A Journey into TCM Wisdom for Balanced Living: Making Peace with Heat by Yining Lu

Dear beloved Open Spirit community:

It has been around two months since I flew back to China for summer.

I have been missing Open Spirit a lot for its vitality, diversity, nourishment, and all those inspiring people I met. Just the thought of returning for another year of internship fills my heart with an instant and indescribable excitement.

For these past two months, I had travelled tremendously and spent precious time with beloved family members and friends. I have also spent a week living with practitioners in a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) center, which I had known for nearly 8 years. With such experience, I have been thinking of starting a series of blog posts about healing practices, wellness concepts, and life attitudes in China. I want to share my experiences, surprises, and learnings with the beloved Open Spirit community.

Wish you all a restful and recharging summer!

With best regards,

Yining Lu

A Journey into TCM Wisdom for Balanced Living: Making Peace with Heat

Seeking an immersive experience in holistic healing in China, I was fortunate to spend 7 days living at a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) center in Beijing.

The center is called “Love of Moxa”, with moxa referring to dried mugwort leaves used in moxibustion therapy. Moxibustion originated in ancient China and has served as one of the principal treatments in TCM for thousands of years. Practitioners burn moxa around meridian points, stimulating a smooth flow of blood and Qi (vital life force) in the body. The center chose moxibustion as its primary therapeutic method, inspired by a well-known saying from the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon (Huang Di Nei Jing): “Where medicine proves ineffective and acupuncture cannot reach, moxibustion must be applied.”

At the heart of TCM is the dynamic balance of Yin and Yang—a fundamental concept that highly influenced the birth and development of Chinese culture, including Confucianism and Daoism. While the principle of Yang and Yin could be the subject of extensive study, it could also land on very perceptible aspects of everyday life, for example, in the contrast between feelings of warmth and coldness. The heat, the warmth, the smooth and powerful flow you feel when moxa is burning—this is Yang. The coldness, the stuckness, the sense of blockage within the body—this is Yin.  The moxa used in moxibustion is considered the most Yang substance in the world. Thus, it serves as the best tool to carry Yang energy deeply into the body to restore a healthier balance. Sometimes, moxa is also used to dispel negative or stagnant energies, including “evil spirits”.

To be honest, one of the very first impressions I had at the center was: “Why is this place so hot?” Despite the scorching summer heat—around 100°F— the practitioners never turned on the air conditioning. I had a miserable first night, as it took me several hours to fall asleep due to the heat. During the daytime, there were also moxibustion services happening in every room—with the greatest Yang energy in the world. The drink provided was brown sugar ginger tea—another great combination to warm up every cell inside your body. Although I initially tried to orient my one-week stay with some legitimate “research questions,” my most urgent focus became understanding and making peace with this overwhelming sense of heat.

Surprisingly, everybody else seemed to be physically sweating yet psychologically calm. I questioned the practitioners for their experiences. The most common answer I got was that this level of heat is precisely what our bodies need to “open” the cells and trigger perspiration. According to TCM theory, because we are accustomed to air-conditioned spaces and cold foods and drinks, we’ve built habits that close us up, and we’ve built up the sticky and turbid dampness which obstructs the natural flow of Qi and blood. Sweating is the best way to let the long-stored dampness out. Initially, sweating might feel sticky, smelly, and uncomfortable. Yet, they invited me to observe one of the most senior moxibustion therapist, who has stayed at the center for ten years. Her sweat was astonishingly clear and transparent—almost as if it was pure water.

A drawing creating by a customer at Love of Moxa, depicting the Fire Dragon Moxibustion Treatment.

Initially, I felt a bit resistant to attributing my discomfort to my internal dampness. The problem, I thought, is with the external heat, not me. Yet, observing the senior moxibustion therapist’s clear, odorless, water-like sweat compelled me to admit that it held some truth. People often equate what’s “usual” or “common” with what’s “right” or “good.” What if my resistance is a signal for something that I have been so accustomed to— something deep inside me—that needs to be changed and healed? What if bearing a period of discomfort is necessary for a truly balanced state of being?

I then started to wonder: why did Love of Moxa deliberately cultivate such an intensely heated environment? What does Yang Qi mean for them? As I let go of my initial resistance and discomfort toward the intense heat, I gradually became more attuned to a softer, subtler warmth that flowed steadily beneath it. While Yang Qi was strongly transmitted through moxibustion treatments, the space also seemed to support clients’ inner balance in quieter ways. During my stay at the center, I was always met with genuine smiles. People often put the most delicious dishes in front of me during meals, and some even chose to wake up early to cook famous dishes from their hometowns for me. They showed deep curiosity about my life and were equally open to share their own. The connection felt so astonishingly natural and quick. I sensed some accumulated coldness and stiff boundary inside me began to melt into a warmer and natural flowing state of being.

TCM is centered on holistic well-being, aiming to harmonize everything from our daily eating habits to how we relate to others. Thus, Love of Moxa chose to infuse the space with Yang Qi, a warm and vital energy that not only activates the body’s natural internal flow but also fosters a dynamic and heartwarming exchange of energy between people. Moxibustion without love could not have any healing effect. Practitioners without rightful and balanced Yang Qi could never provide true wellness services. As a result, they practice meditation and Qigong, cook simple vegetarian meals, and recite Buddhist sutras every day. At 7:15am, they always gather to make vows—dedicating their day’s moxibustion services to relieve the suffering of all beings. They are asked to be mindful of their everyday intentions and actions, trying to bring the most authentic and powerful love and positive energy to the world.

I have often wondered: what does it truly mean to be a healer? What does true healing even mean? Maybe it isn’t just about relieving pain swiftly or inspiring new insights in others. Perhaps success or effectiveness shouldn't be measured solely by tangible outcomes, but by our ability to fully step into authentic warmth—immersing ourselves in Yang Qi—and, through that, activating the world around us with this powerful and universal energy.