Energy Medicine yoga aims to balance and optimize the body’s energy systems through yoga-inspired postures that focus on front of body stretching, stretching from the clavicle down towards pubic bone. Energy Medicine poses may include working along this front line from shoulder clavicle down towards pubic bone.
Connecting with the heart, this technique supports emotional adjustment and bonding while regulating changes to blood pressure and helping breast milk production to occur more smoothly.
The Penetrating Vessel
The Chong or Penetrating Vessel (CV1), more commonly known as the Sea of Blood (SV1) is one of four extraordinary female reproductive health channels known as Yin Extraordinary channels that play an integral part in female reproductive health. These vessels radiate out from deep within the body before making an exit through kidneys and then the uterus before eventually emerging on perineum – they play an active role in menstrual cycle movement as well as spermatogenesis and conception processes.
Penetrating Vessel energy is especially essential to pregnant women as it connects the Heart directly to the fetus via gestation and helps create bonds between mother and child. Furthermore, this vital force helps restore the flow of Essence and Blood after childbirth through working with the Uterus to restore balance to Essence and Blood pathways in your uterus.
As part of the Yin Extraordinary channels, PV energy is vitally important for breastfeeding. Connecting with both Heart and Fetus directly, PV transfers Shen (emotional energy) from mother’s womb into milk production. When this connection is broken through emotional or physical trauma or because fetus cannot utilize PV energy efficiently then breastfeeding may become difficult or impossible altogether.
During gestation, the PV runs along the line of the rectus abdominis muscle that supports pelvic area. As the fetus gains weight and draws energy from this pathway more heavily, fatigue and weakness in lower back and abdominal regions may increase; during third trimester this tendency towards anaemia may make matters worse; when using excessive energy from this source this may cause dragging sensations in lower abdomen, feelings of fullness or distension in stomach area and an overall sensation of weightiness in chest area.
Formulas used to treat this vessel aim to subdue rebellious Qi, balance Yin and Yang of the Penetrating Vessel, strengthen Kidneys, nourish Blood, and calm Mind. It is particularly helpful when experiencing digestive problems such as reflux or constipation as well as emotional or energetic trauma that manifests as chest tension.
The Triple Warmer
There are twelve main meridians, or energetic passageways, running along the skin and fascia surface of our bodies. Ten of them correspond with specific organs; however, one – commonly referred to as Triple Warmer or San Jiao or Three Burning Spaces – remains more enigmatic – it serves more as an organ than function and oversees water’s movement around our bodies.
The Triple Warmer’s unique feature lies in regulating water metabolism across an entire meridion network; acting like a reservoir that sends out energy while also absorbing shocks or changes, it acts like a conduit through which fluids move smoothly throughout your system and helps ensure its smooth passage between GV, CV, and three Dai Mai channels (leg meridians). This device is of particular value in maternity to maintain smooth energy flows between these meridians (GV, CV) as well as Dai Mai channels of legs (Dai Mai).
This meridian connects the Throat Meridian, Heart, Pericardium, and Gallbladder; as well as being responsible for the transformation and transport of food and beverage consumption to deliver vital nourishment throughout the body. In Chinese it has been called Triple Energizer; however members of an international nomenclature committee decided to retain its Chinese name, instead using “San Jiao”, or Three Burning Spaces instead.
Donna Eden elevates the Triple Warmer into an integral component of Radiant Circuit therapy. She considers it the cornerstone of body’s defense system, calling upon this meridien to help defend against anything foreign to our bodies such as food additives, EMFs, pollutants or media images that threaten our wellbeing. Any imbalance of this meridian may cause allergies, autoimmune diseases and depression if imbalanced.
When functioning correctly, the Triple Warmer provides an unimpeded and even flow of qi throughout your entire body. Furthermore, its fire element can provide nourishment to organs it governs as well.
The Spleen
Your spleen is a fist-sized organ located above your stomach and below the left ribcage, acting as part of the lymphatic system and immune system to fight infections, keep fluid moving through the body, screen blood for old red blood cells that no longer need to exist, screen out dead red cells from circulation, screen blood for old red blood cells that no longer belong there, screen blood for unwanted red cells that no longer belong, screen red blood cells out when screening is necessary and remove old ones when no longer needed. It can become enlarged (splenomegaly), either due to an infection, disease or injury overworking it, or when blood vessels too narrow allowing enough blood through from heart/liver to push enough blood through them and ensure proper functioning of its role within it’s normal function within it’s own function in maintaining its own function with regards to pumping enough blood through its own functioning.
The spleen stands out among gut organs by its unusual form – mesenchymal tissue rather than endodermal cells are its building block – but nonetheless, it benefits from similar blood supply as the other digestive organs – it receives blood from celiac trunk and innervated by the splenic nerve.
An enlarged spleen may be caused by chronic inflammation, including conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and sarcoidosis. Such illnesses put stress on the spleen by overburdening it with antibodies and immune cells, leading to hyperplasia. Other conditions that may enlarge it include liver diseases like cirrhosis; blood disorders like Niemann-Pick disease or Gaucher disease; cancer of the blood as well as cancers of the blood itself.
Your spleen serves two important roles in your blood system; screening blood for unwanted materials while producing most of your white blood cells; this phagocyte cells have the power to detect and destroy microorganisms that circulate in your system and detect bacteria, parasites, viruses or any other microbes circulating therein; additionally it serves as a repository for various elements such as red blood cells, platelets and neutrophils within it.
When an enlarged spleen causes abdominal or left shoulder discomfort, you could experience symptoms indicative of rupture, which constitutes a medical emergency and requires immediate treatment. You can avoid rupture by consuming less high-fat foods, drinking plenty of water and engaging in regular physical activity.
The Liver
The liver is one of the body’s largest organs. Its dark reddish-brown hue and wedge or cone shape distinguish it from other organs in this regard, and are located below the lungs on the right side of the abdomen. As an organ responsible for processing proteins, carbohydrates, fats, glycogen (a form of sugar storage), blood filtering as well as breaking down worn-out red blood cells; in addition it regulates blood sugar, makes clotting factors and detoxifies many toxic substances from our system.
Your liver is composed of a collection of wedge-shaped lobes filled with cells called hepatocytes that filter and process your blood, convert nutrients to other substances, and eliminate waste from your body. As the main detoxifier of your system, your liver helps breakdown any toxic substance you come in contact with through eating, injecting, touching, breathing or any other source.
Hepatocytes play an essential role in producing proteins, fatty acids, cholesterol and glucose for our bodies to use. Hepatocytes produce enzymes to regulate cholesterol levels in blood plasma – helping reduce heart disease risk – as well as breaking down amino acids into urea which is excreted via urine. Furthermore, livers produce bilirubin pigment that is produced when hemoglobin breaks down; too much bilirubin causes jaundice which yellows skin and eyes.
Your liver plays an essential role in blood clotting; in addition, it metabolizes and stores the fats you eat as glycogen; manufactures vitamin K for blood clotting purposes and prepares bile salts for intestinal absorption. Finally, your liver regulates your immune system by creating antibodies that can fight infections.
A healthy liver is essential to proper brain function and mental clarity, with its remarkable capacity for regeneration. A stagnant liver qi can cause depression, irritability, fatigue, abdominal pain and jaundice; PC-6 as the Confluence point between Liver and Gall Bladder channels and CV-17 (Gathering point for Yin Linking Vessels) serve to promote circulation of hepatic duct to ease these conditions.
