In my last post, I discussed the importance of Grounding and getting in touch, both physically and energetically, with the energy of the Earth.
And as I mentioned, in my online video course, “Introduction to Qigong and Breathwork“, I included an easy, fun Grounding meditation. Did you check it out yet? If not, please do so.
Here’s an additional “Fun Fact to Know and Tell”:
The Earth has a natural electromagnetic frequency of 7.83 Hertz. This is called the Schumann Resonance and is also referred to as the “Earth’s heartbeat”.
Did you know that the human brain, in a healthy state, also resonates at a frequency of 7.83 Hertz? Not a coincidence!
Our brains, indeed our entire electromagnetic and biophotonic selves, are in a natural state of resonance with the Earth. In fact, the Schumann Resonance is thought to affect our health and wellbeing, including our sleep, mood, and even consciousness.
This is why we often feel good when we are out in Nature, as it allows us to get connected to the Earth’s frequency and essentially become entrained with the Earth. This in turn has a positive effect on our moods and emotions and promotes a feeling of wellbeing and calmness.
WARNING: Interrupted Transmission
However, if you live in an urban environment, or a suburban area that is undergoing development, you are subject to human-generated EMF emissions – from radios, cell phone towers, and the electricity that hums around us in our homes and offices. These types of EMFs are NOT at 7.83 Hertz and are NOT in synch with our natural frequency. They can crowd out the Schumann Resonance, leaving you feeling depleted, moody, low energy, etc. etc.
Getting back into resonance with the Earth is easy. Make it a habit to sit our stand outside in your bare feet (or socks if it’s cold), preferably in the vicinity of trees. Breathe naturally and deeply and relax. Do your grounding meditation or just sit and enjoy. This is just about the easiest health practice I can possibly recommend, but it’s also one of the most powerful!
To show you just how easy it is, please see the photo below. This is Zuzu and Clinty sitting in their favorite spot, grounding and resonating with the Earth. They look pretty happy don’t they?
One of the most important and useful skills one can learn from studying Qigong is that of Grounding.
We implicitly understand the importance of grounding. Think of phrases such as, “She’s such a grounded person”; “This idea is grounded in facts and evidence”; “Twenty-one Quotes to Help Keep You Grounded”; and so forth.
And of course, one of my favorites: Casey Kasem, the American Top 40 Guy, used to close every show with “Keep your feet on the ground, but keep reaching for the stars”.
Most people don’t know how to ground. Practices such as yoga and meditation reference it, as do certain flavors of Western breathwork. I know I’m biased, but…from experience I have found the grounding techniques of Medical Qigong and Chinese Energetic Medicine are the most straightforward and effective. With a little practice, you can learn how to tap into the gentle energy of Mother Earth and, within a few minutes, become centered and grounded. And staying centered and grounded helps you better manage – even transform – stress and anxiety.
Why Is Grounding So Important?
The power of the Earth’s energy, or Earth Qi (pronounced “chee”), exists as the living energy of the entire planet. Each one of us is developed, structured, and influenced by the environmental energy around us. So Earth Qi plays an important role in controlling and influencing the specific pattern and overall quality of our life force energy.
The closer you physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually bond with the Earth, and with Nature in general, the easier it becomes for you to tap into our planet’s energy and vibration. The development of Qi within your body and your body’s connection to the energy of the Earth are mutually supportive. They help create a virtuous cycle of improving energy, health, and vitality.
The starting point for achieving this critical connection involves focusing the mind and placing your breathing inside your Lower Dan Tien (lower abdomen). Once you have established this mind-body connection, you can use simple positions (standing or seated) and intentions to connect into Mother Earth.
The ability to consciously absorb energy from Nature is an important skill in Daoist training (my Medical Qigong lineage is Daoist). It’s a prerequisite for cultivating internal energy at a high level.
Learning how to ground and center is one of the most important skills I have learned over the years. Not only is it a foundation for my being able to treat and help people via treatments, corrective exercise, and/or Qigong prescriptions. It’s also an invaluable life skill! I go outside and ground at least once per day – sometimes multiple times per day. I ground inside too when I can’t get outside due to appointments and meetings.
Focus on Energy Management
I often tell my clients and Qigong students to focus less on “time management” and “stress management” and focus more on energy management. Most people are carrying way too much stress and anxiety. If I could impart only one piece of advice, it would be to “Give yourself the gift of breathing (and grounding)”. Take short breathing / grounding breaks throughout the day. Between meetings and calls; when you are switching from one type of task to another; after you’ve had a tough interaction or prior to an important meeting; while you’re driving home and transitioning from work mode to home mode. All are excellent opportunities to breathe and ground. Within a minute or so, you can collect yourself, purge negative energy or emotions, and feel revitalized mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Last Friday, I flew from Austin to Panama City Airport (ECP) to visit my parents and brother. My brother picked my up at the airport and we made the drive from Florida up to the lower southeast corner of Alabama where they live. As we drove, I observed that there is STILL damage visible from Hurricane Michael, a devastating CAT 5 storm that hit the Florida Panhandle back in October 2018. Never expecting that…
…we would be in the path of a hurricane now!
Yes, Hurricane Helene is currently approaching the Florida panhandle, this time drawing a bead on the Big Bend area of the coast. She’s expected to grow to a CAT 4 storm with tremendous, possibly record-setting storm surge along areas of the Florida coast. She’s a “big girl” too – a huge storm whose winds and rains have been hitting our area in Lower Alabama for the past four hours. With more to come.
Our impacts here are yet to be seen, but we’ve been told to expect CAT 1 or CAT 2 hurricane effects. Fortunately, we will be on the west side of the hurricane and not feel the full force about to be endured in Florida and Georgia. Nevertheless, we completed our preparations yesterday. The schools and many businesses are closed today or are closing early. We’re as ready as we can be.
I feel for those folks along the Florida coast, many of whom have endured an increasing number and severity of hurricanes in the past five years. Idalia is the one most cited by folks in the Big Bend area, especially along the barrier islands such as Cedar Key. I hope and pray these folks battened down the hatches as well as they could – and then got the hell out of there!
I understand the desire to stay and ride it out, in order to protect your home or business and be on the ground to begin recovery. We went through the same when my parents first retired and build their dream retirement home along the coast in North Carolina. The decision to stay or evacuate can be an agonizing one. You scrutinize each new update, trying to decipher whether you can ride it out safely OR you better leave. If you wait too long to make that decision, you then get stuck in massive traffic as folks evacuate. Or, worse yet, you are stuck and forced to ride it out.
One more data point: when I was age 9 to 11, we lived in Tallahassee, Florida. One of the key things I remember about living there is the proliferation of beautiful, stately trees. Especially the oaks with the Spanish moss hanging off the branches. Tallahassee will be right in the eye of this storm as it passes through. I fear many trees will be uprooted or damaged.
Anyways, I wish the best possible outcome to the people about to be impacted.
In the meantime, I did a little training out on the back porch. It’s the first time I can remember actually working out during a hurricane.
A little back story: It is said that the founder of Shotokan Karate, Funakoshi Gichin, would stand out on the roof of his house on Okinawa during monsoons (the Pacific ocean version of hurricanes). He would grip a tatami mat with both hands, which acted like a sail, and would strive to hold his horse stance on the roof.
As described by an observer and martial arts colleague:
“Now the young man on the roof assumed a low posture, holding the straw mat aloft against the raging wind. The stance he took was most impressive, for he stood as if astride a horse. Indeed, anyone who knew karate could readily have seen that the youth was taking the horse-riding stance, the most stable of all karate stances, and that he was making use of the howling typhoon to refine his technique and to further strengthen both body and mind. The wind struck the mat and the youth with full force, but he stood his ground and did not flinch.”
OK, I know my performing techniques and forms on my parents’ back porch – BEFORE the hurricane even arrives – is nothing like what Funakoshi did.
However, I can report that, energetically, training in the wind and rain felt different. It felt exhilarating. You can sense the current energy as well as the impending energies to come. I plan on periodically going outside for as long as I can and to breathe, stand, and experience the wind, energy, and power of Mother Nature.
As we move from the heat of July and August into the not quite-so-hot warmth of September, I’d like to remind you of the “season” of Late Summer.
Late Summer is the last season within the Five Elements Cycle (or Wuxing) and is associated with the Spleen and Stomach organ system (which also includes the pancreas). This season corresponds to the late summer, early Fall, Indian Summer time when we are wrapping up the summer fun and beginning to harvest the last of the fruits, veggies, wheat, etc.
This season is also associated with the Earth Element. It’s important to get in touch with the Earth – and a wonderful way to do this is through Grounding.
Grounding is one of the most fundamental aspects of practicing Qigong, as well as working with patients within the Medical Qigong paradigm.
Grounding is the ability to fully connect with the Yin energy of the earth. Through a simple grounding meditation, we center and relax, connect, and allow ourselves to feel the warm, comforting embrace of Mother Earth’s energy. When you are grounded, you feel a sense of stability, of being safe, secure and protected, and of being whole.
An interesting aspect of grounding is that we are connected through our lower dan tien or energy center, which is in the middle of the lower abdomen. This is our physical center of gravity, our center. It is also related to our essential essence or “Jing”, the life force or vital energy that we are born with. When we ground, we automatically support and enhance our Jing. But we are also connecting with our spiritual side, albeit in a subtler way. When we ground, the energy moves from our lower dan tien, through our root or base (Huiyin point at the perineum), and then up through our heart center and all the way to the crown of our head – the Baihui point, which is analogous to the crown chakra in yoga.
Hence, the feeling of wholeness we enjoy when we are fully grounded is not just physical wholeness or stability, it is also mental and emotional wholeness and stability. In our paradigm, body (physical), heart/mind (emotional and mental), and spirit (higher consciousness) are inextricably connected. When we give ourselves the gift of grounding, we impact our entire being.
When mind, heart and body are coordinated, you are grounded. Some wonderful manifestations or signs of being grounded include:
-You feel safe.
-You feel present – your mind is focused on the here and now, not drifting to the past or worried about the future.
-You feel comfortable in your own body.
-Your biorhythms, such as heartbeat, breathing, and blood pressure are entrained, stable, and slower.
-Your personality manifests as someone who is stable, reliable, and down-to-earth.
Unfortunately, our modern lives have caused most of us to lose touch with Mother Earth, to lose this connection. We spend more time inside…we are on our screens much of the time…we don’t walk around barefoot like we did as kids.
Simple But Powerful
One of the first things I teach a new patient – and one of the first exercises I teach in my Qigong courses and classes – is a simple grounding meditation. This exercise is powerful. Restoring the connection to the earth can result in dramatic changes and experiences.
A key to grounding is simple awareness. Through your breathing and gentle intention, you relax, center, and get calm inside. This helps open the channel to the earth’s energy.
Another key is to have a direct connection to the ground. Whenever possible, go outside and stand (or sit) with your bare feet solidly on the ground. Or you can sit on the ground with the bottoms of your feet and the palms of your hands touching the ground. If it’s cold outside, wear socks or moccasins that don’t have a rubber or synthetic bottom.
A third key is to center your intention gently into your lower abdomen. Breathe in and out of this area. Allow your breath to become longer and fuller. But don’t strain or push. Just gently breathe in and out through your nose (which helps you relax) and be open to the connection with Mother Earth.
I teach an effective (and fun) grounding meditation and have included it in one of my courses, Breathing and Qigong for Health and Energy (click here for more information). This course provides the foundation for a wonderful, effective, and fun Qigong and Breathing practice. It’s taught in a short four weeks and will introduce you to a proven health and energy cultivation method impacting body, mind, and spirit, which hopefully becomes an ongoing, consistent practice you will enjoy and benefit from.
Give yourself the gift of breathing. And add the power of “plugging in” to Mother Earth through grounding.
I’m fond of quoting one of my favorite martial arts instructors, who used to say – over and over again: “Repetition, repetition, repetition…repetition coupled with enthusiasm is the key to success in all your endeavors.”
When a much younger “me” first heard this, I found it to be a transforming message. I had experienced success in many areas of my life, including my studies, my athletic pursuits, my career, and so forth. Yet I sometimes baffled myself with how impulsive I could be.
If I were more into astrology, I might blame it on being a Pisces. Pisces, a water sign, is symbolized by two fish swimming in opposite directions. There’s a certain duality in the Pisces personality and we are known for our sometimes impulsive tendencies. Or perhaps it’s genetic. Or maybe it’s how I have always handled the stress of having many interests, many things to do, and sometimes feeling overwhelmed.
Whatever the root cause, I have found that impulsiveness can manifest in our lives in many different ways, such as procrastination, a lack of focus on the task at hand, or making a big decision solely based on intuition, without any sort of thought or rational analysis.
On the darker side, it can appear as addiction and compulsions that are extremely difficult to overcome. Like eating too much, drinking too much, drug abuse, etc.
The cure for impulsiveness – or, at least, one of the best ways to control it – is consistency. This brings us back to my instructor’s advice. Repetition means consistency. It means doing the things that are good for you every day, and making them a habit. For example, exercise must be consistent to be effective. This is the first and foremost precept of physical conditioning and health maintenance. Lack of consistency leads to the erosion of your health and fitness foundation. And without a solid foundation, no structure will stand.
Too many people who begin exercise, or healthy eating habits, or a qigong and breathwork practice, give up and quit too soon to realize their amazing benefits. Don’t be one of them!
If there is one overall secret to success, it’s consistency…consistency and enthusiasm. In other words, doing the right things, and having fun while you’re doing them.
Here continueth some old time wisdom on following the natural seasonality of our planet and our bodies to enhance your health and energy levels and improve your ability to fight off illness. Let’s talk about Spring for our brothers and sisters who reside in the Southern Hemisphere.
Spring – Exercise
In Classical Chinese Medicine, Spring is associated with the Liver. The Liver is one of the most important organs for detoxification. It also plays a starring role in converting the food you eat into usable energy.
If your health is compromised in any way, you eat an unhealthy diet, you drink too much, or your breathing is not up to snuff (pun intended), then you are placing a massive load on your liver. It’s important to take advantage of the spring to detox.
If you need to lose weight, spring is an excellent time to do so, because your body’s natural chemistry and metabolism will support your efforts. As the days get longer, your energy and metabolism increase. You should transition into more vigorous physical activity, and your Qigong and breathing exercises should include plenty of more robust movements – like the traditional Liver Daoyin exercise you can learn in the Wu Xing / Five Elements Daoyin program.
Spring – Nutrition
In traditional medical and health practices, early Spring is associated with a natural cleansing phase. As winter concludes, your body naturally wants to lose weight. It wants to detoxify and shed the old tissue, built up toxins, and excess fat stored over the winter.
Traditionally, this is a time of fasting and consuming lots of clean foods, such as fruits and vegetables, preferably raw or lightly steamed, as well as juices, which help detoxify the system.
Spring is the time to sweat and breathe hard, release toxins and air out the lungs, and eat “clean”. It’s also the time to celebrate your rebirth, and the rebirth of the earth.
Remember, synchronizing your physical activity and nutrition to the seasonal changes of body, mind, and earth is a powerful way to promote excellent health and help avoid illness and disease.
There’s one more area I’d like to cover, which we will get into in our next post.
“The natural healing force within us is the greatest force in getting well.” -Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine
Here followeth some old time wisdom on following the natural seasonality of our planet and our bodies to enhance your health and energy levels and improve your ability to fight off illness. Since we have fellow readers in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres, I will focus on the Fall and Spring seasons in these next couple posts.
I never ceased to be amazed at the tremendous healing powers that reside within our bodies and minds.
Before the advent of the modern pharmaceutical age, people in all societies, ancient and more modern, sought to promote and support these internal powers with natural methods: natural herbs, foods, exercise and – most of all – natural breathing.
We’ve become somewhat separated or disjointed from our own natural, inborn abilities to propagate robust health, as well as counter and eliminate illness. One of the easiest ways to begin to get in touch with your body is to recognize its rhythms.
We each have hourly, daily, monthly and yearly rhythms. But you may not actively leverage these rhythms in your own fitness and health program. In fact, you may often work against these rhythms, making you more susceptible to illnesses, injuries, weight gain, and so forth.
Ancient health practices from around the world, as well as existent traditional societies (which are becoming increasingly rare), apply seasonality to the treatment and prevention of disease, as well as the promotion of robust health.
Let’s discuss Autumn from the perspective of exercise and nutrition.
Autumn – Exercise
In ancient Chinese, Japanese and Korean medicine, Autumn (or Fall) is associated with the lungs. Although all of our internal organs and systems are interdependent, the lungs get the most attention at this time of year.
This makes a lot of sense from a pragmatic point of view. Think about it: in the Fall, the hot, stale, often polluted air of summer gives way to the refreshingly cool and clean air of Fall. In many areas, nature also provides us with a wonderful display of colors and scenery.
Fall is an excellent time to exercise and practice your qigong and breathing outdoors. Proper breathing in the fresh air has a cleansing effect on your lungs. Your Qigong can also prepare you for, and build your resilience and adaptability to, the changing energies associated with this season. For example, performing the Lung / Metal exercise from the Wu Xing / Five Elements Daoyin form, is especially important this time of year.
One potential problem to be aware of: in mid to late Fall, as temperatures become cooler and precipitation increases, there is the potential for dampness. The air is heavier and it can be more difficult to breathe. Dampness can invade your lungs and airways, and manifest in the body as excess mucus and phlegm.
In addition, the kids are back in school and many of us adults are spending more time in our closed, often polluted offices. The potential for catching a cold or flu is higher if you are not taking care of yourself. A proper regimen of exercise, as well as good healthy eating, can help you avoid this.
Autumn – Nutrition
Generally speaking, late Summer and early Fall are associated with a building phase. Late Summer is associated with the Spleen and Stomach / Earth element. Spleen is associated with building the blood and the muscles or flesh. And Spleen and Stomach are responsible for transforming the food we eat and liquids we drink as their initial part of the digestive process.
During this time, the body wants to build itself up and add muscle. It also wants to lay down some extra fat to prepare for the winter. It wants to extract more nutrition from food. You may find yourself craving more food, especially protein and the fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables that are readily available.
Here’s an interesting but little-known fact about our bodies. We often associate the winter months with weight gain, because we tend to be relatively less active. From an evolutionary standpoint, however, our bodies are programmed to eat more and lay on fat during the late summer and fall months – preparing our bodies for the lean winter months.
In fact, it is thought that, in earlier times, humans ate so many fruits and vegetables during this time that their blood sugar was at the diabetic or pre-diabetic level. Why is this important? Well, sugar in the blood acts as a sort of antifreeze for the body, and helps it better cope with colder temperatures. (I don’t recommend this, but if you were to taste the antifreeze in your car, it would taste a little sweet.)
At any rate, if you find yourself really craving a good steak, or you can’t get enough fruit or seasonal vegetables– don’t worry. Honor what your body is trying to tell you.
In the late Fall, it’s important to take nutritional measures that help prevent or mitigate dampness in the lungs and sinuses. Drinking warm liquids, such as green and herbal teas, and eating hot soups is an excellent way to keep your sinuses open and clear. Using spices in your cooking, such as cumin, turmeric, chiles, Tabasco and cinnamon, can also help keep your sinuses and airways clear and your body warm.
Synchronizing your physical activity and nutrition to the seasonal changes of body, mind and earth, is a powerful way to promote excellent health and help avoid illness and disease.
Autumn has finally arrived here in Central Texas, with rain and temperatures more reflective of what Fall should feel like. We dropped from the 80s to the 50s in less than a day. With a cool North breeze to accentuate the shift.
Times like this, I am thankful for the wonderful Five Elements Daoyin (Wu Xing Jing)form I learned some years ago and include in my Qigong and Breathwork classes and private lessons. The Lung exercise, which is associated with the Metal element and the Fall season, is particularly important right now. Fall includes changing temperatures, changing wind directions, and changing energies, all of which can make you more susceptible to seasonal colds and flus, allergies, and even more serious illness. Unless, of course, you build RESILIENCE through healthy nutrition, good sleeping habits, and doing your Lung / Metal exercise on a regular basis.
(BTW, if you’re interested in learning more about this super effective, powerful, yet easy (and dare I say FUN) health practice, go here for more on the Five Elements / Wu Xing Daoyin form.)
With the cold comes more outside training. What? Outside? Don’t you mean more INSIDE training, Karen?
No I don’t. Our summers are so brutally and endlessly hot, and we typically have to time our outside exercise and other activities to the early mornings or late evenings. Now, with the onset of cooler / colder weather in the Fall and Winter, we can enjoy our activities outside at any time of the day.
And it’s important to align yourself with the changing weather by spending time outside. Walks, yard work, sitting out by the fire pit, practicing your Qigong or Tai Chi…it’s all good. We’ve become so insulated from the weather and the changing seasons in our air conditioned / heated buildings and houses. Get out there and get some wind on your face. Shiver a bit until you move and generate some heat.
In fact, I typically do even MORE Qigong sessions outside in the fall and winter than I do in the summer, when it’s easier. Years ago, one of my Qigong and Martial Arts instructors, Master Yoo, taught us to go outside in the early morning and practice our Qigong or martial arts. First thing in the morning, the air is fresher and cleaner. And you aren’t distracted by the tasks and cares of the day.
As he put it, even if the rest of your day “go to shit”, you still accomplished something very important to your health, productivity, and creativity. And you came through on a discipline and a commitment you made to yourself.
A key point Master Yoo hammered on was to do your Qigong outside, no matter the season or the temperature. That way, your body is exposed to the natural, seasonal cycles and becomes more quickly acclimated.
As an aside, Master Yoo was one of my favorite Ki Kung (Korean version of Qigong) and Hap Ki Do instructors. His dad was Korean and his mom was Chinese, as well as a highly respected master of Qigong and Kung Fu. While Master Yoo came up through the TaeKwonDo competitive ranks, his true loves were the exercises and forms his mom taught him. And he, in turn, taught us these ancient disciplines in the hopes we would benefit from them and carry them on to future generations.
Back to the weather…
Your ability to acclimate and adjust enhances your adaptability and therefore, your resilience. Modern science, especially in the field of psychoneuroimmunology, has “discovered” (in quotes because the Chinese beat them to this by about 5,000 years) that putting yourself through discrete bouts of stress – such as exercising in higher intensity bursts followed by rest intervals, or exposing yourself to cold for a period of time – actually trains your body and brain to adapt, so you get stronger and increase your capacity to handle even more stress the next time. These adaptations occur at all levels: physical, mental / emotional, even spiritual…and from the systemic (i.e., circulatory system, lymphatic system, digestive system, etc.) all the way down to the cellular level.
I’ll have more to say about living in alignment with nature in future posts. For now, be sure to get outside and get in sync with the current season, however it may be manifesting in your area of the world right now.
As I was walking the other day, I listened to the Audible version of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s latest book, “Leadership in Turbulent Times”.
I highly recommend the book. It focuses on four of our finest presidents – Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson – and the “crucible” experience and hardship each went through to become an effective, even transformational, leader.
Goodwin’s description of Franklin Roosevelt’s being stricken with polio, and his long, difficult recovery and return to public political life, reminded me of the importance of our 8X meridians. Well, it reminded me of a lot more than that! But hey, I’m always mindful and making note of the energetic and qigong principles all around us.
Anyways, Franklin fought to develop his upper body and figure out how to leverage various tools, such as his heavy metal leg braces, so he could “walk” again. Of course, his walking involved the heavily demanding task of using crutches and his strengthened upper body to drag along his legs. Alternatively, he would walk arm in arm with one of his sons for support and drag those legs along.
His drive, determination, and innate optimism were incredible! Roosevelt was driven by his belief that he needed to be able to once again “stand upright” and “move forward” physically, to have any chance of acceptance and effectiveness as a political leader.
So, let’s discuss two sets of meridians that, along with our core 8X, enable us to physically and psychologically stand upright and move forward.
Our Beautiful Energetic Matrix
The “Between Heaven and Earth” form activates the Eight Extraordinary Meridians (the “8X”) which in turn strengthens our natural energy matrix and helps us stay healthy and resilient.
We build on our connection with Mother Earth and her life-giving yin energy. As we move through our day-to-day lives, we deal with the material, the substantial, the daily cares of living, and the to-do’s from our task list. However, every now and then, we should connect to Heaven to recharge and renew with that heavenly yang energy. This is where our inspiration and creativity come from.
The cycles of Earth and Heaven – yin and yang – work and recharge – activity and rest – doing and creating – mirror the universe around us. Through reflecting these cycles, the Between Heaven and Earth exercises provide a wonderful way to recharge.
As we wrap up our discussion of this form, I’d like to focus on two sets of the 8X meridians that don’t get as much attention: the Linking Vessels (Wei Mai) and the Heel Vessels (Qiao Mai). There is a Yin and Yang version of each of these, resulting in four meridians that combine to make a circuit that moves up the front of the body and down the back (or alternatively in the opposite direction).
Basically these meridians run from the end of the limbs (legs or arms) into the torso, and back to the limbs again. You can picture them as broad bands or thick hoses of energy that run along the center of your limbs and torso. Each of these connects with the core 8X meridians, including the Conception Vessel (Ren Mai) that runs along the front centerline; the Governing Vessel (Du Mai) that runs along the back centerline; and the Belt Vessel (Dai Mai) that connects like a wide belt or sash.
These core meridians form the beautiful energetic matrix or cage which embodies our constitutional energy. Our 8X are keys to our resilience, health, energy levels…as well as our ability to adapt, to overcome, to recover, and ultimately to come back stronger.
The Linking and Heel Vessels constitute what is called the “Macrocosmic Orbit” which is a circulation that moves energy from the limbs into the torso and then back out again to the limbs. This circulation promotes our ability to move and support our bodies. It also provides the means to move energy throughout our body, to help remove or reduce stagnation or blockages, repair or heal internally…and even project energy to help heal others.
“Endure Consistently and Confidently”
Beyond the physical and energetic constructs, our Linking and Heel Vessels also play crucial roles in our mental and emotional formation.
The Yin and Yang Wei Mai / Linking Vessels help to balance Yin and Yang and demarcate major transformations over time. The Wei Vessels provide the mechanism for significant change – for example, to reverse disease or pathology at any time; or to make significant changes to habits and lifestyle. This is your constitution, your innate ability, your “Optimistic Channel”.
Your Yin Wei Mai pertains to deep internal beliefs about your purpose and the meaning you ascribe to life. It provides drive and focus so you can get through almost any hardship.
Your Yang Wei Mai places you into the sea of possibilities. When you pair infinite possibilities with meaning, purpose, and validation, you generate a deep constitutional flow through which you give yourself permission to make your own choices in life. You can see the best possible outcome, and you free yourself to to do what you really want to do with your “one wild and precious life”, as Mary Oliver puts it.
The Yin and Yang Qiao Mai / Heel Vessels are how you stand up to the world. Do you have an internal locus of control? Can you set appropriate boundaries? What are you willing to grow into? They also reflect whether you are primarily an introvert (yin) or extrovert (yang). These vessels also affect your moral and ethical standards and form your internal compass.
Your Yin Qiao Mai is about understanding you are all potential and appreciating your light. It’s the depth of coming to realize and appreciate what you really offer to the world – AND your obligation to bring your gifts out into the world. Key point: Don’t underestimate or dismiss your light. Appreciate your unique gifts and abilities.
Your Yang Qiao Mai is about shining your light out into the world. It’s how you manifest in the world, how you show up. Are you overly worried or concerned about other peoples’ judgments or how you are being received? Or have you grown and matured enough to just say “NEXT!” at any rejection and keep on moving and showing up? Key point: Don’t hide your light!Let your gifts shine out in the world – we need them! We need that unique and wonderful YOU to show up!
You Can Do It!
Dr. Karen
“Endure consistently and confidently. Keep walking – keep moving toward ‘The Next One” [i.e., your next goal or important work or achievement]. Because walking means change is possible.“
-Masaaki Hatsumi, Soke (Head Instructor) of the Bujinkan Dojo and 34th Soke of Togakure Ryu Ninjutsu
In my Qigong classes, I’ve been teaching a version of the “Between Heaven and Earth” form or set of exercises.
The movements are quite simple, and each set of movements builds logically on the previous set. It’s any easy form to learn and do at the physical level. However, the energetics of this form occur at a deeper level of the body, helping to promote the flow of energy of the Eight Extraordinary meridians – the “8X”, as we call them.
The key with this form is to use relaxed intention to become aware of the deeper energetic movements within the body. When performed properly, the movements of the form coupled with the proper intention help promote the flow of energy and gradually eliminate any blockages or stagnation along the meridians.
The 8X form the constitutional level of the energetic body. When they are strong and flowing, they provide the foundation for our physical, mental, and emotional energy and health. They also serve as backups for our Twelve Primary meridians, providing reserves of energy we can draw upon in times of sickness, severe disease, or severe stress.
The 8X and the 12 Primary form a virtuous cycle. Through our Qigong, healthy diet, exercise, getting enough sleep, and other positive lifestyle practices, we build up our 12 Primary meridians as well as the health of each meridian’s associated organ system. The overflow of energy or Qi from the 12 Primary can flow into the 8X, helping to build up our constitutional reserves and, therefore, our resilience. Likewise, building up our 8X meridians – our constitution – can also flow into the 12 Primary to help us improve or restore health, particularly after an illness or other severe stressor.
Our Constitution Impacts our Spiritual Life
I consider myself a Christian and have also studied Daoism for many years. My Medical Qigong training is from an ancient Daoist lineage, as are many of the Qigong forms and practices I have learned over the years. I am always struck by the commonalities between ancient Daoist teachings and practices that help cultivate robust health, mental and emotional harmony, and higher spiritual realization…and the teachings and actions of Jesus, as well as the earliest interpretations of his teachings and example in the Gospels.
The Daoist emphasis is on cultivating the body first so it can become the foundation for deeper mental and spiritual training. We lay the foundation by firmly rooting and connecting to the Earth. We learn to become aware, to listen, to enhance the flow of energy in the physical body. We connect with the energy from Heaven, which in turn helps to raise our awareness to an even higher level and helps us connect into the deeper dimensions of existence.
The Between Heaven and Earth form helps us embody as human our connection to Earth and to Heaven – to the physical as well as the metaphysical or spiritual. In so doing, we increase the dynamic power of our energetic body.
This is consistent with how Jesus is depicted, particularly in the Gospel of John. From the beautiful opening of this wonderful Gospel:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….What has come into being in Him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.”
(John 1: 1-5)
Jesus is represented as Logos – the Word. He is also represented as Light. Humans are said to share in this light because we each have the divine spark within us. Yet Jesus was also human. He had a human body and shared in all the very human aspects of existence – the joys, the laughter, the challenges, the rejections – indeed, up to and including an excruciatingly humiliating and painful death.
Daoist practices recognize this divine light. Their deeper meditations led early Daoists to perceive the Light – the biophotonic energy within the human body. Yes, we are biophotonic, electromagnetic entities. Modern science is now discovering this light within us and how our cells use it to communicate.
Yet Daoist practices also honor our physical selves and the importance of being healthy in body as a prerequisite for gaining mental and emotional health and, ultimately, enlightenment.
When we begin to listen, to sense inside ourselves – whether through Qigong, meditation, contemplative prayer…or simply relaxing and being while surrounded by nature…we tap into the Heaven and the Earth that are part of us.
The North Rose Window
So, now that I’ve gone all religious and metaphysical on ya…let’s consider a wonderful example of the Logos and the Light as manifested by Human hands on Earth: the North Rose Window of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
This “symphony in stained glass” exemplifies the two main concepts through which John explains Jesus:
-Jesus and Logos or The Word: the mind, pattern, and plan of God (or the Universal Consciousness) is made incarnate through the patterneed, organized, coherent design of the window. We see a profound harmony and unity of all its elements – glass, stone, colors, and shapes.
-Jesus as Light: “The entire North transept of the cathedral basks in the powerful glow of the Rose window…Like Jesus, the light captured by the windows of Notre Dame shines even into the depths of the darkest places…”
