Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — how did you experience this movement practice? Did you notice changes in your body and mind?
In Chinese medicine, Wind is considered to be an underlying factor in all diseases, which is why we are going to continue our discussion of this important topic. In the last episode, we went over how to prevent and transform the factor of Wind through dietary changes. Moving forward, we’re now going to focus on how you can mitigate the effects of Wind in your life through movement.
Wind is generated when there's too much, or excessive, Yang Qi activity in the body, which could be an expression of too much Yang activity in the brain, which results in an overstimulation to the nervous system.
Excessive amounts of anything can cause Wind to stir. Of course, there is the external Wind as well, which can internalize over time. So, if you spend a lot of time in windy weather, it can begin the movements of change internally.
If you are one to be in windy weather often or don’t have control over these factors, one of the easiest things to do is to wear a scarf, making sure that you are well covered to prevent Wind from entering your body.
Taxation on the Liver and Gallbladder
Wind is considered the pathology of the wood element, which is related to the liver and gallbladder. In our last episode, we discussed how weakness within the liver relates to little amounts of blood, causing the dryness to generate wind, irritating the nerves. In the end, preventing our nerves from receiving proper support nourishment to function properly.
This relates to the concepts of the Five Taxations that are presented in Chinese medicine. For each of the organ systems, there is a particular activity that is associated with them, and when done in excess amounts, it causes a taxation on that specific system. Relating it back to the liver, that taxation comes as a result of excess physical movement.
For instance, if you’re walking or running often, if it is overdone, it will physically dry up the blood in your liver. This depletes those resources that your liver needs and it is going to cause the tendons to stiffen, since they’re not getting nourishments from the blood, causing those symptoms of wind that was discussed in the previous episode.
Tightness of the muscles and tendon spasms may even lead to vertigo or dizziness, which can lead your mental state into a less grounded state of mind when wind begins to stir up.
As we can see, being overly active causes the Yin to get exhausted. So to get a better understanding of yin and yang on a physiological level, think of the front of your body as the yin and the back of your body as the expression of yang.
Now what's often the case is that people they're often too stiff in the back so the extensor muscles along the spine are really tight. In this case,that Yang, is just jammed up. And if you have stagnation of Yang then you won’t be able to move the Yin Qi into the front of the body.
Listen to the episode now to learn a gentle movement practice [16:51] guided by Salvador that you can do daily to not only release tension and pain in your neck, but also to help you adapt to change and have greater freedom in your body, mind and heart.
What happens in the body always reflects in the mind.
When you have resistance and tightness along the neck where the Gallbladder meridian runs, you’re likely to have a lack of clarity and be unsure about what direction to take or become unable make clear decisions in life.
So when you release your neck, you’ll release the Gallbladder meridian and be able to be more decisive and relaxed.
Balance Yin & Yang to Prevent Wind
To balance the Yin and Yang and harmonize the energy so you’re not generating Wind, you can:
Do the Sotai exercise starting at [16:51] in this episode to release your neck and shoulders. This is a form of Qi Gong that uses your breath and movement to release pathology and give you more freedom in your body and mind.
Focus on breathing from the soles of your feet, up the inner parts of your legs into your lower belly as you inhale. At the same time, breathe from the crown of your head to your chest into your belly. When you breathe out, relax your extremities and allow the energy to move out into the limbs.
These very simple movment practices teach us to be more mindful and intentional of how we move through our lives. As you do these short practices throughout your day, you’re going to start to pay more attention to your body and how you’re moving throughout your life.
Much of the reason why we accumulate Wind is because we’re not paying attention and we’re pushing through life.
Awareness is the key, and Qi Gong encourages you to move with awareness and is an effective way to heal your body and your life.
Let us know in the comments below — what changes did you notice in your body and mind after doing this exercise?
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