Your Adrenals and Moving Through Fear - Rooting Back Into the Source

In Chinese medicine, each organ system is connected to an emotion. Fear is most closely associated with the Adreno-Kidney organ system. 

As we move through this global pandemic crisis, there has been much fear and anxiety generated. 

Fear itself is not to be judged, however. Just like any emotion, it sends an important signal - it is a natural response to what is happening around us. A little bit of fear is healthy. Without it, we would not have an alert system for when danger exists. A healthy fear response heightens our awareness, stimulating our internal systems to think and move quickly so we can get to safety.  Too little fear can lead us into harm’s way, while too much or chronic fear can lead to overworry, paralysis and/or self-sabotage. 

The Adreno-Kidney organ system is in charge of a sleu of hormones like adrenaline, cortisol, aldosterone, androgens, glucocorticoids...spanning broad and fundamental systemic functions.  They are key to our uber primal fight or flight response that oftens gets really jacked up in our high stress, non movement-based lifestyles.  

The pressures, expectations and non-stop pace of modern-day society have pushed many of our Adreno-Kidney systems into depletion. Symptoms like burnout, sleep disorders, nervousness as well as depression, craving salt and sugar, reliance on caffeine and other stimulants, lowered immunity, and imbalanced states of fear can all point to Adreno-Kidney depletion. We are at the point where we can see the collapse of not only our own internal eco-systems, but the crisis of planetary eco-systems which our actions have caused. Slowing down, resting, finding balance again is not only instrumental to human health, but is essential in preserving our beautiful planet as we know it. 

TCM also teaches that the Kidneys hold the matter & qi of our ancestors.  Our genes, the DNA-coding of our predecessors is all stored in the Kidneys as Jing, or Essence in TCM. Part of us being here today is due to the lived success of our cumulative ancestors who have always had a very healthy response to fear; in many ways it kept the person alive long enough to have children.  While fear can get twisted in all sorts of ugly ways, the  innate intention of fear is healthy self-preservation. At this time, we must take heed to the messaging from our ancestors, and Nature, which we ultimately are come from. They are sounding the alarm bells for us to return and root back into a higher consciousness.  The mana’o (knowledge, wisdom) of the day from our niece in Hawaii: E Maka’ala.  Be aware.  Use the power of your senses and move with alertness.  Transmute the fear into alertness and hold on to your power of choice and the power in right now with the strength of the ancestors.  This source is infinite.

Meditation on Acupoint Kidney 1 (Yong Quan) to ground down and root back into your source: 

Sit or stand with your back in an upright, relaxed position. While taking three, slow, deep breaths into the belly, relax your shoulders, chest, belly, back, legs, giving permission for any tension to leave your body. Turn your attention gently to the soles of your feet. Continue with slow, deep, gentle breaths for a few minutes. If your attention wanders, bring it back gently to the soles of your feet. Feel the sensation of your awareness there growing. Visualize a ball of beautiful light, glowing at the soles of your feet, connecting you to the earth. Allow yourself to enjoy this feeling.