hinkbacktothelasttimeyou
hada strongemotionsuchas
joyorsadness.Wheredidyou
feelit inyourbody?People
oftendescribebadshockas
‘apunchtothegut’orgrief
as‘aweightonthechest’.
Conversely,thestateofyour
bodyaffectsyouremotions;
whenyou’reill,it’shardto
feelpositive.
Chinesemedicinehasalways
rootedtheemotionalstatefirmly
in thebody.Everyemotionwe
experienceis lookedafterbya
specificorgan.Sodepression,for
example,is describedasanimbalance
oftheorgans,almostalwaysinvolvingthe
liver.Havinga specificphysicallocationfor
emotionsmeansyouhavea placewhere
youcanstarthealingyourself,processing
emotionsandtransforminghowyoufeel.
TheChinesebeliefis this:ownyour
emotionsandyoumasteryourhealth.Life
willbringallkindsofemotionalreactions
butyoudon’twanttoletoneofthem
takeover,becausethisis notbalance.
Beingtooemotionalis considereda
wasteofvaluableqi(lifeforce)andhasa
detrimentaleffectonyourorgans.It’swhy
theancientTaoistmasterswereverybig
oncontentmentandquietlivingtoachieve
a longandpeacefullife.
Beingin a balancedemotionalstate
resultsin free-flowingqithatwilldomore
tosupportyourwellbeingthananygreen
juice.Theansweris toacceptwhatever
emotionneedstocomeoutasa natural
partoflife.Expressingit in a controlledway
meansyouwon’tbecomeoverwhelmed.CHANGE YOUR MOOD
Youdon’tneedtocompletelychangeyour
life to find balance. Instead, you can adapt
your daily routine with small changes usingpsychology
PHOTOGRAPHY: iStock
a Chinese
self-healing
systemcalled
YangSheng
(‘nourishlife’)
whichoffers
simple,daily
self-caretechniques
designedtoimprove
healthandbringyouintoa
stateofcalmcontentment.Youcando
theseexerciseswheneveryouhavea spare
minute:in thecarorwhenyou’rebrushing
yourteeth.Onceyoumakethema habit,
they’llcomenaturally.
Firstly,youneedtolearnhowtoown
theemotion.Recogniseyouremotionand
nameit; forexample‘I’mfeelinganxious’.
Ownthatit’sOKtofeellikethis.HOW TO SHIFT
YOUR EMOTIONS
Thenshifttheenergyofyouremotion.You
candothiswithlaughter,singingand
dancing,butyoucanalsotrythefollowing
techniques.If you’reexperiencingthe
emotionoften,practiseshiftingit everyday.
Beawaretheemotionwilltripyouupa few
timesbeforeyouprocessit fully.- HEALING SOUNDS
Thisis oneoftheoldestformsofbreath
therapy.Theideais thatspecificsounds
correspondtothevibrationsofeachorgan
(seebelow).If yourmasterorgansare
happyandhealthy,you’llstayin balance.
As you breathe a long breath out, make the
sound, directing it at the organ related to
theemotionyou’refeeling.Visualisethe
organorareaasyoubreathe,sendit
happyvibesandimaginestaleenergy
comingoutofit. Repeatfivetimes.
Lungs(Grief)– Ssssssss
Kidneys(Fear)– Chooooo
Liver(Anger)– Shhhhhhhh
Heart(Joy/anxiety)– Haaaaaaa
Stomach(Worry)– Whoooo.- SMILING BREATHS
Startseated,lyingdownorstanding.
Breathein,then,asyougentlyexhale,send
aninnersmiletotheorganhousingthe
emotionin question(asabove).Dothree
fullroundsofbreath,imaginingtheorgan
beingfilledwithwarmthandhappiness.
3.TAPPING
Tapyourbodyin theareaoftherelevant
organwitha loosefist.Doit withvigour
toinvigorate,gentlytorelax.Tappingon
pointsalongthemeridianchannelsis said
torestorea goodflowofqi. Forexample,
forgrieforsadness(lungsandheart),tap
acrossyourchestandupanddownyour
arms,tofollowtheheartandlungmeridians.Feelingoverwhelmed?
Bring yourself back into
harmony with the Chinese
art of self-healing, Yang
Sheng, says Katie BrindleYOUR
YANG SHENG: The
Art of Chinese
Self-Healing
by Katie Brindle
(Hardie Grant, £15)CAN’T STOP
WORRYING?
Try this fantastic acupressure
trick for worry and anxiety.
Looselyholdonethumbin the
palmoftheotherhand(either
thumbis fine)so your hand is
wrapped around the whole of
your thumb. Take a few
deep breaths.BALANCE
emotions