Dry Crying To Release Pressure In The Lungs.
As the natural world is turning inward, releasing leaves from the trees, and plants returning to the earth, there is a palpable feeling that nature, which we are part of, is letting go and grieving.
When our grief and sadness become stuck, the technique of dry crying releases the heavy pressure in the lungs.
Dry crying is a qigong practice we do in the autumn to let go of our grief.
In the Meridian Flow practice, we work with our energy, which has frequency and vibration, as do color and sound. The color of strong lung energy is a white pearly light that can be visualized as we inhale. On the exhale, we utilize the healing sound from the heart, HAAAAA. When the energy of the lungs becomes heavy with grief, the healing sound of the heart helps relieve the pressure
After a few rounds of dry crying, we can sit in stillness. The practice of guiding the energy with mind and breath is the ancient qigong technique Yi Qi Li. This meditative practice gives our mind a pattern to follow that creates a calm focused Zen-like mind.
The Buddhist practice I referred to a few weeks ago, Tonglen, addresses our grief by breathing in what’s difficult and exhaling the relief. We can do this for ourselves, for others, and for the collective. Typically, we resist taking in what’s challenging, but this practice actually neutralizes difficulties so we are not burdened with the heavy energy stuck in the lungs.
When the lung energy becomes excessive and not expressed, it can turn cold, rigid, critical, and dogmatic, which creates distance and loneliness. We need to look to the heart's fire energy to warm up the lungs. The heart fire can soften the cold metal rigidity, which is trying to protect the vulnerable sadness, and help release the grief to let it flow.
Our energy is the most subtle yet profound layer of our being which has a ripple effect on our emotions and physical body. When our emotions are given space to allow and flow they turn into wisdom. Each negative emotion has intelligence behind it. Our sadness and grief are an indication that something needs to be let go of.
Heart openers, such as backbends are medicinal when feeling heavy grief and sadness or low energy. Opening the chest allows the heart, our most compassionate energy, to soothe the grief and sadness held in the lungs.
Any stuck emotions are just a form of resistance that creates suffering. Emotions are neither bad nor good they’re just energy flowing through, but when stuck and resisted they can create emotional disease. This results in negative behavior, turning in on ourselves, which creates more suffering. Over time if these emotions are oppressed they can create physical disease.
Whether it’s a relationship, life stage, a behavioral pattern, or a way of thinking that no longer serves us, we can observe where we are struggling and allow those feelings to float. The heart energy can surround those feelings with warmth and acceptance and love. Then these difficult emotions can transmute to wisdom so we can find compassion for ourselves, and therefore be able to express sincere compassion for others that are suffering as well.
Namaste,
Maggie