| You may be asking - what are meridians and what | | | | pericardium, bladder, gall bladder, stomach, small and |
| have they got to do with my well-being? | | | | large intestines, and the triple burner) and each one |
| Okay, let's start with the basics. | | | | having have a particular characteristic that affects |
| By now you know that Chi is your life force or the | | | | your body on a physiological and emotional level. So |
| energy that sustains you and everything in the | | | | when there is an imbalance or blockage in one of the |
| universe. It travels through your body along invisible | | | | meridians, the symptoms you experience will depend |
| energy channels called meridians. | | | | on which meridian is affected. |
| These meridians act like your circulatory system, but | | | | To complicate things further, the 12 meridians are |
| instead of circulating blood throughout the body, they | | | | paired up. That means that there are 6 pairs of |
| circulate Chi. Since they carry your Chi, which is | | | | meridians, with one of the meridians having Yin |
| responsible for your well-being, they are a useful | | | | energy and the other Yang energy. In addition, each |
| means of detecting imbalances in the organs and | | | | pair belongs to one of five elements: Wood, Fire, |
| body before chronic problems develop. | | | | Earth, Metal and Water. These 5 elements are related |
| In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) it is believed | | | | to the different seasons of the year, colours and |
| that when the body's meridians are blocked and Chi is | | | | emotions. |
| unable to flow freely, becoming disturbed, stagnant, | | | | For a comprehensive table on the elements visit: |
| imbalanced or depleted, dis-ease and illness begin to | | | | Balancing and freeing your Chi is the ultimate goal in |
| take form. Since all parts of the body are | | | | restoring overall health and well-being. Understanding |
| interconnected, if one of the meridians is blocked, the | | | | how imbalances in each meridian can manifest, gives |
| entire body system is affected. | | | | you the ability to address these imbalances and |
| There are 12 major meridians each corresponding to | | | | reduce the chance of dis-ease. |
| a particular organ (kidneys, liver, spleen, heart, lungs, | | | | |