Yin and Yang

To truly understand qi it is important to grasp the concept of Yin-Yang. Yin is that portion of qi that is cold, passive, solid, heavy, descending, moist and dark; it is the physical or brute side of the universe. Yang is ethereal. It is nebulous, hot, active, dry, rising and aggressive.
It must be understood that yin and yang do not exist outside of each other, but rather, that they reside within each other and must be kept in proper balance.

Form (yin) needs a function (yang); they are interdependent. It is this balance that defines and creates good health and emotions.

Maintaining Balance of Qi

As with yin-yang, qi needs to balance in order to maintain good health. If there is an imbalance of qi, illness can arise, with varying symptoms according to the type of qi and whether there is a deficiency or excess of qi. Curing the imbalance of qi is usually the main work of the different healing modalities in Traditional Chinese Medicine, such as acupuncture and tui na. (Tui na is a hands-on body treatment that uses Chinese taoist principles in an effort to bring the eight principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) into balance)

Qi Deficiency

In Chinese medicine, a qi deficiency can take many forms. It could be a lack of sleep, food shelter, clean water, fresh air or other physical things the body needs to function properly. It can also be a lack of sufficient mental stimulation, social interaction, and love.

Excess Qi

Excess qi can be as detrimental as a qi deficiency if not worse. It can arise as a result of environmental toxins, like polluted air or water. It can also arise from excessive physical activity, overeating, stress, or strong negative emotions.

I am also extremely interested in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Chinese concept of the flow of energies around the body and the relationship between our emotions and the organs in the body.

Work woes, relationship stress, leading forever busy lifestyles, we all have our moody moments, but if emotional turbulence takes up the better part of 24/7 it’s possibly time to take a deeper look. I am intrigued by the mind-body connection, and it is fascinating to learn more about the relationship between specific emotions and our internal organs. Sometimes our emotions feel like they’re all over the place. Each month that passes, you may feel something a little different. Maybe one month you’re moving from a place of fear or place of sadness, while another month you may be angry or just apathetic to your environment. Have you ever wondered why? Depending on what you’re experiencing in your daily life, one can be more prominent than the other; however, there is a deeply rooted reason why one emotion may be showing up more than another.

The health of your organs plays a big role in the expression of emotions! Think of it this way: Most alcoholics have a short temper and are angry. Anger is the main organ of the liver. For most alcoholics, their livers are taxed and are crying out for help.

Below we can dive in a bit more about each organ, their expressed emotions and what symptoms you may be dealing with. There are seven emotions that can be differentiated between in Chinese medicine. It is important to know that organs have strong relationships with one another, so if one is affected, the others are too.

Over-Excitement

Excitement/mania is the main emotion of the heart. When someone experiences highs that are too taxing, they burn out their nervous system. Symptoms of palpitations, insomnia, unclear thinking or excess risk taking may be the expression if someone is running manic. Mania is more common than people think, because most people consider the term emotional with someone who’s running sad or low. The Chinese way of thinking is that there is an imbalance of Qi (ChiMania on the outside just seems like this person is very happy and excited about their life and cant relax their mind or they may be just the type of person who can’t stop talking and falling off the deep end during conversation. Obviously, balance is everything; with the highs, you also want to experience calmness in life as well. Calmness will counter balance this and relax the heart.

Anger

The organ responsible for this emotion is the liver. Anger has many expressions: resentment is one, frustration is another and obviously rage is an extreme. Symptoms that may show up are, blurry vision, dizziness, headaches that are mainly on the top of the head, high blood pressure or pain in the ribs. The best way to balance out anger is to console it and understand it. This may cause sadness, however that is a great start, because you’re moving in the direction of anger reduction.

Fear

Fear is directly associated with the kidneys and the adrenals. It makes your energy drop and is very descending in nature. If the adrenals are weak, your body starts cooling and proper functions of processes like metabolizing become an issue. Proper digestion starts deteriorating. Issues with hearing can also be related to the kidneys. If fear is consuming you and your life focus is centered around fear, these are most likely the issues you’re dealing with. If you can turn this fear into a logic expression of sadness, that means your body is shifting and hopefully soon, that sadness with shift to a more neutral state.

Shock

Shock is paired with the gallbladder, and these emotions scatter your energy. When your energy is scattered and not centered, you feel symptoms of indecisiveness, confusion or a lack of courage. You may experience different muscle/tendon issues as well. Protecting yourself from scattered energy is very beneficial. The issue with shock is that it usually creates a more lasting effect, so understanding what caused the shock and bringing more logic to the issue can relax the body. Practicing being in the moment through mindful activities like meditation is great too!

Sadness

Grief or sadness corresponds with the lungs. The emotion of sadness is very depleting to the body over a long period of time. It weakens the nervous system, while reducing energy in the body as well. Symptoms associated with a lung issue are excessive crying, tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, asthma, frequent colds, skin problems like psoriasis and eczema and also circulation issues. In Chinese medicine the lungs are said to control the pores of the skin, so it is important to boost and protect the protection layer of the body.

Worry / Pensiveness

Worry is controlled by the spleen, and the spleen in Chinese medicine controls the energy of the body. The Chinese believe that when the spleen is too taxed, energy becomes stuck. Symptoms of spleen issues are fatigue, memory issues, poor appetite, bloating, weight loss, paleness, poor hair, nails and skin. Eating properly and frequently is very important when the spleen is affected, it’s important to give the body nourishment for the reduction of worrying.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Understanding what’s going on internally and what happens to the body and nervous system is very important in the long run. Help your body reboot with self-care rituals like regular reflexology treatments, massage, acupuncture or meditation.