Wellness Plan
we don’t want balance… we want flux
LEARNING MORE ABOUT YIN AND YANG
You would have seen this kind of image before - this image represents the Yin and Yang energies.
Essentially, this represents the way the universe works, which is in polarities: for example, up/down, hot/cold, male/ female etc.
We have these 2 forces -
Yin - Female, mother earth frequency
Yang - Male, cosmic Qi, father energy of the cosmos (universe etc)
They are a perfect partnership. When they are balanced, all is well.
Our aim is to create this Yin/ Yang balance but as you know, often once balance is achieved, it is lost. . This constant state of flux is what living is - we can experience real highs and desperate lows and, whilst balance would be lovely, it would also bring stagnation and boredom.
So often all we hear is “we want to create balance” and whilst I don’t disagree with this, it’s actually not necessarily true. I believe what we are wanting is to know how to be able to bring our body (and mind) back into a place of balance, so that when we are out of kilter we can know how to bring ourselves back to f a space of calm (and safety). However, it’s not realistic to think we can permanently hang out here. Life, if you hadn’t noticed, is rarely balanced and that’s what makes it life - a constant dance between the two polarities.
Did you know this male/ female energy or hot/cold energy is also present in the foods we eat?
We can look at the thermal nature of foods - cucumber is cooling, whilst chilli is heating. These awarenesses will help you begin to work with food at a different energetic level. So, for example, we don’t want to be eating cooling foods in the winter when our bodies are normally cold, but in the summer they can help to cool us down. This might sound obvious but with fast food and the rich variety of cultural foods readily available to us, we have begun to lose sight of what our food is doing to, and for, us.
The key link that I feel Traditional Chinese Medicine brings to all the other research I have done over the years, is how it connects us to the planet, the seasons as well as our true soul/ spiritual health.
We often dis connect from these 3 areas, yet I believe its through re engaging with them and realising how inexplicably linked we are to them (and each other) that we can find true health and happiness. The 3 Treasures (and burners) highlights this perfectly.
THE THREE TREASURES
The three treasures determine your physical, mental and emotional health.
The Upper Burner is the refined Essence. Think of it like the steam that comes off a bubbling cauldron. It disperses the body’s fluids and refined life-force around the body. This function is connected with the lungs
It is where the SHEN is housed - Energy of consciousness and awareness and associated with the heart.
Shen is like the flame/ light given of by the candle. Often thought of as spirit, consciousness and awareness. It’s the radiance of our spirt which lights up the dark. The light given off by the flame is the ultimate purpose of the candle - our unique personality and energy.
Your lifestyle dictates your Shen - the music you listen to, the people you hang out with, think of smells/ aromatherapy and how they can lift the spirits etc
Examples of foods and ingredients are - Medicinal mushrooms are often connected with the Spirit/ Shen.
- Flowers for herbal teas, as well as green tea which is brilliant for brain chemistry
The Middle Burner is where all the cooking takes place - like the cauldron or cooking pot and this represents the function of our stomach and spleen. They take food and air and transform them into blood and Qi which nourishes the body. The stomach and spleen ripens and rots food substances and transforms thoughts, ideas and mental information.
This houses our QI - which is our day to day vitality
Qi included Qi and Blood and is produced by the air that you breathe and the food that you eat. We want to be building up our Qi (and blood) every day, with every meal we make.
Strong Qi (and blood) is required for daily activity and adventures, strong immunity, protection and adaptability
Qi is about flow. It represents your vitality, if thinking of a candle it can either burn bright or the flame can flutter. Its important to be aware that Qi provides the light of the candle but consumes the candle too - so trying to find balance will ultimately lead to the candle lasting longer and in turn a longer, happier life.
Examples of food - Think really digestible foods like slow cooked casseroles, congee, warm soups, pickles to aid digestion etc
(NB - Blood is not technically a 3 treasure but is inseperable from Qi, however also interdependent.
Qi is Yang in energy and Blood Yin in energy. Blood is considered a dense form of Qi but when Qi moves, blood follows)
The Lower Burner is seen as the flame below the cauldron or cooking pot. This represents our primordial fire, sexual energy, kundalini energy - and transforms dark, stagnant energy or releases waste. Represented by the kidneys, bladder and intestines which separate and excrete fluids and solids out of the body - compared to a draining ditch
JING - your constitutional energy - the wax which makes up the candle. Associated with the kidneys, which correlates to the water element (we will cover this more in the course)
A reservoir or regenerative lifeforce essence. It governs growth, development, and ageing and the slow unfolding of life’s changes, your blueprint and longevity, linked with your reproductive power and immunity.
The candle’s life expectancy will depend on the size of the candle and quality of the wax, like your genetic inheritance it determines the life of your candle - however the way you choose to live your life can help support your living.
Examples of food - egg yolk, pollen, nuts, seeds, seaweeds… dark, mineral rich, primordial foods.
Making sure we have STRONG DIGESTIVE FIRE is paramount in our day to day lives.
JING - the wax and wick of the candle from the material substance, the candies innate essence. The candles life expectancy will depend on the size of the candle and quality of the wax.
Qi - the flame is the energy and activity of the candle and provides the source of light. Requires food (wick) and air to continue and eventually the flame consumes the candle.
SHEN - the light given off by the flame is the ultimate purpose of the candle. A larger candle produces a larger flame and gives off greater light.