India and many Asian countries have a longstanding understanding of the body that includes pathways of energy flows. These are separate from circulatory, neural, and lymphatic pathways. With the advance of technology an increasing number of people are coming to believe these to be electromagnetic pathways of the body comparable to what an EKG measures. Chakras, which translate as “wheels” and acupuncture points are locations along these pathways that seem to have a stronger and particular influence. It’s an interesting way to think about it; that these points regulate energy through the meridians.
But what are they influencing? This is where modern scientific-based reductionist medicine deviates from more historical systems. Many of us grew up believing the body is just a collection of physical cells, which combined are tissues which combined create organs, etc. There are chemical and physical processes happening within and between the cells that on a grand scale influence the entire body. More traditional systems view people as more than physical bodies and these meridians and centers as not only influencing the physical, but also the emotional and psycho-spiritual. I have often noticed both as practitioner and client that in treating the physical there is often an emotional aspect. The body may twitch here and there in a session as the nervous system releases, and in the moments and days during and after, the individual may be aware of subtle emotions. In these moments we have the options of shutting down and not feeling, really focusing on the emotions and stories that often go with them, or just being lightly aware of them as the whole system cleans and recalibrates.
pauseandlisten.org 