How To Build Up Your Kidney Reserves And Recharge - Welcome To The Winter Water Element!
Tis the season to work with the energies of the kidneys and the bladder, as their energy is running the strongest in the winter. The focus in the Meridian Flow practice is to stimulate the meridians of the kidney and bladder to achieve an even flow of energy. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the meridians are the energy pathways to the organs and are as vitally important as the organ itself. Without the energy flow, the organ won’t operate. Think of a computer without electricity, it won’t function. Our organs are like computers inside of us, they process all of the information we put into them: all that we ingest, and the thoughts we run. If the energy pathways are stagnant or blocked the organ's function will be impeded, resulting in physical and emotional dis-ease. Through the Meridian Flow practices, we cultivate a smooth flow of energy, which helps relieve the chronic pain and anxiety so many of us suffer from.
When the energy of the kidneys and bladder is running efficiently, we feel confident, with endurance and willpower to get us through the winter with ease and grace. The kidneys are known to hold and conserve our chi, or energy. They store the reserves so we can enjoy the winter, rather than just endure it.
In Chinese medicine, the bear is the spirit animal of the water season. Bears know how to conserve their energy. When we reflect on the energy of the natural world, the animals are preparing for hibernation, and the trees and plants become very still, as nature is conserving its chi, or energy, and since we are part of nature, this reflects in us as well.
In the meridian flow practice, we choose chi-gong sets and yoga sequences to stimulate the meridians of the organs that are in energetic high tide, which creates an acupressure effect. In the winter we are looking to strengthen the inner legs that the kidney meridian runs up, (as well as the liver and spleen meridians), and lengthen the back body and legs that the bladder Meridian runs down.
To conserve our energy, especially around the holidays, and find moments of stillness, we look to the poses that create a calm, quiet, reflection, when water is calm, it is reflective. Think forward bends. In forward bends the exhale is longer than the inhale. This works well with the bladder meridian, as it’s the longest meridian in the body, so we make sure to refine the exhale to be long and slow, which helps to clear the mind and rest in stillness. The pause after the exhale is known as the sacred pause, where we can touch peace.
~ Inhale up the kidney meridian
~ Exhale down the bladder meridian
When the energy of water is maladapted and turbid, we can no longer see our reflection. Our minds get caught up in obsessive thinking that often turns to fear. Fear is the emotion that arises when kidney chi is imbalanced. Forward bends calm the nervous system and create clarity. Where there’s clarity, there is wisdom.
Wisdom is one of the attributes we cultivate in the winter. It is the easiest time of year to become quiet and still, so we can activate our third eye, the 6th chakra.
Through pranayama, (breathwork), the mind becomes still and we can utilize the wisdom of the eye behind the eye, which can observe the deeper patterns in the subconscious that have a profound effect on us. The power of self-observation through meditation reveals our conditioning and old impressions on the psyche that may be blocking us from moving forward. When we observe without judgment, we have the chance to notice the conditioning and create space internally.
Shining the light of awareness on these areas of fear shifts how we relate to them. We are no longer blindsided by them but can call them out, which releases the power they have over us. When we name it, we tame it. “I see you FEAR, thank you for trying to protect me, but I got this.”
The strengths and virtues of the water season are willpower, endurance, and wisdom. If there’s a yang kidney imbalance, there is emotional turmoil and fear. The yin deficiency of the kidney chi results in loneliness. Any disharmony will show up as fear and loneliness. Yang kidney excess can look like work addiction, and a weak yang kidney can appear as a lack of strength, endurance, and willpower. A balanced kidney constitution appears as wise, gentle, rational, and self-understanding.
The lungs are energetically the mother or generator of the kidneys, so we can increase the breathwork, to clear the fearful mind. When we fall under the negative emotions of the current season, we look to the previous season, autumn, the metal element of the lungs, to nourish us. When there's excess, we look
two seasons back, in the late summer earth element, to control the raging water and fear.
Our physical practice often brings us back into alignment. Holding standing and strength-building poses is the earth element controlling the water in the winter. Think of the earth creating banks around a river to control it. We build muscle mass in the late summer, the earth element time, by holding poses for a minute or more, which builds not only strength in the muscles but also strength and willpower in the mind. The earth element is all about stability, and our specific breath work in the earth element helps us keep to our center. The center is where wisdom resides, as wisdom is the virtue of the water element.
The earth element’s spirit or consciousness is known as Yi, which is our intellect and what we learn in this lifetime. When we are subject to fear, it’s often fear of the unknown. This is where the intellect of the earth element can control the water by learning what we are fearful of. Learning often subdues the fear so we aren’t paralyzed by it and can start to move, breathe, and access wisdom.
From my heart light to yours~
Namaste,
Maggie