At Mandala Garden, we look at the body as a whole, not separately.
According to Chinese medicine (yin/yang, five elements philosophy) there are Meridians or energy pathways in our body which run like electricity lines from our heads to our toes. It’s the Life Force called “Ki” in Japanese, and “Chi” in Chinese.
Ki flows through 14 pathways… Stomach, Spleen, Heart, Small Intestine, Bladder, Kidney, Circulation Sex organ, Tipple warmer, Gallbladder, Liver, Lung, Large Intestine, as well as the Central and Governing meridians in the middle of the body, at the front and back.
Each of the 14 meridians are interconnected to support each other and help your body function efficiently within your environment.
Imagine 14 Dancing Meridians, holding hands in a circle, dancing together. While they’re energised and holding a good rhythm, all keeping time, dancing is a joy. This is what life is like when our meridians are balanced and we’re glowing with health.
Imagine Stomach meridian starts to get tired and slow down, pulling on Gallbladder’s and Small Intestine’s hands.
Gallbladder and Small Intestine have to extend themselves to help Stomach keep up with the rhythm of the body. If Stomach recovers and moves back into rhythm, Small Intestine and Gallbladder can relax and all the meridians can happily dance again.
If Stomach cannot recover, and constantly leans on Small Intestine and Gallbladder, they slow down, and in turn will take energy away from the other meridians. Each of the meridians will be pulled into a downward spiral one by one.
As the meridians become more compromised, they lose their balance and are drained of energy. That is when we feel sick, and start to suffer chronic conditions. Each meridian will do what it can, but while overburdened, everyday life activities are more difficult.
It’s not happy dancing anymore.
It’s worthwhile to consider the simple activities we can do to support the meridians and their balance. One of the most powerful ways, accessible to all of us, is to slow down with what we consume, bring in more awareness, and choose simple and nourishing meals that are easier for us to digest.
In upcoming posts I’ll share more about how we can support the stomach, and how this also reflects in our approach to thoughts and emotions.
