When we think of clutter, we think of our garages, attics, basements, spare rooms, closets, and desks. Rarely are we aware of all the clutter in our minds, all the past and future plans, and in our hearts, all the emotional baggage we carry from past injuries and future fears. We forget that all that clutter takes up residence in our bodies, manifesting in pain and illnesses. Creating space between ourselves and this clutter is another aspect of using the Finger holds to balance our emotions and soothe our overwhelming or default feelings.
In my own practice of this exercise I find there are fingers I tend to gravitate toward. These are “my feelings”, and like a scratch on an old vinyl record, it’s easy to get stuck in one or more of them. Occasionally I find that my hand is gripping a particular finger, even though my breath is deep and even. That’s a clue that I am more emotionally invested in a particular train of thought than I expected. It’s part of being aware of my body, mind, and emotions. It’s all part of letting go, and as I do, my jaw releases a little, my chest opens a bit more,, and my body relaxes…..
This is the awareness part of the exercise, watching myself as I breathe, gently holding each finger, moving from finger to finger, and finishing palm to palm. I try to do both hands, or even just one hand, because the palm to palm is so important. See below.
One last thing, some viewers wanted to know if there were positive aspects to these meridians on the fingers. So…here is more information about the gifts of each hand meridian as well as it’s challenges.
The Movement of the Metal Element:
Taking in what we need and letting go of what no longer serves us, helps us create healthy boundaries.
- Thumb Lung Meridian – Breathing deeply unlocks the diaphragm, whose motion massages our organs and intestines.
- Index Finger Large Intestine – takes in water, lets go of waste
The Gates to the Fire element:
The boundaries in our chest, neck, and shoulders can either be membranes or steel vaults.
- Middle Finger Pericardium, Heart protector
- Ring Finger Triple Heater, Guardian of our metabolism and the movement of water
The Movement of Fire:
Learning to trust our hearts and guts can give us a reliable road-map to move through the world.
Pinky Finger
- Heart – The place in our chest where our Shen /Awareness resides; our compassion, our kindnesses
- Small Intestine – That which helps us assimilate our nourishment, our experiences
Our Center, Our ability to step back and observe, creating some space between our thoughts, feelings, and events in our lives.
- The Palm – That which grounds us, the place of meditation and reflection
Below is the finger holds video, in case you need to review.
Thanks for watching..
Elen