Institut für Aus- und Weiterbildung
in Chinesischer Medizin

The mid-space or midline is a concept which has always played an important role in East Asian Medicine, Internal Cultivation as well as in Osteopathy.

The Midspace can be seen as the most vital axis in the body, a healthy functioning Midspace is crucial for health. Opening up the midspace can trigger a great response of the self-healing mechanism in the whole body.

In East Asian Medicine and Inner Cultivation traditions we find many references to the Mid-space. It is narrowly connected with the ideas about the Extraordinary Vessels which have developed over the last 2000 years. From East Asian Medical and Inner Cultivation perspectives the Du, Ren and Chong Mai are all expressions of the Mid-space. In some Inner cultivation texts we can find also the mentioning of an even more central aspect, the Huang Dao, the Yellow Pathway or Central Vessel. This correlates also with understanding of the Central Vessel as it is seen in the Tantric traditions. Also, from Osteopathic and Cranial-Sacral perspectives the Mid-space is a very important concept and closely related to the Embryonic development.

We can see the Mid-space as the core of our system, or as the central axis, on which our whole system organizes itself around. In the clinical setting, the free flow in and openness of the Mid-space is essential. If we are able to palpate the mid-space , are able to feel healthy or pathological manifestations and are able to open  up the midspace, we can greatly improve the whole self-reorganizing ability of the system.

Another aspect of the Mid-space is the concept that the Central Channel along with the Chong, Ren and Du Mai are all transmitters of the Yuan Qi 元氣 (Primal Qi), another pointer to the vital importance of this axis.
We have to realize that the Mid-space is narrowly related with all the other channels, be it Extraordinary Vessels, Primal Channels, Divergent channels, Collaterals as well as the Viscera .Also it is narrowly related to different aspects of Qi, Blood and Fluids.

Ignition is a palpable process in which we perceive comprehensive transformations related to the influence of the Yuan Qi 元氣  (Primal Qi) on the body. These transformations express themselves as improved coherence, communication, connections and organization.
Ignition could be viewed as a kind of super De Qi 得氣 , a situation in which the whole system makes a major shift towards a therapeutic change. If it happens it is a pretty reliable measure that some significant and lasting shift in momentum of the health of the patient took place.

This is not something which can be forced and not necessarily happens in every treatment. But we can facilitate this process and once so often it can happen in a clinical setting. For being able to facilitate this process the practitioner needs to rest in the SSIO (Setting, Suppling, Integrating and Opening) to the best of their capacity. By recognizing the Shi 勢 (propensity) and Ji 機 (Qi dynamic) the practitioner could estimate if he or she has an opportunity to facilitate the Ignition. It deserves a certain amount of Yi 意(Attention/Awareness) of the practitioner.

Ignition is also closely related to the Mid-space and its dynamics. So, a basic understanding of the Mid-space and the ability to palpate the Mid-space is crucial here at this stage.