Benefit #8: It trains your hands to recognize the needles you use.
As I said in an earlier post, the more you handle different metals, the better your hands become and detecting the differences between, say, silver and steel, or between two different alloys of steel. The one-handed turn facilitates the development of this skill, since you will be handling your needles with a relaxed hand that is ‘open’ to the Qi.
In addition, if you use several different needles in your practice (I use five different needles with regularity), you will learn to feel each needle by its weight and length. This means that every time you perform a one-handed turn, your brain will automatically think, “Aha! Here is a Seirin #1, 40mm!” By the time you have loaded the needle for use, you have already put your mind and intention where it needs to be to make the best use of your needle.
You can try this for yourself: Pick up any needle without using the turn, and put it into position as though you were going to insert it. As the needle reaches where your client’s skin would be, you will have a moment when you feel yourself adjusting for the length of the needle. The turn removes this momentary hesitancy because you will ‘recognize’ the needle as you feel it load with the one-handed turn, allowing you to focus more fully on the treatment point and your needle technique.
