The Earth Element – Work It Now!!!!
Boost your immune system, prepare for change, become grounded
The spleen releases hormone to fight virus and bacteria
Boost your immune system, prepare for change, become grounded
The spleen releases hormone to fight virus and bacteria
- Element - Earth – Adapting To Change
- Yellow Square
Change of season, especially between summer and autumn
Organs working the strongest in this season - Spleen, Stomach and Pancreas and Muscles
Emotions related with organs - Panic, Anxiety, Worry and obsession OR Confidence, Strength and Energy Feeling grounded, Connected to earth mother, feeling nurtured.
Image: Yellow Square
Season: Change of season especially late summer – Fire and air
Sound: Whoo (pronounced "hoo") – Harmonises digestion, grounds energy, calms overthinking/obsession
Singing
Negative Emotion: Selfishness, Worry, Obsession, Anxiety, Overthinking
Positive Emotion: Adaptation, Change, Confidence, Calm Focus, Trust
It is believed to help regulate the spleen and promote digestion and metabolism.
Agriculture: Ripening
Climate: Damp
Direction: South
Virtue: Trust
Animal: Bear – Leisure
Sense Organ: Mouth
Taste: Sweet
Organ Yin: Spleen/pancreas
Time: 9-11am
Organ Yang: Stomach
Time: 7-9am
Body Tissue: Muscles
Body System: Digestion
Finger: Ring
Energy Pattern: Stabilizing
Earth element relates to change whether it be of the season or life changes. The spleen helps us adapt to change. The spleen, stomach and pancreas all work together to assist in change. The stomach releases acid to break down chunks of food, this is change, the pancreas release sugar for the body and brain giving more energy, this is change.
With change there may arise a certain measure of fear or mistrust because we never know the complete outcome. We can tend to worry, or obsess or become anxious because change is creating the future, it is vital to trust and move with the changes.
People who are continuously stressed or anxious are worried about the future, the best thing to do is think what do I need to do NOW. This is an assist in adapting to change, whether we create it or it is happening around us.
Change is inevitable, it is happening every second, every day, in every way from the breath to the weather!
Change is happening faster than ever in this time, we need to balance these organs, allowing them to benefit us rather than be ruled by unwanted emotions such as worry and anxiety. We need embrace confidence, and strength of will, allowing us to adapt to change comfortably, easily and gracefully.
The spleen is a fist-sized organ that sits just under the diaphragm more to the posterior side. If you make a fist with your left hand and touch the back of the lower left ribs you are probably on the spleen.
The spleen releases b-lymphocytes that target virus and bacteria and mark them for destruction. It stores iron for the blood and also controls our mucous (and to a great extent our blood). Assisting us to transition through the seasons of change.
When we have a cold, the body induces fever, which encourages lymphocytes to release, killing off virus and bacteria. We burn out old mucosa lining and pull a fresh lining through for the body to adapt to change; whatever that may be. It is important not to lower your temperature unless you are in a danger zone, as we need to burn out the virus/bacteria and the old mucosa lining.
The hara or the dantian in Chinese medicine – approximately 3 fingers below the navel and three finger widths in, often forgotten in yoga today but so essential to our body and our energy. This energy centre is connected to tiny lymph cells in the small intestine called the peyers patches, they release lymphocytes to kill bacteria and virus that enter the gut.
The hara builds energy/qi in the body and helps with the heating of the body to fight infection. If we take pills to lower our temperature the hara doesn’t get to do its vital work and the old mucosa doesn’t release. When we put our focus on and draw energy from the hara we become more energised without stress and anxiety. The hara gives us a long endured calm energy, taking pressure off the spleen.
The spleen loves patterns so become aware of the patterns you choose.
Foods to eat for spleen qi include:
· lentils
· oats
. Quinoa
· malted grain beverages
· root vegetables including sweet potato and taro
· pumpkin and other squash
· miso soup
· orange peels
· mustard leaf
Foods to avoid Foods to avoid for spleen qi include:
· refined sugar
· refined grains
· fried or salty foods
· iced or refrigerated foods or drinks
· dairy products
· citrus fruits
· pork
· yeasty foods, such as beer or dough
banana
Exercise:
The spleen likes regular patterns; do a few repetitions of 'surya namaskar' (salute to the sun), ensure you get a nice stretch in each posture to release the muscles and being aware of alignment.
Twisting postures will help to balance the liver/spleen energy and massages the entire digestive system. Holding twists for a length of time help to give you focus.
Mini cobras are beneficial so that you are arching into the lower rib cage giving the spleen a squeeze and the stomach and pancreas a stretch.
Side bends also help to squeeze and stretch these organs, they work all organs on the sides of the body.
Kandharasan / Shoulder pose holding the ankles will squeeze the spleen, open the stomach and the solar plexus which is the centre of change and confidence.
Pranayama:
Rock side to side looking with the eyes at the lower left rib 9x, then spiral hands around stomach (L.Left Rib) 9x.
Inhale, wrap hands around knees, Exhale press stomach back toward spine with sound huuu. Sit up, looking down to earth mother, release, relax, let go of worry, anxiety, obsession. rock and spiral again and repeat exerciase 3x.
Open heart energy bring to earth organs love, happinness, joy. Activate spleen, stomach and pancreas with open fair and trusting energy.
It is believed to help regulate the spleen and promote digestion and metabolism.
Bhramari – humming bee will help to calm the mind and give you a calm focus.
Meditation
Ajapa Japa – repetitive mantra. Create your mantra according to your need or intention for transformation. Or simply repeat OM
Meditate
Focus on breath, making the outbreath longer than the in breath. Begin each in and exhale softly and gently allowing for a long, deep and controlled breath. Attention is on feeling a “calm focus’ or a “relaxed confidence”.
Yoga Nidra – body scan
All of this will help you to adapt to and create change easily and give you the courage and strength to do so.
