RECHARGE THE EASY WAY
Kidney energy recharge has never been so easy as with this passive psoas release that effectively does it all for you. All you need is the right environment, the correct position and a bit of patience. However, persistence and regularity over time will have a positive cumulative effect.
Winter is a good time to get into the habit of systematically recharging and building deep Kidney energy. The Kidney and Bladder meridians, the meridians of the Water Element, are the YIN & YANG of the season. That said …
This is an exercise to be practiced at any time of year,
whenever you feel you could do with some
deep energetic rest and recharge.
KIDNEY ENERGY AND the KIDNEYS / PSOAS CONNECTION
KIDNEY ENERGY
In TCM, the Kidney meridian acts as a deep energy storage unit. It holds our inherited Jing / KI energy, has a strong influence on the fundamental energetic function of our whole being. Masunaga, the father of Zen Shiatsu, saw the Kidney meridian in particular, as it manifests on the back body, as “the expression of impetus”. It is the Kidney energy that allows us to “prepare to run” and, as needed, to then actually run.
The Kidney governs many aspects of our being including, on a physiological level, our kidney organs and our adrenal glands that are hosted by the kidneys.
When triggered – when we are under duress, in danger &/or afraid – the adrenal glands release elevated amounts of adrenalin and cortisol out into the blood stream. Our system then kicks into the flight / fight mode of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). This is a state of body to do with fear, anxiety and stress. It is not a state that anyone wants to be in on a permanent basis.
In terms of body action, two of the principle muscles involved in flight and fight are the psoas muscles.
THE KIDNEY / PSOAS CONNECTION
The psoas muscles connect our motor system to our nervous system. Starting at the top of the long thigh bones, they wrap around the inside of the pelvic girdle. They then lock into the spine in the upper lumbar / lower thoracic zone: pretty much the level of the kidneys & adrenal glands.
The psoas muscles are our principle hip flexors, our “knee jerk reaction” muscles.
These are the muscles that allow us to run,
to lash out with knees &/or feet or
to fold in on ourselves and protect our vital (and vulnerable) organs in the chest & abdomen
While this flight / fight mode is obviously very useful it is also exhausting to maintain. And unfortunately, 21st Century life is over stimulating and continually generates small scale triggers for the adrenal glands. This is one of the reasons why we get so tired … and then need caffeine to kick-start our kidney energy.
FLIGHT / FIGHT and PSOAS TENSION
A flip side of the kidney/psoas connection is that when these muscles are tense they then also trigger the adrenal glands creating a bit of a self-perpetuating loop. The ongoing low-grade adrenal triggering and the fact that most of spend far too much time sitting down encourages tightness as default in the psoas muscles. It then becomes difficult to get them to fully relax. And if they don’t relax the kidneys don’t either. If the kidneys don’t relax, the Kidney energy cannot recharge properly.
Furthermore, this tightness pushes us in the direction of poor posture, interrupted energy flow and overall discomfort: tight hips, sore lumbar spine, rounded upper back and stiff neck.
RECHARGE POSITION & OPTIMAL ENVIRONMENT
This exercise is all about the position / pose and where you choose to practice it:
- set yourself up somewhere you will not be disturbed in an environment that is both physically comfortable (temperature, lighting, etc.) and feels very safe & secure
- the surface should be absolutely flat (no pillow) and firm (but not hard or cold)
- lie on your back with your knees bent up and leaning in together (so that they don’t fall outwards later on)
- make sure that the angle at the groin is a more open than a right angle (i.e. greater than 100 degrees)
- have the soles of the feet flat on the ground slightly more than hip width apart
- make sure that the angle inside the knees is comfortable but not too open, you don’t want your feet to slip away from you – or you can put a bolster on your feet to hold them in place
- your arms can be alongside the body (palms up) or gently placed on the body
You may recognize the body shape from your observation of city parks during sunny lunch times. Lots of people lounge around in this shape precisely because it is so comfortable. People even lounge around on their lounges in something pretty close (but not exactly the same) to this position.
NOTE: the lounge is not the ideal place, it is too soft.
THE PATIENCE COMPONENT
For this exercise to truly work, you need to STAY STILL in this position for a good 20 minutes. This is simply the time it takes.
I recommend that you set an alarm on your otherwise silenced phone just in case you fall asleep.
STAY STILL for 20 MINUTES
Somewhere around the 17 minute mark, you may notice that your lumbar / lower thoracic spine has flattened to the floor. This is the immediate effect of your psoas muscles giving in and releasing. This relaxation opens the way for energy to flow in and recharge your system.
Fully relaxing the psoas muscles shuts down their adrenal triggering function. This in turn encourages your parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) – with its rest/digest/heal function – to take over for a while. In this state, your kidneys/adrenal glands are able to rest and your Kidney meridian energy can recharge. All you need to do is lie still to feel the benefits of this passive exercise.
To really get the hang of this exercise, check out the
VIDEO ON MY INSTAGRAM
It is labelled PASSIVE PSOAS RELEASE
Posted in May 2020; it sits between Video Series 1 & 2
ENHANCING THE RECHARGE
BREATHING
Structuring your breathing really enhances the recharge effect of the exercise.
Start by simply slowing down your breath cycle.
Then drop your breathing into your lower abdomen. You can check this by putting one hand on your chest and the other on your belly below your navel. Ideally, the upper hand barely moves as you breathe whereas the lower hand will rise and fall with each cycle.
If you prefer to keep your hands on the floor, try placing a couple of plastic take-away boxes on chest and abdomen. You should be able to see what moves and what doesn’t without lifting your head.
Once you are finding the lower belly breathing is easy and comfortable for you, start to extend the length of your exhalation. Aim to have your exhalation 1.5 X the length of your inhalation.
Again, sit with this until it becomes comfortable.
Then try this more structured breathing:
- inhale for 4 counts
- hold your breath in for 4 counts – feel the tension build in the lungs
- exhale for 6 counts – let everything out, sigh if you like, to completely empty the lungs
- pause for 2 counts and then
- allow your body to breathe in (as opposed to actively doing it)
Keep up this structured pattern for at least 5 – gradually becoming 10 – minutes. That translates to around 15 – 30 breath cycles.
You’ll notice that your breathing cycle slows down. Just slow down your counting and stick with the 4/4/6/2 pattern.
Then return to the simpler extended exhalation breathing until your time is up.
ACTIVE ENERGY TRAPPING
There is a saying, in the old books of TCM, that roughly translates to mean:
“the Lung draws down / receives the heavenly chi (energy) and
the Kidney grasps / holds it”
This is something that you can pro-actively work on as you practice your breathing – either the very structured pattern or the basic extended exhalation.
- With each inhalation, visualize the KI/chi flowing into the lungs within but separate from the air.
- Feel the lower rib cage and lower abdomen expand to hold it
- Allow the exchange of fresh air for toxic waste air
- Visualize the KI settling in the lower abdomen and being actively retained there when you exhale – see the recharge happening as you put your mind in your lower abdomen.
EXPELLING UNWANTED “STUFF” FROM YOUR SYSTEM & YOUR LIFE
Lighten up and release further. Once you are back in extended exhalation mode, use your deep, comprehensive exhalation to actively expel unwanted stuff. For this, it is easier if you have a thought of a shortlist of “things” that you would like to eliminate from your life/system. It is easier again if these things can be clearly visualized.
Not all unpleasant things, however, lend themselves to visualization. Dull, vague &/or intermittent physical sensations can be like this. Try to focus in on those sensations that you can’t visualise. Then try to apply some adjectives: soft/hard, curved/angular, hot/cold, etc. See what fits and gradually you will have definition of that sensation.
Defining the sensation is the first step towards managing, reducing and ideally eliminating that sensation.
NOTE: these visualization and defining techniques can be adapted to deal with many other sorts of things. For example: vaguely disturbing relationships or attachments to unproductive habits.
BUILDING UP THE POSITIVES IN YOUR LIFE & YOUR SYSTEM
On the flip side, these same techniques can be used to enhance positive aspects of your life. Clear definitions and appreciation, magnification using inhalation and retention on exhalation will help you to enjoy these things even more – to say nothing of lifting your energy even further.
As an added bonus, this exercise supports strong integration and communication throughout your entire system while also heightening your awareness of it.
Alternatively,
if you simply zone out while lying on the floor
that is pretty good too!!
ENJOY
OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT YOUR KIDNEY ENERGY
APPROPRIATE EXERCISE
To get in touch with your Kidney/Bladder energy and encourage it to flow freely, I suggest that you look at the MAKKO HO FOR THE WATER ELEMENT. It is a straightforward but very effective exercise that is accessible for most people.
For more targeted building of Kidney strength and energy, CONSOLIDATE YOUR WINTER ENERGY has a sequence of exercises that you can explore to the limit of where you are comfortable.
APPROPRIATE EATING
Good old SUPERIOR PUMPKIN & ADZUKI STEW, eaten systematically over 7 – 10 days, remains one of the most effective ways to recharge your Kidney meridian energy. It also helps a lot with the Spleen and Bladder meridians.
That said, there are many other dishes and ingredients that are also great for the Kidney. You will find them via the links on my WINTER RESOURCES PAGE.
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