July 2024

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The Five Element Theory

The Five Element Theory

The Five Elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine comprise of Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire. Each element in this cycle nourishes the following and they work in harmony together. Tradition says that everything in the universe is comprised from the five elements.

There are many categories to which the Five Elements can be placed, from the food we eat, to our inner organs, to the outside seasons, to the directions, to the aspects of taste, smelling, touch, hearing and feeling and so on.

When the Five Elements are in harmony within our bodies, then we will experience good health. But when they are out of balance, then disease might have a chance to set in.

  • The Earth Element is associated with the Stomach and Spleen
  • The Metal Element is associated with the Lungs and Large Intestine
  • The Water Element is associated with the Kidneys and Urinary Bladder
  • The Wood Element is associated with the Liver and Gallbladder
  • The Fire Element is associated with the Heart and Small Intestine

During our Qigong practice, certain exercises are designed to either tonify, harmonize or disperse a certain aspect of our bodies, which has an underlying connection with these elements.

Wood Element

  • Organs: Liver & Gallbladder
  • Color: Green
  • Season: Spring
  • Direction: East
  • Emotion: Love / Anger
  • Taste: Sour
  • Sense Organ: Eye
  • Body Tissue: Tendons, Sinews

Fire Element

  • Organs: Heart, Small Intestine
  • Color: Red
  • Season: Summer
  • Direction: South
  • Emotion: Joy / Hatred
  • Taste: Bitter
  • Sense Organ: Tongue
  • Body Tissue: Vessels

Earth Element

  • Organ: Spleen, Stomach
  • Color: Yellow
  • Season: Late Summer
  • Direction: Center
  • Emotion: Worry / Overthinking
  • Taste: Sweet
  • Sense Organ: Mouth, Lips
  • Body Tissue: Muscles, Flesh

Metal / Wind Element

  • Organ: Lung, Large Intestine
  • Color: White
  • Season: Autumn
  • Direction: West
  • Emotion: Grief
  • Taste: Spicy
  • Sense Organ: Nose
  • Body Tissue: Skin

Water Element

  • Organ: Kidney, Bladder
  • Color: Black, Dark Blue
  • Season: Winter
  • Direction: North
  • Emotion: Fear / Courage
  • Taste: Salty
  • Sense Organ: Ear
  • Body Tissue: Bone, marrow

Also, a quick note about the Metal element. It is also known as the Wind element but is translated from Chinese in such a way that it is described as “precious”. So if you find some Silver you will definitely regard that as precious. In the same way we need the very air we breathe or we could be dead in as short a time as a few minutes. So the Wind element is very precious indeed.

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What is Qigong?

What is Qigong?

Qigong

Qigong is a ancient traditional Chinese practice dating back thousands of years that works to balance the energy in your Body, Qi, and Mind (Jing, Qi, Shen).

Throughout every being in this universe there is the presence of a life force or “Qi” that runs throughout our bodies through a system of energy channel. Sometimes these channels can become diseased because of various issues such deficiency or excess. The goal of Qigong is to heal and improve our bodies.

Qigong uses many techniques such as postures, breathing exercises, stretches, meditation, self-massages, and visualizations.

The word “Qi” means energy and the word “Gong” means to work. So it is known as Qigong, or Energy Work.

The difference between Qigong and Tai Chi is that they are similar, but Qigong is more of a “Chinese Yoga” while Tai Chi is a set of forms. Practicing both Tai Chi and Qigong is very beneficial for everyone.

One of the most popular forms of Qigong is called The Eight Sections Brocade (Baduanjin) and it serves its purpose by harmonizing all elements of your body.

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The Chakra System

The Chakra System

 

In this world there are a few chakra systems, but mainly we will be going over the more popular system, which is the Indian or Yoga System of the Seven Chakras.

The actually definition of Chakra comes the ancient Sanskrit language which means a “wheel” or a “disk”.

Within our bodies are a complex web of energy channels, within these channels some of them are major or minor. The major energy and nerve points in our bodies are known as the Seven Chakras, and they all rest on the spine.

The commonly known “Seven Chakras” are a set of seven chakras, and they range like this in a descending order along with their sounds:

  1. Crown Chakra (All)
  2. Third Eye Chakra (Aum)
  3. Throat Chakra (Ham)
  4. Heart Chakra (Yam)
  5. Solar Plexus Chakra (Ram)
  6. Sacral Chakra (Vam)
  7. Root Chakra (Lam)

Each chakra holds a certain type of emotion, a color and a sound. Sometimes when a person is unwell, these chakras can be responsible and they might need to be regulated or “unblocked”.

There are many different ways to heal chakras, from: meditation, yoga exercises, mantras and breathing exercises.

The Root Chakra

The Root Chakra is located at the base of one’s spine and it provides the foundation to your life and body. Much of a person’s pure physical health comes from the quality of their root chakra. 

There are also various things that a person can experience if a Root Chakra is out of balance, the extreme being too sexually active or aggressive and the deficiency side being that a person is too physically weak.

The sound of The Root Chakra is LAM.

Sacral Chakra

The Sacral Chakra is located right below the belly button and it deals with a person’s relationships. The Root Chakra is more of the “pure sexual, raw energy” while the Sacral Chakra is more of the “relationship energy”.

The Sacral Chakra is also connected to one’s physical health, if it is deficient it will lead to a weak physical body and also weak relationships. If it is in excess, it will lead to turbulent and problematic relationships.

The sound of The Sacral Chakra is VAM.

Solar Plexus Chakra

The Solar Plexus Chakra is located in the upper abdomen area and it deals with a person’s self-esteem. If it is in excess, it will cause a person to be too full of pride and ego, if it is in deficiency, a person will have too little confidence.

The sound of The Solar Plexus Chakra is RAM.

Heart Chakra

The Heart Chakra is located in our heart center and it deals with our ability to express compassion and love. If it is in excess, a person might be too hearty or too excited. If it is in deficiency, a person will drift towards hatred and anger too much.

The sound of The Solar Plexus Chakra is YAM.

Throat Chakra

The Throat Chakra is located at our throat and it is related to our ability to express ourselves. For example, someone who can express themself can properly explain things exactly how they want to with the other person understanding clearly. This deals with not only verbal communication, but if we are trying to be artistic or creative as well.

The sound of The Solar Plexus Chakra is HAM.

Third Eye Chakra

The Third Eye Chakra is located in the middle of our foreheads and it is responsible for our intuition and spiritual ability.

The sound of The Solar Plexus Chakra is AUM.

Crown Chakra

The Crown Chakra is located at the top of our head and it is responsible for our connection to the universe, heaven and our spiritual path. It is also related to our life’s purpose.

The sound of The Crown Chakra is not definite and should be understood more as emptiness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In conclusion, I hope this brief guide to the Chakra system was useful. Chakras are indeed an esoteric topic and in your meditation you can experience a lot with them.

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The Practice of Tai Chi

The Practice of Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a very old practice that originated from China. It’s roots began as a type of martial art. The exercise itself is in modern days known for its slow and smooth movements. These movements in connection with postures, breathing and meditation all form the basis of a very excellent practice that can be very healing to our bodies. The goal of healing with Tai Chi is to help us find balance in our body and minds.

Some people when first getting started with meditation may have a lot of issues with trying to settle down and maintain a type of peace. Tai Chi is known for it’s ability to help us slow down in life and reach a type of “moving meditation”.

Tai Chi is very accessible and useful to all types of people. Tai Chi is mostly practiced gentle and there is always an emphasis on remaining “smooth”, never rigid. Tai Chi movements are circular, slow, fluid and peaceful.

The famous Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu said:

“Men are born soft and supple; dead they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life.”

There are many benefits to practicing Tai Chi, such as increase balance, strength, flexibility, weight control, heart health, better sleep, arthritis control and stress relief.

The two most popular styles of Tai Chi include: Chen Style and Yang Style.

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