The poetry of touch : alchemy, transformation & oriental medicine

Chris McAlister is currently one of the most prominent ambassadors of Shiatsu and the Asian way of life in the West. In this comprehensive and easy to read book, he takes the reader on a journey right into the heart of Oriental medicine and how it overlaps with modern Western science and philosophy. His profound knowledge and experience are conveyed by stories peppered with personal experiences, case studies and anecdotes. Sometimes poetic and sometimes straight from the heart, he explains how energy manifests itself, whether it is the Five Spirits, the I Ching or Traditional Chinese Medicine.

In The Poetry of Touch the author offers the reader a look into the perspective of a practitioner who has spent most of his life exploring the ins and outs of East Asian Medicine. Given his grounding in shiatsu, he naturally comes from a place of highly valuing the art of touch in the practice of traditional medicine.

He shares anecdotes and wisdom from a long and circuitous journey in East Asian Medicine. He references the classics, especially the Yijing the Book of Changes the primary source for Chinese philosophy and worldview. Unraveling the symbols and images that are foreign to westerners, but imbedded in the collective unconscious, he lays out the implications of this foundational text in the practice of medicine. Chris unpacks the healing arts of Oriental Medicine with respect and a genuine feeling for what is essential, and in so doing refreshes it and paves the way for the next generation of practitioners.

Chris honors the diversity and full depth of East Asian medicine. Not just as a monolith of ancient knowledge, but as a living breathing truth that has to be rediscovered in the life and practice of each practitioner. This is a brilliant example of the path of mastery, which we are all on every time we consciously choose to cultivate this living tradition.