I recently attended a three-day seminar on Toyohari acupuncture in Melbourne. Three masters from Tokyo gave lectures, provided practical demonstrations and gave advice on needling techniques.
I was so inspired and so happy to be attending the seminar, studying under the masters and with my peers, refreshing and extending my acupuncture knowledge, techniques and experience. I fell in love with Toyohari acupuncture all over again!
One of the things I adore about acupuncture is the depth and breadth of knowledge available through ancient and modern texts, as well as the living masters: there is always something more to learn, or something which can be understood with more depth or subtlety. In the Toyohari system, the masters are continually reviewing our system of acupuncture, which is based on ancient meridian therapy. They are constantly investigating techniques and theories to further develop our skills, in order to help our patients on the path to healing and balance.
Some of you may know that Toyohari is practiced largely by blind practitioners in Japan, which is why diagnosis is heavily focussed on palpation (stroking and touching the meridians), abdominal diagnosis and feeling the pulse. The blind practitioners almost seem to have supernatural powers; they have incredibly sensitive hands and fingers which significantly enhances their diagnostic abilities and needling techniques. They are also especially proficient at diagnosing the tone and quality of a person’s voice and relating it to their primary pattern of disharmony.
Taniuchi sensei is blind and has been practicing acupuncture for over 40 years. He is an amazing acupuncturist and a kind, generous and patient teacher. I just love this photo I took of him during the seminar. He loves arm wrestling and in this photo is flexing his biceps to show how strong he is. Apparently, if a potential suitor wants to go out with his daughter, he first has to beat Taniuchi sensei at arm wrestling!
