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Being Present in the Body
The next pair of movements we are going to explore are for the heart and pericardium. In Chinese medicine the heart houses our Shen. We do not have an exact translation in English for the word Shen but it refers to our complete awareness; our spiritual awareness, our emotions, thoughts and our physical sensations. When we experience shock or over excitement the feeling in the body is a scattering of energy and this affects the heart and pericardium. Very often when people experience a shocking event like an accidental injury they can have difficulty recalling events around the incident. I believe this scattering of energy, chi is called disassociation in Western terms. Disassociation is a protective part that is helping us survive an often sudden and overwhelming situation. Even if the situation is not extreme the energy is scattering to protect us. Disassociation is not an on or off type of thing. We can experience varying levels of disassociation. Over an extended period this can result in difficulty falling asleep, multiple accidental injuries, over thinking, forgetfulness and simply not being fully present in our bodies. It is difficult to be in relationship with others when we cannot be in relationship with the parts of ourselves. Considering that our awareness is spiritual, emotional, mental and physical these movements can help settle our physical being and bring us back to relationship in our internal world.
I have demonstrated a movement for the heart and pericardium. The pericardium acts a protector to the heart which is often referred to as the Emperor as it houses our Shen. The pericardium is like the ambassador, no one gets to the Emperor without addressing the ambassador first. For this reason, I work the pericardium and heart together. I have included a movement, Parting the Curtin which I like to use as a segway between the two. Remember, when we want to speak to the body, we need to use a language it understands. In this set of movements, we are addressing the ambassador, requesting an audience with the Emperor and then meeting the Emperor. It is important to do the movement for the pericardium and heart for 7 repetitions, as with all the organ chi kung movements. The Parting the Curtin I like to do 3 or 4 repetitions.
Please watch the video for a demonstration. Relax, breath and be present with what your body is feeling. Leave space for the scattered parts to find it is now safe to be present in the body. Exploring spiritual guidance with a trusted spiritual teacher and emotional support with talk therapy along with movement can help bring all our precious parts back to rest in the heart. The video can be seen at:
Video Shock and Over Excitement
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