The term “meridian lines” is used in a number of natural therapies with acupuncture being perhaps the best known. Meridian lines are invisible lines that carry energy throughout the body. Along these lines are points called meridian points. Meridian lines cannot be seen or felt like other systems in the body such as the circulatory or nervous system. When a person is in good (balanced) health, their meridian lines will be open and clear of blockages. These meridian lines, or channels of energy, can be associated with the functioning of the body’s internal organs. Under healthy conditions, the energy will flow freely through the meridians. If the internal organs function abnormally, or abnormal external stimulation occurs, the energy will stagnate in the meridians and cause illness. In order to cure the illness, the blockage must be released and the flow of energy normalised. The whole meridian can be worked on evenly, or specific points can be concentrated upon. The Twelve Main Meridian Lines The twelve main meridian lines have been named after six “zang” and six “fu” organs. The relationship between the organ and the meridian exists in the functioning of the organs rather than in the actual organ itself. 1. The Lung Meridian – is the intake of Qi energy from the air for use by the body, and to build up resistance against any external intrusions. It also eliminates gasses that are not needed in the body through exhalation. 2. The Large Intestine Meridian – this meridian helps the function of the lung, and secretes and excretes from inside and outside the body. It also eliminates the stagnation of Qi energy. 3. The Spleen Meridian – is involved in digestion and the process of fermentation. In modern terms, the spleen is considered as being the pancreas, and the pancreas governs general digestion, and reproductive hormones related to the breasts and ovaries. Mental fatigue has a negative effect on the spleen and a lack of exercise will cause problems with digestion and also with the secretion of hormones. 4. The Stomach Meridian – this meridian is involved in the functioning of the stomach, esophagus, and duodenum, as well as the functioning of the reproductive, lactation, ovary, and appetite mechanism. It is also involved in the menstrual cycle. 5. The Heart Meridian – this represents compassion and thus governs emotions and the spirit. It is also responsible for the circulation of the blood and the total body through the brain and the five senses. This meridian is also the mechanism that adapts external stimulation to the body’s internal environment. 6. The Small Intestine Meridian – the small intestine governs the total body through the displacement and digestion of food. Anxiety, anger, nervous shock, and emotional excitement can affect the circulation of the blood, and the small intestine can actually cause blood stagnation that affects the body as a whole. 7. The Kidney Meridian - this meridian controls the spirit and energy to the body and governs resistance against mental stress by controlling hormone secretions. It also detoxifies and purifies the blood. 8. The Bladder Meridian – this is related to the mid-brain which cooperates with the kidney system and the pituitary gland. It is also connected to the autonomic nervous system related to the reproductive and urinary organs. It is also responsible for expelling urine. 9. The Heart Constrictor (Pericardium) Meridian – this meridian acts as a supplemental function of the heart related to the circulatory system, which includes the heart sac, the cardiac arteries and the system of arteries and veins. It is also responsible for total nutrition. 10. The Triple Heater (Sanjao) Meridian – this meridian acts as a supplemental function of the small intestine, and also controls the spirit and visceral organs that circulate energy to the entire body. It also protects the function of the lymphatic system. The upper heat is related to the chest, the middle heat to the solar plexus, and the heat above the navel and below is related to the peritoneum, as well as circulation to the extremities. 11. The Liver Meridian – this meridian stores nutrients and energy for physical activities. It also helps resists against disease and supplies, analyses and detoxifies blood in order to maintain physical energy. 12. The Gall Bladder Meridian – this meridian distributes nutrients throughout the body and balances the total energy through the help of internal hormones and secretions include bile, saliva, gastric acid, insulin, and intestinal hormones. The meridians are another way of looking at the body or another way of understanding it. When working with our muscles we can talk about stretching them or strengthening them. We can use a similar terminology with respect to the meridians. We can stretch them or energize them. In general when we stretch our muscles we stretch the meridians that lay along those muscles. When we strengthen or contract muscles we energize the meridians that lay along those muscles. So stretching muscle tissue is the same as stretching meridians while activating muscle tissue is the same as energizing the meridians within that muscle. If the terminology is almost the same what possible advantage could understanding the meridians give us? Well, one thing about the meridians is that they run across many joints, in some cases from the top of the head to the bottoms of the feet. Stretching a meridian doesnt involve just one muscle but many and thus when stretching a meridian we can work at stretching the entire length of the body or work at energizing the entire length of the body. We can also stretch and strengthen combinations of meridians. For example we could stretch the stomach meridian by stretching the front of the neck, ribcage, abs, hips, and ankle. We could energize it by strengthening along this entire line either section by section or all at once. Since the small intestine meridian, which runs up the back of the arm and neck, connects to the stomach meridian, we can look for a way to stretch the stomach meridian and small intestine meridian at the same time (perhaps pulling the arm across the chest while doing a lunge.) Another Means of Understanding Understanding the meridians give us another way of looking at the body and how we stretch and energize it. They give us another way of understanding the body. We can use this understanding of the meridians to work towards a balanced yoga practice. (We can do the same when focusing on muscles or joints.) We can practice with the intent of stretching all of the meridians and energizing them all so that the result is a balanced body. We could also learn all of the muscles of the body and do a yoga practice with the intent of stretching and strengthening them all and the result is a balanced yoga practice. The meridians may be easier for some people to see or visualize since they run in nice regular lines up and down the body. In addition they give another context for sequencing the way we stretch the body (and energize it.) They form a circuit and understanding this circuit at even a basic level we can use that understanding to guide the way we structure a class. This understanding can also be used to focus the purpose of a class. Even if we havent got time to stretch or strengthen the whole body, or if we are focused on a particular action, back bending perhaps, then the meridians offer an understanding that allows us to focus on our area of interest while balancing the body at the same time by countering or balancing the affects of what we have focused on. Meridians, Connective Tissue and Balance Where are the meridians actually located? More than likely in the connective tissue of our body. (Meridians Connect....) That includes the connective tissue within our muscles as well as the connective tissue that connects muscles to bone, bone to bone, organs to each other and to the structure that supports them. Relaxing a muscle and lengthening it we stretch the connective tissue (and thus the meridians) that lay within that connective tissue. This tissue has some elasticity so that muscle tissue resumes its shape when released. Activating muscle tissue we work on the connective tissue in a different way. We focus tension on the tendons, the connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. We can call this energizing the meridians that lay within that muscle tissue. This connective tissue is more than likely inelastic. A balanced practice would include working on the connective tissue within a muscle by stretching it and working on the connective tissue that binds muscle to bone by activating muscle. Tension and Change What do the meridians transmit? They transmit energy or information in the form of tension or changes in tension. It is actually something that we can sense, tension in our body. It is also something that we can learn to control. Meridians may also transmit some form of electricity or charge. This charge may be generated by contracting muscle tissue and then releasing it. It may also be generated by stretching or releasing connective tissue. This assumes that the connective tissue or portions of it are piezo-electric, that it produces a change in electric potential when either its shape is changed or the tension across it is changed. In either case, the charge model may acount for the buzzing feeling that we get after stretching or strengthening connective tissue and muscle tissue. Following the Flow One of the ways in which we can use the meridians to guide the sequencing of stretches is to follow the flow of the meridians. We can stretch our muscles while following or chasing the flow of the meridians and we can do the same while energizing them. In general the meridians flow down the front of the arms and up the back of the arms and up the neck. From there they travel down the front sides and back of the neck, body and legs. They then travel up the inner legs, up the front of the torso from where they connect to the front of the arms. One way of learning the flow of the meridians is to learn how the meridians physically relate. So now well look at the meridians that run up and down the arms and then well look at the meridians that run up and down the body and legs. Then we might have a better basis for learning to understand the flow of the meridians from one to the other throughout the entire body. The Arm Meridians There are three meridians which flow down the front of the arms and three that flow up the back of the arms and then up the neck. (You can click on the meridian diagrams for a blow up version.) These meridians each run in three roughly parallel lines. We can refer to these three lines on both the front and back of the arms as the outer, inner and middle lines. The three meridians which run down the front of the arms are the lung, heart and pericardium. The three meridians which run up the back of the arms are the large intestine, small intestine and triple heater. The lung connects to the large intestine meridian. They run along the outer line of the front and back of the arm. The heart connects to the small intestine meridian. They both run along the inner line of the front and back of the arms. The pericardium connects to the triple heater meridian. These run up the center line of the front and back of each arm. Metal The lung and large intestine meridian are both associated with the metal element hence the color white. The lung meridian flows down outer line of the front of the arm. It connects to the large intestine meridian at the index finger. The large intestine meridian runs from there up the outer line of the back of the arm and up the neck to the jaw bone. It cross the lower part of the cheek and passes under the nose to the other side of the face. This parallels the large intestine itself which crosses from one side of the body to the other. Fire The heart and small intestine meridians are both associated with fire hence the color red. The Heart meridian runs down the inside line of the front of the arm to the little finger. From there it connects to the small intestine which runs up the inner line of the back of the arm. It runs across the shoulder blade, up the neck, angles across the cheek to the outer corner of the eye and from there back to a point in front of the ear hole. Note that since all the meridians that run up the back of the arm also run up the neck, we can combine neck stretches with back of the arm stretches to stretch this meridian more efficiently. (We could also do back of the wrist stretches at the same time.) Non-elemental Neither the pericardium nor the triple heater are associated with any element hence the color black. The pericardium flows down the front of the arm along the middle line (between the lung and the heart meridians) while the triple heater flows up the middle line of the back of the arm. From there it moves up the neck behind the ear, and circles around the ear to a point just in front of the ear hole. Stretching the Arm Meridians Stretching the front of the arm, shoulder and wrists opens the heart, lung and pericardium. Stretching the back of the arms and the neck opens the large and small intestine and triple heater. Body and Leg Meridians The meridians that run up the back of the arm connect to the meridians that run down the body and legs. The large intestine meridian connects to the stomach meridian which runs down the front of the body and legs. The heart meridian connects to the bladder meridian which runs down the back of the body and legs. The triple heater meridian connects to the gall bladder meridian which runs down the side of the body and legs. Earth The large intestine meridian crosses from one side of the face to the other. It connects to the stomach meridian. The stomach meridian runs down the neck, down the front of the body and down the front of the legs to the second toe. It connects to the spleen meridian which runs up the front line of the inner thigh and up the front of the body outside the line of the stomach meridian. Both of these meridians are associated with the earth element which is associated with the color yellow. Water The small intestine meridian runs up the neck, across the face to the outer corner of the eye (and then to a point in front of the ear.) It is in the region of the eye that it connects to the bladder meridian. The bladder meridian runs from the inner eye up over the head and down the back of the body and legs and along the outside of each foot. It connects to the Kidney Meridian there. The Kidney meridian runs up the back line of the inner thigh, up the front of the body close to the center line to the shoulders. The bladder and kidney meridian are both associated with water. Wood The triple heater meridian runs up the neck and behind the ear and the drops down infront of the ear. From there it connects to the gall bladder meridian. The gall bladder meridian zigzags along the side of the head before dropping down in front of the shoulder and passing down the side of the body and legs to the feet. At the feet it connects to the liver meridian which runs up the middle line of the inner thigh and up the front of the body to the shoulders. Both of these meridians are associated with the element of wood hence the green color. The Flow of the Meridians The usual starting point for describing flow of the meridians is to start with the lung meridian (white, outer edge along the front of the arms.) The lung meridian connects the large intestine (White, along the outer edge back of the arms.) The large intestine connects to the stomach (down the front of the body) which then connects at the feet to the spleen (up the front edge of the inner thigh.) The spleen connects to the heart which like the lung meridian also lays along the front of the arm but along the inside edge. It connects to the small intestine meridian which runs up the inside edge of the back of the arms. The small intestine connects at the eyes to the bladder meridian (down the back of the body.) It connects at the feet to the kidney meridian (up the back line of the inner thigh and the front of the body.) The kidney connects at the shoulders to the pericardium (the mid-line of the front of the arm) which connects at the hands to the triple heater (the mid-line of the back of the arm.) The triple heater connects to the gall bladder near the ear. (It runs down the side of the body.) The gall bladder connects to the liver at the feet. (The liver meridian runs up the mid-line of inner thighs and the side of the body.) The liver meridian connects back to the lung meridian. We are then back where we started. Neil Keleher is a yoga teacher, engineer and artist. He lives in Taiwan. He created the website sensational-yoga-poses as a resource for helping people learn their body intelligently. Read more about how the meridians relate to the connective tissue network of our bodies. You can also find out about meridian stretches for all the normal meridians of the body
Posted on: Thu, 16 Jan 2014 20:21:25 +0000
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