Solar Plexus: Internal Exercises.

The Taoists believed that the body is controlled by two brains instead of one.  Besides the brain in the head, there is also the “brain” in the abdomen. The ancient Taoists link the nervous system  in the abdomen, and it is at least, equal in importance to the cerebral brain .The modern anatomical name for this abdominal nervous center is “solar plexus”. A mass of nervous cells is found in the center of the torso, beneath the heart and behind the stomach; this is where the solar plexus is located. Because the solar plexus is closer to the abdominal organs than the cerebral brain, the solar plexus has nerves radiating out directly to the organs. One say that relationship of the solar plexus to the abdominal organ is even more direct and intimate than the cerebral brain. That is why Taoist call it the “abdominal brain”.

The solar plexus is responsible for maintaining and balancing internal organs functions. You can even feel it when  anger, distress, sorrow, love, hate, happiness and other emotions, rises from the internal organs. Those feelings arise when an organ is disturbed or malfunctioning. They are all felt in the solar plexus and later can become a psychological reaction.

For the Taoists, the sensations of feelings are generated through the function of the abdominal area, not the cerebral brain. The cerebral brain stores information like life experiences, knowledge and education,.. .It works like a computer!

Excitement is related to the heart, anger, liver; worry, spleen-pancreas; sorrow, lungs and fear, kidney. According to the Five Element Theory, excessive excitement hurts the small intestines, sexual organs, heart and blood vessels; excessive anger, the nervous system, liver, gall bladder; excessive worry or considerations, muscle tone, stomach and spleen-pancreas; excessive sorrow or sadness, the lungs, large intestines, skin and hair, excessive fear, the bones, kidneys and bladder. Mainly, all the bad feelings are bad for the organs.. They are responsible to balance the solar plexus. When the solar plexus benefits, everything else will work in harmony. Hence, if the internal organs are healthy and balanced the feelings will natural be balanced and peaceful. Peaceful feelings cannot be forced,  by things or reasoning form the cerebral brain. Peaceful comes form internal; peace.

Exercise:

1. While sitting or standing, place both hands on your stomach. Inhale and feel the air expand your stomach.

2. Then exhale. As you exhale, use your hands and push in and up your stomach. As you execute this motions, turn your upper  torso and head slowly toward your left side as far as possible and look to your left. Meanwhile, twist your pelvis the right.

3. Inhale and bring your entire body back into alignment, facing front. As you do this let your hands release your stomach slowly until they are resting gently on the skin surface.

4. Exhale again. AS you exhale, tur your upper torso and head to the right side. Look to your right. Meanwhile push your push your stomach in and up again as you twist your pelvis to the left

5. While inhaling  bring your body back into alignment, facing front. Repeat this exercise 4 to 36 times.

Namaste,
Bianca Omena Maximiano.