

c. The Guiding Function of the Concept of the Organism as a Whole
The concept of the human body as a whole and its relationship with nature gives TCM the basis for its development of medical methods of treating diseases. This lead to the belief that the appearance of the tongue can determine the health of the heart. A pale tongue indicates blood deficiency in the heart and a purple tongue shows blood stagnation of the heart. With this method, the key pathogenesis is determined. Acupuncture is another example of methods of treating diseases based on the theories of TCM. Points and time for acupuncture are determined according to the relationship between channels, pulse, vital energy, and blood of the human on two sides. Time is also an important factor when taking herbal medicines. For example, Ten Jujube Decoction (Shi Zao Tang) is best when taken in the morning on an empty stomach, and insulin is best when taken at 4 p.m. There are reasons why the human body has such a precise time rhythm and regularity. Scholars have found that the human body has adapted and accustomed itself to the earth's rotation, which occur every 24 hours. It has been proved that the nucleus suprachiasmaticus (SCH), epiphysis, pituitary bodies, and adrenal gland are structures that control the time rhythm and regularity. This shows that the concept of Tian Ren Xiang Ying (or the relevant adaptation of the human body to natural environment in TCM) has a scientific backing.

2. Diagnosis and Treatment Based on an Overall Analysis of Signs and Symptoms
The four methods of diagnosis of TCM, which are observation, listening, smelling, inquiring, pulse feeling and palpation, allow us to determine relevant information, signs, and symptoms. The analyzing of these findings is called "Bian Zheng". Determining the corresponding therapeutic method according the conclusion of the data received is called "Shi Zhi."

TCM physicians do not focus on the actual disease itself but rather the symptoms of the disease. Same symptoms are usually treated in similar ways. Some types of the cold are caused by wind and cold, which calls for strong sudorific drugs pungent in taste and warm in property, whereas some colds are caused by wind and heat and should be treated with mild diaphoretics that are pungent in taste and cool in property. This method is referred to as treating the same diseases with different methods. Sometimes different diseases have similar syndromes and are treated similarly. This is called treating different diseases with the same method.

Colleges of medicine and scientific research institutes are recognizing the essence of "Zheng", or the syndrome. They believe that "Zheng" is an extensive manifestation of the disorderly relations within the human body. Further development of this method would contribute to the advancement of modern natural sciences.

3. The Formation of the Theory of Yin and Yang
According to the theory, Yin and yang exists in all things. At first, Yin meant a place not having exposure to the sun, and yang described a place that had exposure to the sun. Now, Yin and yang represent two components that oppose each other. Their interactions and plays against each other promote the occurrence, development, and transformation of things. They are used in reasoning things out while analyzing the things that occur in the world. It is believed, according to the Dao (the basic law in the natural world) that all things carry the two components of Yin and yang.

The theory of Yin and yang has an impact on the science of TCM, as it has promoted the development of the theoretical system of TCM.

4. The Content of the Theory of Yin and Yang
The five main components with the theory of Yin and yang are opposition, interdependence, relative waxing and waning, and transformation.

a. Opposition and Interdependence of Yin and Yang
Opposition refers to the idea that all things in the natural world contain two opposite components. The heaven is considered yang and earth is Yin; outside is yang and inside is Yin; day is yang and night in Yin; heat is Yang and cold is Yin.

Not only to they oppose each other, but Yin and Yang also depend on each other. Without the other, neither can exist. For example without outside, there would be no such thing as inside. This relationship of coexistence is referred to as interdependence. TCM holds that "functional movement" belongs to Yang, and "nourishing substance" is Yin. For example, if "nourishing substance" cannot be digested through "functional movement" of the kidneys, the kidneys would cease to move if "nourishing substance" is not provided.

b. The Waxing and Waning of Yin and Yang and the Transformation Between Yin and Yang
The opposition and interdependence of Yin and Yang help to explain the waxing and waning of the two. For example, while Yin wanes, Yang waxes, and vice versa. The changing of the seasons is a good example. The weather gets warm when winter gives way to spring, and hot when spring gives way to summer. These are times when Yin wanes and Yang waxes. However, the change between autumn and summer bring colder weather, which means Yin waxes and Yang wanes.

The transformation of Yin and Yang occur under certain conditions. For example, a patient suffering from a disease has a high fever, has a red complexion, and has a rapid pulse condition. All of a sudden, he feels calmer, his face is pale, and his pulse is almost cut off. This is an example of transformation between Yin and Yang.

The general rule in finding out if something is Yin or Yang is if something is excited, hot, moving, strong, bright, invisible, light, clear, upwards, and outwards it is characterized as Yang. All that are waning, restricted, cold, weak, dark, visible, heavy, downwards, and inwards are characterized by Yin. Yin and Yang property of things is not absolute, but relative, because of the intertransformation between Yin and Yang where Yin may transform into Yang and vice versa. Either characteristic of Yin or Yang can be divided into another pair of Yin and Yang. For example, day is characterized as Yang, but the period from dawn till noon is the Yang aspect of Yang, and the period from noon till dusk is the Yin aspect of Yang.

5. Uses of the Theory of Yin and Yang in TCM
Yin and Yang provided the basis for every aspect of TCM. It helps explain the structure of the human body and also helps to find diagnosis and treatment.

a. Using Yin and Yang to Explain the Tissues and Structures of the Human Body
The oppositeness and unity between Yin and Yang helps us understand the human body. The upper part of the body is described as Yang, while the lower part is described as Yin. When referring to the internal organs, the five viscera (heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney) are Yin, because their function of preserving vital substances is stable. The six bowel organs (gallbladder, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, urinary bladder, and triple warmer) are Yang because their function of transmitting and digesting water and food make them active. The five viscera can be split up, making the heart and lung Yang because they are higher, Following this guideline will help to distinguish whether an organ is Yin or Yang: the function is Yang, while the substance is Yin; for channels and collaterals, the channels can be divided into Yin channels and Yang channels, the collaterals may also be divided into Yin and Yang collaterals; for the twelve channels, there are three Yang channels of the hand, three Yin channels of the hand, three Yang channels of the foot, and three Yin channels of the foot; for vital energy and blood, vital energy or Qi is Yang while blood is Yin.

b. Using Yin and Yang to Explain the Physiological Function of the Human Body
The coordinate, opposite, and unitedness of Yin (substance) and Yang (function) are what determines the physiological functions of the body. Yin and Yang are always is a state of balance. Without substance like blood, energy, and body fluid, there would be no source for functions. Yin and Yang must aid each other in order for life to continue. In TCM, "the divorce of Yin and Yang means the end of one's death.

c. Using Yin and Yang to Explain the Pathological Changes of the Human Body
The imbalance of Yin and Yang lead to a disease. For example, dominance of Yang may lead to hyperfunction and heat manifestations. Dominance of Yin may lead to hypofunction or endogenous cold. Deficiency of each may also lead to different diseases. When one dominates over the other, both are involved and end up getting damaged. In this way, someone with hypofunction (a disease brought on by too much Yin) may have symptoms of hyperfunction (a disease brought on by too much Yang).

d. Using Yin and Yang to Diagnose and Treat Diseases
The knowledge that diseases are brought on by the imbalance on Yin and Yang gives doctors the ability to diagnose and treat that disease. The first step is to determine whether a disease is Yin or Yang. This can be accomplished by looking at the patient's complexion. Bright patients have a Yang disease while a dark and gloomy complexion shows signs of a Yin disease. Another method is to listen to the patient's voice. A loud and clear voice has a Yang characteristic while a low and weak voice has a Yin characteristic. Inquiring may also determine the type of disease. Those who have a fever, are thirsty, have constipation, and have a rapid pulse have characteristics of a Yang disease. Those who have a cold, do not feel thirsty, have loose stools, and have a slow pulse have characteristics of a Yin disease. Feeling the patient's pulse is another method. Pulses that are floating, rapid, large, and slippery are of Yang characteristic. Pulses that are deep, slow, small, and rough are of Yin characteristic.

The dominance of Yang leads to a Yang disease called asthenic heat syndrome. This can be cured with drugs of cold nature. The dominance of Yin leads to a Yin disease called cold-asthenia syndrome. Drugs of warming nature will treat it.

Deficiency of Yang is called deficiency-cold syndrome. Drugs of warm and invigorating nature will treat it. Deficiency of Yin is called asthenic heat syndrome. Drugs or nourishing Yin will treat it. Since the deficiency of one can damage the other, both the Yin and Yang of the human body must be replenished. Vital essence (Yin) should be restored as well as vital function (Yang).

TCM's method of deciding which herbs to use in the treatment of disease comes from knowledge of the property, flavor, and function of different Chinese herbs. Herbs with sour, bitter, and salty tastes belong to Yin, while herbs with pungent, sweet, and bland tastes belong to Yang. Herbs with astringent and subsiding function belong to Yin, while herbs with dispersing, ascending and floating function belong to Yang. Diagnosis is based on whether the Yin or Yang dominates within a human body, or whether the Yin or Yang is weakened.

Questions & Answers: A Client's Primer
Herbal medicine is the main modality or treatment method within Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM.
TCM is the world's oldest, continually practiced, professional medicine. Its written history stretches back not less than 2,500 years and its practice is undoubtedly thousands of years older than that. Although acupuncture was the first Chinese modality to gain wide acceptance in the West, Chinese herbal medicine is quickly establishing itself as one of the most popular and effective alternative therapies in the West.
Q: What's the difference between Western folk herbalism and Chinese herbal medicine?
A: Western folk herbalism primarily treats diseases or symptoms, such as headaches, runny nose, menstrual pain, etc. Chinese herbal medicine, when practiced as part of TCM, is based on an individualized pattern diagnosis as well as a disease diagnosis. This means the TCM patient receives a custom written herbal prescription designed to treat both the symptom or disease and also their individual pattern. Such a TCM pattern is made up of a person's signs and symptoms as well as their emotional temperament and bodily constitution.
Q: Are there any other differences?
A: Western folk herbalism primarily uses single herbs or groups of herbs which treat the same symptom or disease. TCM formulas include from 6-18 herbs. A TCM formula is carefully crafted to include herbs addressing the person's main symptoms as well as the entirety of their pattern. The prescription is customized to fit the individual person.
Q: Are all the "herbs" vegetable in origin?
A: Although called Chinese herbal medicine, TCM practitioners use ingredients from all three kingdoms, vegetable, animal, and mineral. However, the majority of these are from vegetable sources. Leavest flowers, twigs, stems, roots, tubers, rhizomes, and barks are some of the many vegetable parts used.
Q: Do all the herbs come from China?
A: From 15-20% of the standard Chinese repertoire of 500 ingredients originated from outside China. The Chinese have adopted and incorporated irito their materia medica herbs from all over the world. What makes these "Chinese" herbs is that they are prescribed according to Chinese medical theory and a TCM pattern diagnosis.
Q: Do Chinese herbs work for Western patients?
A: Yes, empirical evidence has proven that Chinese herbal medicine works for Westerners just as well as for Chinese. Remember, China stretches from the subtropics to the northern temperate zone, from sea level to the Himalayas. Its population is made up of a widely diverse gene pool with a wide diversity of lifestyles and diets. In addition, Chinese herbal medicine has been practiced by 100 generations of medical professionals whose experiences are recorded in thousands of surviving books. Thus, the depth of knowledge and experience behind Chinese herbal medicine is one of its strongest features.
Q: How are Chinese herbs taken?
A: The most common method of taking Chinese herbal medicine is as a decoction. This means that the herbs are cooked at a low boil for an hour or more and then strained and drunk 2-3 times per day. However, there are also herbal pills, tinctures, and powdered extracts for those who do not have the time or taste for drinking traditional decoctions.
Q: What are the benefits of drinking Chinese herbs in decoction?
A: This method allows the practitioner maximum flexibility in writing a prescription. They can put in just what is necessary in just the right amounts. The formula can be changed even on a daily basis if necessary and decoctions tend to be more potent then other means of administration.
Q: Why do Chinese decoctions taste so bad?
A: Chinese herbal teas tend to taste very bitter because they are made, mostly from roots and barks where the strongest medicinal ingredients are found. If the formula iscorrectly written, the bad taste should go away after 1-2 days. After that time, the patient may even come to crave the taste. This shows that the medicine is working.
Q: What are the benefits of pills and powders?
A: As mentioned above, these methods of administration avoid the trouble of making freshly brewed decoctions and also avoid their strong, bitter taste. Pills and powders are good for prolonged administration in the case of chronic disease where formulas do not have to be very potent or changed on a frequent basis. Pills and powders are also commonly used to consolidate therapeutic results after a successful course of therapy with decoctions.
Q: Does Chinese herbal medicine have side effects?
A: No, not if the formula has been correctly chosen and written. Most of the medicinals in the Chinese materia medica have a very low toxicity compared to even common, over the counter Western drugs. When they are prescribed according to a correct TCM pattern diagnosis, they should have virtually no side effects, only beneficial healing results. If a patient experiences any discomfort while taking Chinese herbs, they should tell their practitioner, who will then modify their formula until there are no side effects. Since the goal of Chinese medicine is health through balance and since side effects are a sign of imbalance, Chinese medicine does not believe that any side effects are acceptable.
Q: What is Chinese herbal medicine good for?
A: Chinese herbal medicine treats the full range of human disease. It treats acute diseases, like intestinal flu and the common cold, as well as chronic diseases, such as allergies, gynecological disorders, autoimmune diseases, chronic viral diseases, and degenerative diseases due to aging. In particular, Chinese herbal medicine is especially good for promoting the body's ability to heal and recuperate. There are Chinese herbs to supplement the qi and nourish the blood, to fortify the spleen and strengthen the kidneys. Thus Chinese herbal medicine contains medicinals to not only attack evil but to also support the righteous.
Q: How long does it take to sec results with Chinese herbal medicine?
A: In acute conditions, results can be expected in a matter of minutes. In chronic conditions, some results should be seen within two weeks. Although chronic conditions may require taking Chinese herbal medicine for a long time, nonetheless, signs that the medicine is working should be apparent to patient and practitioner alike almost from the very start.
Qi Means Energy
According to Chinese Medical theory, all disorders are the result of disharmonies in the flow of Qi, the Vital Life Force of the body. Therefore, all treatment modalities have only two functions:
• to tonify deficiencies of Qi
• to sedate excesses of Qi

Both of these functions can be achieved with proper treatment.

In order to understand how and why Oriental medicine works, it is necessary to understand the Chinese theory of traumatic injury
In Chinese medicine, all the functions and activities of the world and of our body-mind-spirit in microcosm are the ebb and flow of Qi. If the Qi is imbalanced, the result would be impaired function.

How then does this relate to Sports Medicine and traumatic injury? Problems and injuries are due to the impaired flow of Qi. A sprain or a strain due to exercise or accident is usually a hot pathogenic condition. Therefore, with this diagnosis, specific techniques are employed to disperse the heat and relieve the excess Qi.

I hope this helps give you some background as to how Chinese medicine can assist you in receiving more balance in your body that can affect sexual health. Another area to which a lot of my clients ask me about in terms of my services, but do not fully understand what it is exactly is ENERGY MEDICINE. So let me share a little about this important service as well. The article below from Global Medicine should help better define what Energy Medicine is and how it is beneficial in an Eastern sexuality practice, seeing that Love and Sex BOTH have their own verifiable energy!

ENERGY MEDICINE
When we talk about energy, we are really referring to two kinds of energy fields: veritable energy fields, which can be measured, and putative energy fields, which cannot be measured with our current technology.

Veritable energy fields include things like vibrational energy (sound), and electromagnetic forces such as visible light, magnetism and monochromatic radiation (lasers). There are many well established uses of measurable energy fields in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Some of these include: magnetic resonance imaging, laser eye correction surgery, cardiac pacemakers, radiation therapy and UV light therapies for psoriasis and seasonal affective disorder. There are also a few less researched therapies that use this type of energy. Magnetic therapy involves the use of magnets, which are placed on the body to relieve pain. Sound energy therapy (also sometimes known as vibrational therapy) involves using tuning forks to create certain healing sound frequencies that resonate with the body to promote healing. Music therapy is another type of sound energy therapy—listening to music has been shown to lower blood pressure and to reduce pain and anxiety.

Most frequently, the term energy medicine refers to techniques that involve the putative energy fields. Although it has not yet been able to be measured by conventional methods, therapists who work with this type of energy claim that they can see it with their own eyes or that they can sense it with their hands or bodies. The field of energy medicine involving putative energy fields is based on the fundamental premise that all physical objects (bodies) and psychological processes (thoughts, emotions, beliefs and attitudes) are expressions of energy. Therefore, all bodies are believed to be infused with a "subtle" energy or life force. This life force is known by a variety of terms corresponding to different traditions. In traditional Chinese medicine it is called qi (pronounced CHEE), in the Judeo-Christian tradition it is called spirit, and in Ayurvedic medicine it is represented in the doshas.

In therapies involving this subtle energy field, it is believed that health is determined by the overall flow and balance of a person's vital life force energy. Imbalances or blockages in the natural flow of the subtle energy fields in the body cause illness. Therapies such as acupuncture and acupressure are all believed to act by correcting imbalances in the flow of subtle energy along the meridians, or energy channels. In therapies such as healing touch, Reiki and even prayer, a healer is believed to emit or transmit the vital energy to a recipient as a way to restore health.

Qigong and Tai Chi

These related therapies originated in the medical system developed centuries ago in China called Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). These techniques involve the use of meditation, movement and breath regulation to improve or rebalance the flow of vital energy. These slow, gentle movements can be performed by virtually anyone, regardless of age or fragility. Research has shown that regular use of qigong or Tai Chi exercises can improve circulation, improve immune function and promote a relaxation response in the body. In China today, these therapies are used in many hospitals along with conventional medicine to treat cancer, heart disease and digestive problems.

Whole Medical Systems

Two practices of note that place equal weight on the body, mind and spirit are ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Ayurveda, meaning "science of life," is a system of medicine that has been practiced in India for thousands of years. As one of the original holistic medical systems, it is practiced in a very individualized manner. Dr. Deepak Chopra played a key role in introducing this medical system to a Western audience. The system, like Traditional Chinese Medicine and Tibetan Medicine, is based on the view that everything is composed of five basic elements—space, air, fire, water and earth. In ayurvedic, it is believed that these elements combine to form three different metabolic and energetic body types, called doshas. Treatments are prescribed according to dosha type, and include a combination of diet, exercise (yoga), meditation, herbs, massage, exposure to sun and breathing exercises (pranayama).

Other news to share: We are still hoping air fares will come down by MARCH to plan a group tour to INDIA this APRIL/MAY through my sister company, www.AffordableIndia.Com. These tours are open to singles or couples and personally led by myself to show you INDIA's BEAUTIFUL Soul-lessons in the cities of Delhi-Agra-Jaipur. If interested, please read through our trip's itinerary online and call directly to learn more about registering with the group.

Our FIRST Free TANTRA & EASTERN Meet up group in my home last night went splendid. For all those who desire to study twice a month for FREE the Eastern principles please email me about how to join the online group. Our next group meeting is set for January 28th and we will be watching the movie KAMA SUTRA by Mira Nair.

Knowing how long this particular newsletter has been, I will end this and look forward to seeing you soon! Look for my ads in the Albany METROLAND newspaper weekly! Remember: mornings are best to speak to me directly! See you soon!