Your Governing Meridian & Your Health
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) it is believed there are energy pathways running throughout our body carrying life vitality known as qi or chi. When a pathway becomes damaged or is blocked our vitality is impacted. This is where illness, disease and other health concerns arise that bring us pain and discomfort. Re-establishing and maintaining open pathways is the key to vitality and long life. It is the ultimate goal within the TCM modality. Given that TCM is one of our oldest known medicines and still actively in use today the pathways deserve respect in how we manage our health.
One of these pathways runs along the center of the body from the tailbone, up the spine and neck over the center of the head and into the top lip. It is called the Governing Meridian because it is this unique pathway that accesses the body’s energy most directly as it connects to every other pathway in our body. I like to tell clients this is your life line within your body.
This particular pathway is often focused on in natural health support because of its connection to everything else and because it is central to healing. When our body is out of balance providing support through the Governing Pathway can ease pain and provide the outlet for blockages to exit. It is also one of the best ways to release emotions that are trapped in the body that are causing discomfort.
How Pathways Become Blocked in the Body
There are several ways a pathway can become blocked, including from toxic exposure, environmental factors, and emotions. Balancing and encouraging good energy flow is vital for our overall well-being. Methods for repairing and re-establishing this flow is supported by TCM practices centered on mind-body-heart principles.
When using the Emotion Code and Body Code, practitioners will clear energetic blockages, imbalances, and trapped emotions from the Governing Meridian. This is typically done by first identifying the specific energy that is causing an issue, then swiping a magnet along the Governing Meridian. Since the body is made of electromagnetic energy, the use of a magnet can attract the energy of the imbalance, essentially pulling the blockage from the body. It is simply a beautiful process. Having felt trapped emotions leave my own body, the release that can be felt is unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced.
Most of won’t know one of our pathways are blocked. We may not feel our best or see our energy lower than normal and think nothing of it. Over time this lower mode of operation becomes our norm and we may attribute it to slowing down due to aging. The ability to decode messages in the body and work with them proactively is one of the best reasons to rely on natural health services as it can help prevent and restore the body earlier in the process.
How do You Know which Pathway to Follow
The great thing about TCM is the amount of knowledge that has been passed down generationally. It is a medicine still in very active use today by many natural health professionals. Their knowledge and skill will help you identify the blocked pathway and work to support healing.
There are times when it can be difficult to pinpoint the exact situation so the Governing Meridian can be used as an overall start point for deep analysis. It is through this specific meridian we experience our emotions about how supported we feel in life. It is also where we carry burdens, distrust, and embarrassment. Sometimes we need to release these emotions first before we can see what else is behind them. The Governing Meridian nourishes the spine and brain and is aligned with mental well-being.
In my opinion, too much of our health in the Western world is segregated from our whole being. If we break our leg, the primary concern is for the repair of the bone. Little to no focus is placed on the emotional aspects of that fracture. Yet there are very intentional feelings, emotions, and influences that also cause pain and slow healing. Separating our mind and heart from the physical body does not long term promote health of the individual. Connecting back into our Governing Meridian we find that with its connection to all the other pathways in the body, it is impossible to simply address a physical complaint without also addressing mind and heart.
Healing Your Body Through the Governing Meridian
A physical, mental and emotional experience can block the qi. Understanding and navigating the feelings of that experience is not something we are typically to do well so most of us stuff down our feelings. Yet the Governing Meridian invites us to reverse and let them out. Intentionally and specifically to release them before they become stuck in our body.
The emotional pain of embarrassment can cause digestive issues. Embarrassment can also lead to anger impacting the liver. We often thing of a symptom as physical ailments only but in doing so we miss the reason those symptoms presented in the first place. This places an unnecessary burden on our overall health that prevents healing and the ability to thrive.
I am particularly fond of the Emotion and Body Code work leveraging TCM principles to release these emotions. The process though requires us to believe our feelings and give credence to the fact it doesn’t serve us to continue to cram down feelings.
This is particularly true when we attempt to lose weight. In this very sensitive health issue, emotions are at the center. We are frustrated, overwhelmed, sad, depressed, uncomfortable because of the weight but we are equally those things that led to this point. Something happened that, feelings were felt and maybe even eaten to hold in what we were not letting go of in the moment. Feelings literally get stuck in our fat cells as a way to protect us from pain we experienced. Maybe that was falling short of expectations, hurt from others or ourself, grief, loss, or something else entirely but there are feelings under that weight.
Weight is never really just about weight.
-Amy Kramer, Dragonspit Apothecary
Releasing weight by being brave enough to assess and work through our feelings empowers us to no only pursue different numbers on the scale but to pursue living our best life in mind-body-heart. We become our whole being again in a way that honors and uplifts who we truly are. In doing so, the process of losing weight becomes less focused on the weight loss and more about overall health and well-being. I call this the real reason we want to lose weight.
If you are looking for natural health support in your health and well-being, including losing weight, I am accepting new clients.
You can book a consultation with me at dragonspitapothecary.com