Located between our navel and solar plexus, the Manipura Chakra is our self esteem, confidence and self assurance. After overcoming the negatives of Svadhisthana (2nd chakra), the third chakra gives us a new lease of life in facing the world. ‘Mani’ in Sanskrit means ‘jewel’ and ‘pura’ means ‘city’ – thus the jewels of the city refer to the common sense […]
Manipura – Solar Plexus Chakra
Conception Vessel
The Conception Vessel (‘Ren Mai’) runs along the midline of the front of the body and forms a Qi circuit with the Governing Vessel which runs along the back midline. If you were to ever train Qi, these two vessels would be where you begin – they are considered the primary qi channels which direct energy to all the other […]
Pericardium
The Pericardium meridan originates in the middle of the chest where a branch descends through the upper, middle and lower burners (it is paired with the San Jiao (Triple warmer) meridian). The main branch crosses the chest where it emerges at the nipple before running down the middle of the interior arm and forearm. It ends at the outer corner […]
Swadhisthana – Sacral Chakra
Swadhisthana, the ‘residence of the self’ or Sacral Chakra is located in the lower abdominal near the base of the coccyx or tailbone. The name derives from Sanskrit where ‘Swa’ means ‘one’s own‘ and ‘adhisthana’ means ‘dwelling place‘. It is commonly thought of as the center of self, one’s own home but name also implies a sense of pleasure (‘swad’ […]
Muladhara – Root Chakra
The Muladhara Chakra, or root charka, lies at the base of the spine (beneath the coccyx) and is where dormant kundalini resides. It is from this chakra that we ground ourselves to the earth, taking in energy that rises up towards the crown chakra. It is symbolised by four red petals surrounding a yellow square that represents the earth. The […]
Birth interventions linked to long term health problems
Birth interventions, such as forceps, cesarean section and induction have been negatively linked to long term health problems for young children. The study, claimed to be a world first, was undertaken by the Western Sydney University and examined the effects of birth interventions in the first 28 days and up to five years.
Triple Warmer Meridian
The triple warmer meridian (also known as the San Jiao, triple burner or energizer!) is paired with the Pericardium meridian. Yang in nature, it runs from the tip of the 4th (ring) finger and ends at the lateral end of the eyebrow. It is responsible for the movement and transformation of solids and fluids throughout the body and also circulates […]
Urinary Bladder TCM
The Urinary Bladder in TCM (UB) is a Fu (yang) organ paired with the Kidney. Similar to western medicine, the UB stores fluids but in addition, TCM also attributes the transformation of fluids to the UB. Fluids sent by the Small Intestine or Kidneys are transformed into urine and then stored. It is referred to as the ‘Minister of the […]
Gall Bladder TCM
The Gall Bladder in TCM is responsible for storing and secreting bile produced by the Liver. It secretes it into the Small Intestine to aid in digestion of food. It is the only yang organ that doesn’t deal directly with food (i.e. it doesn’t digest, transport or transform) and is paired with the Liver. It acts more like a yin […]
Stomach – TCM
The Stomach in TCM is responsible for ripening and rotting of food. It is called the ‘sea of grain and water’. It’s function is digestion but this term should be taken in a much wider sense – the stomach ‘digests’ thoughts, emotions, worries and anxieties as well as food.