What is Energy Medicine?
Energy Medicine focuses on the balancing the energetic fields of the body, similarly to how conventional medicine focuses on the state of the physical body (the cells, organs, and chemistry etc).
The field itself is vast and complex, but the exercises for helping with stress relief are very simple, available 24/7 and free. That makes them very useful in my book!
I’ve gone into some detail here for those who are interested in the “why”, but if you just want to try the exercises, then jump to the YouTube demonstrations. You don’t need to know the “why” for these techniques to work, and it is not a matter of “believing” they will work. You are working with your own body to move energy into a more balanced and vital state.
For a more detailed explanation of what Energy Medicine is all about, please go to the website of Donna Eden, founder of Eden Energy Medicine at Eden Energy Medicine.
Meridians
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, the human body consists of 14 main energy pathways, called meridians. These meridians carry energy into, through and out of your body, feeding this energy to the organs and affecting every physiological system (nervous; immune; circulatory; respiratory; digestive; skeletal; muscular; endocrine). A similar analogy is how blood is carried throughout the body through a network of veins.
Each meridian has its own function, but the meridian most associated with stress is called Triple Warmer (also known as Triple Burner, Triple Heater and Sanjiao).
The Triple Warmer Meridian
Triple Warmer meridian is our “fight or flight” meridian. It reacts to stress to prepare us to action by either fighting or taking flight (running) away from the danger (stress).
Stress is an incredibly complex and immediate whole-body response to a perceived or real threat – the body doesn’t differentiate between what is real or imagined. Thus, if you are in a state of continual stress about threats (real or imagined), your body will deal with them in the same way.
Triple Warmer has a tendency to be overactive because today’s society is full of many “little” stresses that we can react to constantly. Triple Warmer is on guard, preparing us for action in one form or another.
Having Triple Warmer active for much of the time creates problems by depleting our bodily resources. Triple Warmer also has the ability to pull energy out of other meridians (except the heart), because survival is the primary motive of Triple Warmer. Its job is to keep you safe, even at the sacrifice of other bodily functions.
The most vulnerable meridian to the over-action of Triple Warmer is the Spleen meridian. Spleen meridian is to do with our immune system, so the more stressed we are (the more reactive Triple Warmer is), the sicker we can become. And that makes complete sense; when we are stressed, we have a higher chance of getting sick. The two go hand in hand, because Triple Warmer (fear, flight, fight) and Spleen (immune) go hand in hand.
The adrenal glands, which are governed by Triple Warmer, are the first place that gets hit when we are stressed which we can see reflected as exhaustion and fatigue. Hormones can also go haywire, and we may experience insomnia among many other health issues. I’ve included an exercise to help boost adrenal health which is shown below (in the neurolymphatic section).
Triple Warmer is vital for our survival. However, we need to find ways to help Triple Warmer realise that it doesn’t need to be on high alert all the time.
See this section here for Energy Medicine Exercises for calming down Triple Warmer.
How can Energy Medicine help to Reduce Stress?
Using the electro-magnetic energy of your own hands and placing them on strategic parts of the body, you can help calm Triple Warmer down, and help it communicate better with Spleen.
It is all about bringing the body into an energetic balance.
Always focus on breathing – in through the nose, out through the mouth.
Get some exercise and have fun – dancing, singing, out with nature, laughing etc.
Expelling the Venom or Blowing out the Venom
This exercise is particularly useful if the stress has an anger, resentment or rage component associated with it – “I can’t take it anymore”.
Imagine putting the stressor into the palms of each hand.
Clench your fists and focus on this stressor.
Circle your arms backwards, behind you, up over your head and down, “throwing” that stress into the ground. Do this 3 times with focus, intent and with some speed. It is really good to put a sound with it such as “aaarrrhhhh”. If the stress relates to someone in particular, you might also like to say their name out loud as you throw this stressor into the ground.
On the last arm rotation, repeat the action more slowly and deliberately. Send that stressor into the ground and wipe your hands of it.
Trauma and Overwhelm Exercise
Cup your hands under your chin, with palms on side of the face. This hooks you into the Penetrating Flow, where your emotions have gone deep, it helps to release them.
Place a finger from each hand at the bridge of the nose, this is the start of the nervous system. Take a deep breath in while you push your fingers in hard.
As you let your breath out, push your fingers up over your forehead all the way to the hair line.
Cup fingers in the centre of the forehead, push in hard and pull across the forehead. You are pushing across Stomach Meridian which is calming and grounding.
Come to rest on the temples which are Triple Warmer points to help release the fight/flight response.
Finish off with your hands over your heart.
Heart to Heart
The Heart to Heart exercises calms the nervous system, is good for high blood pressure, grounding and insomnia among other health benefits.
Place one palm face down in front of you (about chest height).
Place the other hand palm face down on top of the first hand (your hands will now be facing in opposite directions, palms down). You will have three fingers on top and three fingers underneath.
Lace thumbs together
Lace little fingers together
Bring this hand position slowly up and place your connected hands on top of your head. It is important that you feel comfortable holding this position. If you have shoulder problems, consider lying down and supporting yourself with pillows.
Bring your elbows back as far as is comfortable.
Focus on your breathing (in through your nose, out through your mouth) for 3 – 5 minutes or longer if you like.
Bring your joined hands down to the heart area (the centre of your chest), tucking your arms in, and hold this position for 3-5 minutes.
Massaging the Arm Attachment Stress Points
This exercise is a great way to create some space in your head, especially if you have been thinking about a stressor over and over. It is calming to the nervous system, whilst stimulating the blood flow to your head.
Start with your thumbs on your temples; fingertips resting in the middle of your forehead. Your hands will be slightly curled at this point.
Apply firm pressure and slowly pull your fingers apart, stretching the skin across your forehead until your fingers get to your hairline at the side of your forehead. Make sure you breathe deeply – in through your nose and out through your mouth. You can repeat if this feels good (which it usually does!)
Move your fingers up and place your little finger at your hairline, with the other fingers above it. Repeat the stretch. Work your way across the top of your head, fingers always at the centre line and stretching the skin apart. Continue until you reach the base of your neck.
Move down to your shoulders, push your fingers in and hold. A lot of stress can be held in our shoulders, so you may find it tender here. Pull across your shoulders towards your front. Hold your hands there until it feels right, then release and drop your hand and arms.
Unlike the neurovascular points which are held with light touch, the neurolymphatic points are points on the body that are massaged deeply to help move lymph throughout the body. There are many points, but the ones to concentrate on here are the neurolymphatic points for the adrenals and cortisol.
Adrenal Points
The Adrenal points, also known as Triple Warmer neurolymphatic points, are located 1 inch above and out from the naval (belly button). The adrenal glands will get depleted with chronic stress.
Massage/hold these points or hold them with other Triple Warmer neurovascular points (discussed above.)
Cortisol Points
The Cortisol points are located 1 inch out and below of the navel (belly button).
You can also hold the cortisol points together with the adrenal points.
Daily Energy Routine
One of the foundations of Eden Energy Medicine is the Daily Energy Routine. Done regularly (daily if you can), helps to keep your energies flowing.
For a more in-depth look at the Daily Energy Routine, please click here.
Resources
I would like to express my deepest thanks to all the amazing energy medicine practitioners for sharing their knowledge, and of course to Donna Eden, founder of Eden Energy Medicine, who, along with her husband, Dr David Feinstein, has brought this amazing body of knowledge to the world.
Donna Eden
Website: Eden Energy Medicine
YouTube channel
Dondi Dahlin
Website: Learn the Five Elements
Titanya Dahlin
Website: Energy Medicine Woman
Melanie Smith
Website: Well Within
YouTube channel
If you sign up to get Melanie Smith’s newsletter you will receive her excellent Energy Medicine eBook, where she explains about energy medicine and goes into detail and explanation of why the Daily Energy Medicine routine is so valuable.
Prune Harris
Website: Prune Harris
YouTube channel
Ellen Meredith
Website: Listening In
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