For today’s #meridianmonday post, let’s take a look at the main meridians of the body.
There’s so much to understand when it comes to meridians, and it gets pretty esoteric and poetic. But it’s good to start with foundations.
There are 12 meridians that relate directly to our organs and physical function
They each correspond to one of the 5 elements of Chinese Medicine theory.
- Stomach (earth – yang)
- Spleen (earth – yin)
- Small Intestine (fire – yang)
- Heart (fire – yin)
- Bladder (water – yang)
- Kidney (water – yin)
- Triple Warmer (fire – yang)
- Pericardium (fire – yin)
- Gall Bladder (wood – yang)
- Liver (wood – yin)
- Large Intestine (metal – yang)
- Lung (metal – yin)
There are 2 other main meridians, the yin and yang repositories
They are also part of the 8 extraordinary meridian system, which relates to our ancestral/inherited patterning, as well as being the pool from which our 12 main meridians emerge.
Another point of interest is that there are two sets of meridians in the fire element, which speaks to what we need physically to thrive as humans. Fire is important for digestion, circulation, and passion, as well as our survival.
The heart is also known as the Emperor of the body, and the Pericardium is the Emperor’s guard (how beautiful is that?!).
The Pericardium is the tissue surrounding the heart (known as the heart protector). The Triple Burner is a conceptual energy system unique to Chinese medical theory, with no anatomical counterpart. However, it’s connected to our adrenal, circulation and nervous system function.
It’s also interesting to note how many meridians have start or end points in the hands and feet
Which tells us something about the importance of moving our body, especially our arms and legs!
When you look at the meridians that end in the feet (spleen, liver, gall bladder, bladder and stomach), you can see why doing lunges and squats are helpful practices to continue, especially as we age.
Something else you can use this meridian map for is if you have consistent aches/pains or tender points in your body, there’s most likely at least one corresponding meridian to what you’re feeling. Which can give you a hint about what might be going on under the surface!
Please let me know if you have any questions, or if there’s anything you’d like to see me cover in my meridian series.
Much love,
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Ambha Amanda Roberts is a Kinesiologist, Intuitive Healer, educator and facilitator based on the Sunshine Coast, Australia. She offers Kinesiology sessions both in-person and via Skype/Zoom all over the world. Ambha Amanda is the co-creator of Adventures of Staria, which includes a series of Staria cards, and an upcoming book for children (including inner children). |
