Incense moxibustion? Yes.

Yes, yes, you read that right, incense moxibustion! This kind of moxa is perhaps the softest performed type of moxibustion. It's included in the Oknyu category (it means indirect and warming moxibustion). To do this technique is like apply a chinese moxa stick. Its calorific value is poor, except that you use a very caloric incense like Ito-thermie's incense. Really, you don't need large amount of heat for stimulate the body. The most important is to feel the status of the point and if it's empty you can use this technique (is important for this technique, and others, to develope your skill on palpation). For this technique you can choose one of the two classic incense thicknesses (the thickner is less brittle and more powerful). Moxibustion incense is ideal for pediatric treatment due you don't requires cones (with that, you substantially minimizes the risk of burn). A famous pediatric point (it is always advisable to include it in a pediatric treatment) is VG12 (promotes health of children in general). If children are babies, you should perform this technique with a soft peck (only 5 pecks per application is sufficient to 0 13/64in (0,5 cm) from the skin). Usually people thinks that it seems insufficient but on fact you should be prudent because the overtreatment is very easy and common. You must remember that the secret is in the place of application and the status of the point, not in the amount of stimuli. You can do this soft application on the point, without burning the baby of course, while the mother holds the baby in her arms.

Seems easy but....How to lit tiny moxa cones.

Indeed, it may seem an easy maneuver but in fact this can make you lose your patience. You need to remember two general rules: 1. Avoid the ash on the incense. 2. Lit the cone with a gentle incense's caress. I want to make a comment on the the fact of lit moxibustion cones. Obviously, small cones of direct moxa should be lit with an incense because if you use a lighter you will not need the cone (I'm sure of this). But, something that is not obvious, and is common, is the fact that people lit large cones with a lighter because usually they think: "If I have big cone, I will need a large flame". Nothing is further from reality, the energy system is very subtile and when we lit a cone with a lighter, the energy system become stressed by the amount of flame and noise of the lighter. So much better is use to lit all our cones (large and small) with an incense because in this way we will not disturb Qi. This only makes an exception and that is: With large cones and searching a dispersing effect you can use a lighter. Health and moxa!

Do you have problems to plant your cones? How to apply moxa cones

Usually this topic get beginners nervous because all we ever found a sticky cone due to sweaty hands. The following video is about how to apply direct moxibustion cones on the traditional way. Pay attention to ejection movement and smoothness on application. It's like "landing on the moon". It's important to have your hands or fingers dry (with practice it becomes better sure). To facilitate this maneuver, adhesive substances can be used. Classically ancient japanese people used saliva (today is in disuse), today we can moisten the point with water (keep watch too much because it can turn off the cone) or alcohol (be careful because it can cool too the point). Another popular option is the use of creams as shiunko although any Alohe Vera's cream can be a good substitute (these substances often have the bonus of facilitating healing in case of burn). The mental projection will be of great help. If you take care of these aspects will not leave your soul behind a rebel cone! Health and okyu!

My cones and me.

My cones and me....I need to reflect on the cones and their variables: a) Size of the cone. This is an aspect to work to adapt our cones to the situation of the patient and the technique that we will perform. Conventionally there is a range extending from the thread cone size to the "mouse deposition cone". Exceptionally, there are the Fukaya's cones based on the size of rice grain but slightly taller. General rule: as smaller the cone, more stinging. As bigger the cone, more burning sensation. b) Form of the cone. The cone should grow perpendicular to the point. A common mistake among beginners is to make L-shaped cones, but that error is usually caused by problems in cutting the cone.

c) Density of the cone (I recommend to read the article "How does moxa work?" by Jenny Craig and Merlin Young in NAJOM (North American Journal of Oriental Medicine) number 51 volume 18 March 2011. In that article, they are researching on the control of dosing and the thermal effects of the application of direct moxibustion). General rule: as tight are cones, slower combustion. Spongy cones, faster combustion. d) Consistency in construction. The cone should be firm. e) Quality of moxa used. The quality of the moxa is directly related to the speed of combustion. High quality moxa (ideal Japanese moxa) has two main properties: fast combustion and allows a good rolling of the cones. That is one link to Kobayashi-Rouho Company, they produce high quality moxa (site in english and japanese. In their site you can see graphic descriptions of manufacturing process) f) Level of essential oils. The age of the product is a condition for the amount of essential oils. In the Japanese clinical appearance (and traditionally) of direct moxibustion, it's more importance to get the burn that to have good oils. Anyway, quality moxa always have years of drying. These are some of the variables of the making of the cones, enough to reflect on your cones. There are other variables in the ignition and in the off, on the use of other tools such as the tube or adhesive-protective substances but... this will be issues for other posts. Thanks to Adam McIntosh who also reflects about the cones in the same Najom's issue as Jenny and Merlin.

How to make a moxa cone (Step by step)

The making of tiny cones used in direct moxibustion is an art. There are many variables in play (there will be a future post dedicated to them) to get a good cone. Hideo Shinma sensei says that the secret of a good application of direct moxa is to make good cones and specifically to make a good base. From these words it is clear that the most important thing is the continued practice of making cones. It's simple! The following video is one of the most basic ways to make cones, although there are other ways to make them: with both hands and thumbs, making a moxa string with your hands or with wood pieces and after break the matrix in different cones, rolling perpendicular or rolling horizontally over the index finger, etc ... Depending on the style, the patient and the desired effect, we need different cones with different and specific characteristics. You can choose the system that is most comfortable to you and where you get more speed (there are japanese moxa schools where the condition to access to their courses is to get a speed of 200 cones in 10 minutes). Don't be afraid!! You can be sure that if you practice daily you can achieve a good level very quickly (the experts calculate three months). After practicing the way to do, you should practice size. After the size you can practice the speed. If you are a beginner, you don't be worried about size and speed. You only have to have on mind the quality. And remember: the secret is in the base.

How to use bamboo in direct moxibustion

The use of bamboo as tool associated with the practice of direct moxibustion is very unknown because the only idea that seems to be a bit popular is the application to reduce the burning sensation. Its applications are many and their uses vary according to the style practiced. Bamboo can be used to: 1) Reduce the burning sensation. Uptake of stimuli applied to the body is performed at different speeds, depending on the type of stimulus. The touch or pressure stimulation is faster relative to uptake by the central nervous system. The needle sensation is the second fastest, burning is the third and last, and slower, pain. The application of pressure around the cone at the time it reaches the skin burn uptake decreases the burning sensation. Through this mechanism direct moxibustion won (and continues to gain more and more) adepts to the benefits of this therapy. 2) Diagnose: The pressure on the skin of bamboo allow detect congestion and stagnation in the tissues. After applying pressure we can see that most congested tissues express a change of color (red or purple). With this application we can decide better which point should be treated with moxa.

3) Treatment: Pressure with bamboo can generate a suction effect (cupping effect) and facilitate the decongestion of tissues. 4) Avoid injury of Wei Ki (defensive energy) to access deeper. Depending on the style practiced, bamboo should be applied at a specific time or another. To avoid painful sensation and also minimize maximum the burn, we should apply the tube when the cone is burning at 50%. When we want to minimize the feeling (no matter the burn) we have to apply heavy pressure when the cone is 85% combustion.

Bamboo and direct moxibustion

This is the first entry in that blog but that blog has a brother blog in Spanish (with many more old entries www.harikyu-in.blogspot.com). I recommend you to be brave and try with the online translators. What kind of bamboo tube can be interesting for me? This is usually a question that many people do when they think that they need a bamboo for direct moxibustion practice, so this post is going about it. Something that is usually around the head is: Where I can find it? One option is to do it yourself but you will need a bamboo plant in your garden (or in your neigbort's garden) or to go to a gardenshop and buy a piece (if you opt for the latter, never buy painted or varnished bamboos cause the heat would spoil it). Another option is to buy directly from a specialized store (that is almost exclusive to Japan). Sankei company provides a wide variety of them (www.oq83.jp and not suffer because their catalog is is also in English). Often, another question is: Do I really need that my tube will be a bamboo? Not really, but the fact is the bamboo has its own reasons. The first reason are traditional and cultural reasons, obviously bamboo was the first material used in the development of the moxa's tube. We must thank Isaburo Fukaya sensei because he was the developer of bamboo as a key tool in the practice of direct moxa (traditionally japanese people used the finger pressure, to pinch or to nail to decrease the painful sensation when someone recived okyu. Fukaya sensei was circling the subject and one day, observing some Japanese traditional brooms (whose handle is bamboo) he thought that a piece of the handle could be ideal for that matter which he tried to find solution. The second reason is the resistance of the material to the exposure of the incandescence of the moxa. The third is the workability of the material and the fourth is the durability of the material (still in use, today, is the preserved original Fukaya's bamboo). If you don't have bamboo you can opt for others canes (which you can find near wetlands and rivers) but not as tough as cracking with the heat and the time, or synthetic materials such as hard plastic pipes.

We will analyze the photo accompanying this post so you can choose to either: 1)Isaburo Fukaya classic bamboo. Made of current bamboo and measuring approximately 4 23/32in x 0 5/8in (diameter) and with a wall thickness of 0 5/64in. One closed end and a smoothing "nose" to make more pleasant your application. It is used to apply special dimension cones (cone Fukaya is basically like a grain of rice but taller). This bamboo makes sense that the value of the okyu application is in the power of controlled burn. 2) Mizutani's bamboo. Designed by Junji Mizutani. Made of bamboo stream but with different characteristics. It has two spaces separated by the natural knot of bamboo. The larger space (3 5/32mm long) is used as the classic bamboo 1), and the lower (0 63/64 mm long) intended to contain less oxygen inside and thus facilitate the progressive shutdown, but exact, of the cone. Its inner diameter is the same as the classic Fukaya although the wall thickness is smaller. It is ideal when in your technique primes that the patient does not feel anything at all. Cones used are very small (mean size of rice grain, sesame or moxa thread). 3) Bamboo Classic Deluxe. This is a bamboo with the same dimensions and uses as the classic bamboo. The difference is in the material used in its construction, this is a special bamboo called black bamboo. This bamboo is much expensive and difficult to find, often it is used in inner decoration. 4) Motoshiro's bamboo. Designed by Hirato Motoshiro. This piece is a re-version of classic bamboo. Made of current bamboo, with dimensions similar to the classic. There are two capsules, both have same dimensions. One have the same desing as the classic bamboo and the other is modified with a series of holes to control the progress of combustion and to prevent the take off the tube before the cone reaches the skin. It is ideal for beginners in the art of bamboo okyu. The next post will deal with the various applications that have the bamboo according to the different techniques and styles.