I go to see a Chinese Medicine Doctor twice a week.
For the Western mind, this seems indulgent, perhaps alarming, that a doctor would want to treat a patient so often. I realize how the Western concept of health and medicine is quite constrained and myopic when addressing a person’s health.

In Chinese Medicine, the idea of health is overall, encompassing the body, mind, energy, spirit. The body has meridians (qi-flowing channelse) that circulate through the body, feeding a natural cycle that nourishes the organs. When these channels are congested, the entire cycle becomes congested. If the flow is not somehow reinstated, the qi stagnates and begins to go thru stages of solidification, which over a period of time will result in dis-ease.

In the Western mind, when dis-ease suddenly appears, we look to the last year, month, week before we knew about it for the cause. For example, “I have a herniated disc. I threw it out last week when I bent over to pick something up.” For the Westerner, it was that instance that the back decided to wonk out. But this kind of injury was long in the making, years of postural issues, weakness, lifestyle choices that invoke a stagnation of your qi, which eventually resulted in a herniated disc (dis-ease).

Chinese Medicine is what Westerners call “preventative.” Overall health in China has culturally been more widely encouraged in daily walks to parks, movement, massage, taiqi, etc. To visit a park in the early morning in Beijing, you will find the elderly walking around clapping their hands (this stimulates qi in the arms), banging their bodies softly against trees (people believe tree energy is nourishing), practicing tai qi (cultivating the flow of their qi), playing chess, singing in groups, dancing (line dancing and ballroom!), banging on drums, sword play and more…I love that this behavior is so socially accepted, ingrained into the way of life. No one gets bent out of shape as they walk by me standing in a meditation, staring at a fixed point, so still, for 30 minutes or more. It’s acceptable. Where in the West, perhaps people would be quite concerned about my strange behavior; here in Beijing, it’s completely “normal.”

So culturally, already, the Chinese are living more naturally (although in this fast modernization, this is less true) than Westerners. Massage and doctors are easily accessible and affordable (although this is also less true as the standard of living costs more and more) for most people, and it is widely used to reconfigure the one’s overall health.

The mind follows the body. Not the other way around. Therefore, you cannot think “ok spine, you are gonna lengthen up and that disc is gonna go back in to where it belongs.” It’s not gonna happen.

I go to see the Chinese Dr twice a week because I want my body’s meridians to be more at ease. Acupressure (a hardcore kind of massage) and acupuncture (needles put into qi points along meridians) continue to amaze me as my awareness deepens in my body. I learn the natural way of things. I am completely tripping out on it all.

Here’s my situation: I have weakness and stagnated qi in certain areas of my body, and because of the way in which I lived my life so far, in a very YANG(male energy) state of being (meaning I was VERY active all the time, pushing myself to my limits physically, burning myself out, I caused great constriction in the meridians, and great dryness in my organs, muscles, tissues, fascia). The dryness makes it very easy for me to have “fire” in my body, which can result in skin irritation/itchiness, belly issues, migraines and more. Examples of causing fire in the body: Going to bed very late, drinking alcohol, eating fire foods like fried, salty, spicy, lamb, garlic, peanuts, will cause someone like me, who lacks moisture to have exceeding amounts of fire. The doctor opens up my channels, shows them how to flow, and slowly, the moisture, meaning my YIN (feminine energy) returns to quell the desert fire that was out of control for many years. Fascinating.

As she’s doing this to my body, I’m noticing HUGE changes in my mental state. Before, I could get quite obsessive in my thoughts. This has to do with the stomach/spleen meridian, which for me, was very undernoursihed, very depleted. As the energy flow becomes more plentiful, more natural, my mental state is much stabler, calmer, clearer. My mind is following the body.

Without the Chinese Dr, I would not be able to make these energetic changes to my physical body, because the imbalance in my qi-flow had my mind following its trends (imbalance) which resulted in thinking too much. I could not “will” my mental state into calm, rather, the body had to change first.

Am I making sense?

I have been going to see the Doctor since last year in November. So you can understand, this is a process to heal and raise the body into a more natural state. You can not just go once or twice and expect that everything will be healed. This is a lifestyle change too, as the more you heal, the more you prefer to adhere to a healthier way of living, ie. maybe you won’t have 5 beers, you’ll have 1. maybe you’ll eat a piece of pie, but not 3. maybe you’ll decide to go to sleep at 10:30 instead of 1am. Natural things that make healthy sense.

I am learning so much! I’m grateful that I speak fluent (ish) Mandarin. The Doctor and I speak about what is happening, how it is happening. I relay my sensations to her, but she already knows what they are, because she is also plugging into my energy and can feel it very sensitively in her own body. Remarkable. Often times we end up smiling in amazement at this natural process.

The 5 elements, which I have spoken about before in past blogs, is a cycle. Just as they relate to the seasons, they also relate to corresponding organs. The meridians feed into each other. You can check more about this thru my dear friend Frances Huang, who is a TCM (and divine foodie) and keeps a website that speaks about all of this in easy, simple language (in English and Chinese!). TO FRANCES CLICK

I’m currently re-vamping my website, but for now I continue to use this format. There are lots of conversations I write into blog form; you can look at the tags to the right of this, and click to see what else is there. I’ll continue to post more about my experiences with the 5 elements in relationship to everything in my life…I find it fascinating, and feel that sharing these experiences is just another way of injecting knowledge into the greater whole which is our human race. Spreading the goodness.
YOU ARE THE GIFT, ARE YOU GIVING IT?
Inspirations ***** Jess

Oh…I do love a good metaphor.

Pat Pattison, my teacher from Berklee and good friend, is re-vamping his “Writing Better Lyrics” book. He’s asked a few of his students to contribute, so I feel like I’ve gone back to school with the exercises in metaphor and object writing (sensational writing). I LOVE IT. Here are a few of my recents:

Quality 1 Concentration– Target idea 1: Meditation

sit bones like little triangular shapes planted into the floor, eyelids closed over, i observe the other senses. acute sounds step forward, car tires pressed into asphalt wooshing past, bus revving like a tired heavy elephant, carelessly exhaling black acrid gasses, birds high pitched squawks crack the silence, staccato notes shot across the yard into my room, my mind takes another turn, towards what my breath is doing. it lingers soft at the nostrils, waiting for my diaphragm to pull it in, down it goes like a rollercoaster or a bird swooping it glides into my guts like water filling a chasm, oo, my lungs opening like an accordion’s folds they stretch wide as though they are lit up with light, the lethargy and languid emotions are invigorated and moisturized like little cobwebs unfolded and stretched long, hwooooahhhhh they are carried like debris with the long river exhale that flows up and out to a vast sea. My spine is a pillar made of small smooth bones stacked like a stone sculpture that is pulled by an upward current, lifted and floating in a soft state of consciousness, little veins pulsing a heart’s beat like little bobbling undulations the buzz low and resonating almost inaudibly bass like a pedal note sticky powder rasping dragging across a heavy thick string at the base of my spine. thoughts tumble towards the breath that now feels like a cascading waterfall that magically circles back up to recycle itself. peering towards the soft places of a third eye, two purple dots face each other in an orange light, essences and hues of a thousand sunsets that smolder at my forehead. my skin relaxes until i do not know it anymore, the bones are still and silent, the breath is no longer an issue as i swim emptily into a deeper, calmer space, where nothing lives, where everything counters the nothing, and my spirit celebrates an expansion and dissipation into a light that i become.

Quality 2 Myopic – Target idea 2: Flirting with a boy

it’s not very clear, like a dirty lens light dust like flour fuzzy figures fanning limbs head blobs turning and morphing into thinner than fatter shapes, a crowd of bodies standing sculptures lean in as i step towards them. this boys brown ginger eyes saucers of light linger on my face, i feel my cheeks pull wider, chin and eyes bow bashfully towards him then the ground, i glance up and his gaze is like a beam that transfixes and immobilizes my being. i drink in his long tawny body, my left leg turns towards him, my hips follow and face his grand figure, his lips parting like curtains, shiny white teeth stand dazzling in his smile, warm like a whiskey dizzily dancing in my skin, i surrender my eyes to his gaze, permit him take his mental photographs, my right hip and shoulder swirl to the left as though i’ve dropped an anchor and cannot stop the force of my momentum… it is strong currents that flow from behind me towards him, this handsome man who holds my gaze like a swami holds the snake high and attentive, in love, from the basket. his fingers floating towards my bare shoulder the tiny many grooves of his fingertips drifting delightfully descend upon the concave dip in my shoulder, easily sliding across my taut collarbone that bows across my chest holding open the chest as a gush of energy like a fast deep water pours from my heart. durrrrrr

Quality 3——– Sherlock Holmes – Target idea 3: Reading my new lover’s mind.

I spy through the thick cut glass the enlarged colors that flower around his eyes in this direct white sun light, flecks of yellow like grains in wood radiate from the black hole, a deep dark ring of ebony outlines the array like deep colored gems that sparkle from his sockets. Long eyelashes flicker like butterflies, i am caught in this visual gazing, i follow this imaginary beam into his being, like a soaring ninja i fly and soar down into his chest, then circle up into his head, i stop this fantasy and fly back into my self, inviting anything he’s got into my space. i hear my own thoughts like little burrs in a field i brush by them and they hook into my consciousness, as i search for little clues and hints in his mannerisms, movements, body language. words he emphasizes bold in font, i see capital letters somersault towards my ears, reading every little space and line as they blend with the words and his subtle intentions, we teeter on the thin taut line that is tethered to each of our hearts, carefully we step in a slow dance that ricochets and ripples the long rope with a vibrating desire. i pick up each crumb he drops to examine it closely with my eyes, devouring each one like a morsel of affection.

The rock project is going really well. I enjoy the power, the practice, the togetherness that my band and I are beginning to gel into. People who checked us out last week at 2 Kolegas were surprised and wanting more. Cool. Next gig with The Heavenly Stems is June 23rd with Ember Swift’s band at 2 Kolegas.

Some of you, who have been long time fans of my acoustic self, are still longing for those kinds of shows. Me too! Even though I’ve been very focused on the rock, I still have lots of love for the singer/songwriter me. So. The Bookworm, June 4th (Saturday) at 9pm. Free Entry.

Peace out!

Greetings from the megacity of Beijing. Springtime is bringing so much newness into my life. Change is a beautiful thing…hope you are enjoying your change of season no matter which hemisphere you are in. One of many joys in my life is my new rock project…we’ve got these dates in May so far. Come out and experience…

My practice. Sunday, March 27, 2011

I question sometimes how much I want to reveal publicly about myself. I teeter between mystery and just giving myself fully over to everyone, because in the end, we’re all human, and NONE of us really know what we’re doing. I figure all the help that can be offered through my own experiences will ultimately elevate us all to deepening awareness and promote inspiration for us all to give what we have. I feel vulnerable to share, and yet, I have such appreciation for people who are willing to put it out there. After all, what’s to hide? We are all in this together.

So I would like to share a little with you about my life practice.

I meditate as daily as I can. There is flexibility in everything. I also practice yoga or movement of some kind (walking, standing qigong meditation, biking, qigong meridian opening exercises) at least 5 times a week. I teach yoga a few times a week (www.yogayard.com), and teach vocal gongfu (my own version of vocal coaching) at a Chinese modern music university, and privately. All my teaching is just another form of learning and practice. In fact, everything in my life is practice. I like this perspective on life, because it implies “ongoing.”

There is a new practice happening in my life lately with my new rock band. I’ve only recently picked up an electric guitar. The power of it is intense. The noises that it produces with the gentlest touches. Uber sensitive. I observe my intimidation and ignorance, but consistently play it anyway to engage in understanding it more. There’s a term in Chinese “SHU FU” which means comfort/comfortable. In the context of me and my electric guitar, I am not YET fully shufu.

Add to this my band. Bassist Gao Fang and my long time Beijing drummer, Zac Courtney, and there is a whole new set of things to consider. The first set of rehearsals I was entrenched in what I was doing with electric guitar, how it would interact with the band, singing these powerful vocals, that I had alot of difficulty applying my arrangement and production skills. Usually, I can easily hear what I want, or direct the player of where I’d like him/her to go, but because I was paying attention to this crazy guitar, I was less so…and it’s cool, it’s just part of the process of practicing. Accepting this makes improving a smoother, easier process.

Our first show was alot of fun. I was able to watch the video of our performance. I cringed alot. A great way to learn….stepping out of the situation to watch it. Challenging and yet so enriching.

What’s good, is that we looked good. What’s better, is now I know how to fine tune, what has to happen next. Things usually don’t progress unless there is awareness. So yes, I am hyper aware of what I gotta do to bring this form of expression into a more “shufu” place. I had a funny thought; most guys don’t think a girl can play electric guitar. At the moment for me, this is kinda true. But not for long. This is my practice now. To be electric gutiar shufu and band shufu.

Next gig in Beijing. April 14th, 2011. Club Yugong Yishan, 9pm
Next gig in USA – Pittsburgh, PA September 3, Ambridge High School Reunion

If you have comments or questions, email me at jessmeider at gmail.com

Yes folks. It’s time.

Weds, March 23rd, 9pm at Club Yugong Yishan in Beijing. 30rmb ticket
I will introduce to you my new rock band, The Heavenly Stems.

We’re gonna give a whirl…all my new material (and a few you might recognize)
Life is good. Rock on.

Zac Courtney on drums
Gao Fang on bass
Jess on electric guitar and hot vox

Don’t be late. You will miss something.

Courtesy of my awesome and talented friends, Ines Brunn and Fede Moro at Natooke, a shop in Beijing that sells fixed-gear bikes and professional juggling equipment, I am now the proud rider of the classic Chinese bicycle, The Flying Pigeon. (Natooke also rents bicycles, sells t-shirts, filter/pollution masks, and my cds)

The Flying Pigeon is very heavy cruiser bike. Not meant for hills (which is just fine here in flat Beijing), it takes some serious thigh strength to get it going, but once it’s rolling…it cruises on like no other. It’s the equivalent of the Cadillac…heavy, low, cruisin’ and solid…my new pimp ride.

PS. Yes, everyone has baskets on their bikes (just about) because it’s practical and awesome.

Greetings Earthlings, from the warm sunny gardens of Pompano, Florida. I have lived the life of a bird this year, taking my leave from the cold, dry, firecracker-ridden city of Beijing (Chinese New Year) for the south south. All I have to say is it’s a brilliant plan. I am sunkissed and heading back to Beijing next week. The month of March is gonna be fun and busy.

First line of business will be rehearsals with my new rock trio, The Heavenly Stems. Yes, Jess and the… We have a gig at Yugong Yishan on the 23rd of March. Will be filmed and photographed. Now that I am a movie star, I gotta step up the rock star part.

Second is the songwriter in a round session I am gonna do on March 9th in conjunction with The Bookworm’s Int’l Literary Festival. All kinds of cool authors, poets and readers will be participating in this. It’s a big deal. Check here for more details: http://www.beijingbookworm.com

If you didn’t know, I play myself, Jess Meider, jazz singer in a new movie that just came out February 1st. It’s the Chinese version of “What Women Want” starring Andy Lau and Gong Li. Two of my original songs are featured from my jazz album “Dao.” I perform “Now is the Time” on stage for the stars, accompany Andy Lau as he sings to Gong Li and apparently later in the movie, another scene features my song “Kiss” in the background. I have not seen the movie yet, but upon my return to Beijing I will make sure I get to the theaters to see it. The preview link is in the blog posted 2 down from this one.

I also want to thank all my fans and friends that send me comments and emails about my music and how it affects their lives. I am learning that there is something soothing about the albums I have so far produced. I hear from all over the world, lately from Germany, Brazil, Norway, England, and the US. When I write the songs, it is a purely pleasurable process that results in a feeling of joy. It’s like pulling something precious from the ocean of energy, and performing the songs is just my expression of all of our potential. Thank you all for your support. I encourage you to spread and share my music to your friends and family. The best way to perpetuate a good thing is to share it.

Catch up on me through Facebook
Check out my web photos on picasaweb, including performance shots, creative endeavors, and friends and fans that I meet as I play shows.
As always, if you want to communicate, email me: jessmeider@gmail.com
More soon.
Peace out***

About 3 years ago I went to my regular weekly jazz show in the picturesque “houhai” lake section of Beijing. I sit down at the bar and say hi to the owner of the club, Lao Li, and he plops down this huge CD with my face on it. “I found this in the Wangfujing Bookshop today. I didn’t know you had this CD!” I was quite perplexed.

I opened it up. It has a picture book about 10 pages long of me. Jessica Meider, Suddenly in 5 Seconds.

I remembered in 2006 I was commissioned to sing a project of famous Chinese old “Pop” songs in English. My extremely fluent in Chinese friend, Dave Moser (the first guy I ever played jazz with in Beijing) had extracted the essence of the songs and translated it in to English. The album was marketed to Chinese people interested in learning English through music. I had sung this project in a couple of hours, was paid and on my way. Completely forgot about it.

Click here to check it out: http://www.yesasia.com/us/suddenly-in-five-seconds-china-version/1010904152-0-0-0-en/info.html

If you know who Andy Lau and Gong Li then you will understand how exciting it is that I am “starring” in a new movie with them!

If you aren’t familiar with these 2 movie stars, Andy Lau and Gong Li are two of Asia’s biggest movie stars. I would say Andy Lau (who is really fun to work with) is equivalent to a “George Clooney” and Gong Li something on the lines of classy/chic “Angelina Jolie.” So it’s a big deal…

The movie is the Chinese version of “What Women Want” (that Mel Gibson film where he can read women’s minds) and I am singing a song off of my jazz album that I wrote called “Now is the Time” in a jazz club scene. I haven’t seen the film yet, but I caught a glimpse of myself in the preview.

The film was released February 1st, 2011 so if you haven’t seen it yet, check it out! The Chinese title is 我知女人心