Today was to be all about learning the basics of a cool Korean acupuncture technique called Korean Hand Therapy (KHT) but it turned out to be more than that.
A couple of stops from the metro station where I had to go for the KHT basic session was Dongdaemun which was supposed to have a good mall and market to look around. What I found after a little wondering around was The Dongdaemun History & Culture Park. This building was such a greta piece of architecture that I decided I had to have a look around and I was not disappointed. This building designed by the Iraqi/British Architect Dame Zaha Hadid was so modern and looks so amazing, both on the inside and out. I liked the museum section which displays the items as you walk up the long slope to the top. Check out the photos to see what I mean. They had a design shop with lots of quirky objects you could buy, including a 3D figure of yourself after your photo had been taken in special booth.
Looking around the Dongdaemun History & Culture Park took me most of the morning and left me with just enough time to get to Anna the KHT teacher who I’d arranged to meet. She is great and explained the the basics of the system. It was very logical and made total sense. The middle finger represents the head, neck and shoulder. The fingers either side represent the arms. The thumb and little finger represent the legs. The palm represents the organs and the hand corresponds with the back.
We also looked at how we could find out my ying and yang organs to see which was the strongest by comparing artery sizes. The best outcome for the body is for the 4 arteries to be the same size. Anna demonstrated how I could work towards this balance with little sticking plasters with a metal dimple on it called pellets. She stuck them on the acupuncture points which related to each artery.
Another part of this system I found really interesting is the distance healing they offer. Patients and doctors agree a time to send and receive the treatment with the doctor pressing the correct, for the patients symptoms, acupuncture points on a representative figure in the Seoul headquarters. I have been reading about interesting research in America which demonstrates a connection between two people who are a distant apart. So I am seeing evidence as to why this may work.
I really liked this system and did notice a change in my body with regards to the KHT points that had been manipulated. If I had enough time in Seoul I would have completed the practitioner level one course. There is a course in London so I will be able to do it there when I get back or I may pop back into Korea when I head back toward the UK. Either way, I am going to try and qualify in Korean Hand Therapy/Acupuncture.
Anna and another teacher left me with some very nice little gifts to practice the basics of KHT until I can do the course.
