How Movement Affects & Generates Healing

An exploration primarily from a Chinese medicine perspective

The way we move our bodies and how our breath flows through them play a crucial role in our healing journeys. The body, and everything else in this reality for that matter, is constantly in motion. The primary movement of our bodies comes from the inhalation and exhalation of the breath, the expansion and contraction. 

This breath movement then sets the rhythm for the rest of the movements in our body. Even the organs in our body have an intrinsic movement and if that movement gets stuck then the functioning of that organ can be impaired. In Chinese Medicine, we see the channels and organs being inseparable; in that the Channels mediate the internal experience of the organs with the external environment and vice versa. This is a concept I primarily learned from my teacher Jason Robertson and his teacher Dr. Wang Ju-yi. These mediating channels aren’t just a theory, they are real anatomical spaces in the body; the channels are the spaces in between the muscles, connective tissue, ligaments and bones. And these channels each connect to an internal organ. However, this connection isn’t just physical/tangible, it is also in a functional sense. 

Each channel/organ has several functions. Just as different positions in a government are in place to make the government ‘body’ function as a whole. So, this channel organ connection is also in a functional manner. For example, the Gallbladder channel is connected to the Gallbladder organ itself, whose main function is to aid in digestion through the storage and release of bile to help break down fat. The function of the Gallbladder is also closely intertwined with the function of the Liver. The Gallbladder and Liver are actually physically intertwined as well as functionally intertwined. If the intrinsic movement of the Liver, who has the job of directing Qi around the body and storing/cleansing the Blood (among many other jobs), then the function of the Gallbladder is directly impacted.

When Liver function is normal, the bile is excreted freely to help digestion and assist the digestive organs in the transformation and transportation of food. When the movement of the Liver/Gallbladder is obstructed, you can see symptoms such as abdominal discomfort and distention, hypochondriac/rib pain, bitter taste in the mouth, etc. When the organs get impaired, then that can create changes on the channels. The Gallbladder channel is a large channel that begins on the corner of eye, wraps around the side of the head and then pivots down the sides of the body, ending at the outside edge of the fourth toe, just underneath the corner of the nail bed. When there is obstruction in the Gallbladder channel, that can show up as tense shoulders, temporal/lateral headaches, ‘sciatica-type pain’ along the side of the glute and leg, overall muscular tension, etc.

So, to relate this to our main topic of the role of movement in our healing journeys, the way that we move our physical body effects how our organs move and vice versa; and further, if the organs are functioning well and able to freely do their intrinsic movement, then the body as a whole will function more optimally. As mentioned earlier, the channels are an extension of the organs themselves and these channels anatomically exist between the spaces of tissue, bone, muscle in the body; just like a river running through the mountains, valleys, and rock faces. We can help our channels function properly by making sure that they are flowing openly without obstruction, which will in turn, optimize our organ function and health. With all of this being said, we can perform movement, meditation and breath practices that can help the functioning of the Gallbladder organ and channel which could relieve the symptoms mentioned above.

There is an ancient saying in Chinese Medicine that obstruction is the cause of pain and disease. So, in reverse, if the channels are open and flowing freely then pain and disease will not arise. 

So, to really relate it back to our main topic, we can open up our channels and dissolve obstructions through movement, meditation and breath practices. For example, simple stretching exercises, performed daily, can help to open up our channels. Let’s take the quad stretch for example. The quad is on the anterior (front) aspect of the thigh and it is a set of four muscles, whose primary action is to flex the hip and extend the knee. Our quads can often be tight and painful. One of the major yang channels that flows through the quad is the Stomach channel, which is said to be full of Qi and Blood. The Stomach organ is of course related to our digestion and the Stomach channel itself runs along the anterior aspect of the leg, up the abdomen, front side of the neck and into the face. We can often have a tight jaw, difficulty relaxing the face, teeth grinding, acid reflux, etc. These are all symptoms which can occur when the Stomach channel/organ is obstructed and therefore, not able to function optimally. 

So, by doing a simple quad stretch every day, we can help the body in allowing the stomach channel to open, dissolve obstructions and function more optimally. Who knew stretching the legs could help a tight jaw? But, it can! Chinese Medicine truly sees the body as a whole, in that it is interconnected through a web of tissue and organ relationships. So, although the pain is manifesting in one area, the blockage or obstruction may be originating from a different area. Or, it can be seen that by treating a different, perhaps more open or ‘healthy’ part of the body, then that part can signal and aid the more blocked part of the body to soften and open. This is why often your acupuncturist might be needling your feet in order to treat your headache. 

Further, it is important to also prioritize the free and conscious movement of breath when doing movement practices. The movement and free flow of our breath really affects how our organs function and how our tissues move and respond to change. Tom Bisio writes in his book entitled Decoding the Dao, “The movements of the diaphragm and ribs in inhalation and exhalation help the vena cava to return blood to the heart. Additionally, as the organs of digestion have direct and indirect attachments to the diaphragm, its piston-like action in breathing aids digestion and peristalsis. Even the kidneys move slightly with every breath. It is no surprise that impaired breathing can have profound effects on the functioning of the internal organs.” 

Meditation is also a form of movement. Although we may be sitting ‘still’ there is still much movement happening within us. In some ways, meditation is like getting out of our own way; observing and allowing the body, mind, thoughts and emotions to unfold freely. Bisio writes, “Every movement of the mind is a movement of the Qi/Breath. In Chinese medicine, the Qi/Breath is the source of all movement, transformation and change, both inside the human body and in the world around us. This means that the Qi/Breath is not only intimately connected to the movement inherent in physical processes, but it is also directly connected to our every thought and emotion…In Chinese thought anger is the Qi/Breath rushing upward suddenly. If there is no outlet for this movement, if it is blocked or repressed, anger can be expressed/experienced as frustration (i.e. anger directed inward or downward)...In Chinese medicine, the emotions are considered to be the internal causes of disease. By fixating on certain thoughts and emotions rather than experiencing them and letting them move through us in an appropriate seamless way, the Qi/Breath can become imbalanced, creating physical illness.” This is all shared because we have agency and power to relate to and work with the mind/body to function optimally by practicing meditation, breathing freely and movement in order to allow blockages to dissolve and the breath to flow more freely throughout our systems. 

All of this is to say that how we move or don’t move the body affects our overall state of being. Which is not new news, but it can often be forgotten in our healing journeys. By all means, yes we want the chronic pain or acute injury to go away or change. And we can aid this process by moving optimally and appropriately for our body, mind and state of being. We are all different in which movements we gravitate towards and how our bodies like to move. Integrating movement into our healing journeys isn’t about doing strenuous exercise; however, it is about building a relationship with our bodies so that we can more optimally heal, live and move; it can also ensure that our internal organ environment is functioning properly. Building a movement practice into your daily life can benefit therapies that you are already pursuing as well. 

If you are interested in trying a Health Consultation with me, we will explore your overall health and what sort of movements interest you. Then, we will work together in your own movement prescription, based on meditation, breath and movement techniques that will help you rebuild a relationship with your body and ultimately, your innate power of healing. On top of this, the movement prescriptions can sincerely help to change and dissolve blockages in your body and mind that are causing pain, disease and imbalance.