The Kidney meridian begins at the base of the foot, runs up inside of the leg to the knee, then runs internally and comes out just below the navel and runs up to the collar bone. 
The table below gives you a brief snapshot at the qualities of the Kidney Meridian:


Zen Shiatsu uses the theory that meridians exist in all life forms and that the quality of the meridians are expressed in how that life form functions.  How the life form moves, nourishes itself, protects itself and how it identifies and defines itself represents the characteristics that describes the physical function of the life.  Therefore Meridians are the expression of ourselves and can explain our innate characteristics.  We are an expression of our energy and if any area of our being is imbalance we see that expressed through emotion, our mind, and our physical being.
The Water Element defines how we respond to external stimuli and seen as the way we interact with the environment.  Are we prone to fight or flight? 
If we are prone to ‘run’ from what we perceive as danger, if we move away from stimuli we are being governed by the Kidney and Urinary Bladder Meridians.   When we are fearful of something we will often ‘turn our back’ on that stimuli.  Hence we describe the Water elements as being at our back.  Looking at the kidney meridian we see that it moves from the middle of our body (in the legs) to the front of our body and so it becomes the more yin aspect of the Water Element.  The Urinary Bladder channel runs more along the back of our body and in another article we will explain this Yang meridian in more detail.  For now we recognise the Urinary Bladder channel as being the protector of the Kidney Meridian – a place of fear and our will power.
The Kidneys are represented in our lower back, with pain and weakness in the lumbar area often a sign of kidney energy imbalance.   Weak, brittle bones are also considered symptoms of imbalance of the kidney meridian.   The kidney energy is never in excess and is only recognised as ever being deficient.   Kidney deficiency can be one of the Yin aspect or the Yang aspects and will present in different ways.
Signs of kidney deficiency include:

*Kidney Ki Deficiency have similar symptoms but Kidney Yang deficiency often presents with cold symptoms.  Kidney Ki Deficiency precedes Kidney Yang deficiency
 
These signs need to be diagnosed in context and should only be taken as a general guideline to help you determine if you need to make an appointment with your Oriental Remedial practitioner or Acupuncturist.  If you want more information contact me today for your free phone chat.   

Habits are created when we find ourselves triggered, we develop the behaviour and then there is a feeling of association with that behaviour that may satisfy what triggered the behaviour and of course we start to repeat the process.  This is the habit formation. 

Step 1: Trigger – turns off the control mechanism and opens up to auto response

Step 2: Behaviour – is formed either consciously or unconsciously

Step 3: Reward – the feeling satiety / pleasure (in the example above perhaps it’s the ability to switch off from the stresses of work – a funny video about cats helps us forget the challenges of the day but what we have created is the unconscious habit of multi-tasking as we eat)

Step 4: Repeating Habit – neural pathways form and the cycle continues as the power of the unconscious brain keeps you going back for more (constant reward)

The Prefrontal cortex (our newer part of the brain or the decision making aspect of the brain) has shut down or the connection to the prefrontal cortex is bypassed.  Our more reptilian aspects of our brain – the emotional centre, the survival parts, behaviour forming, pattern recognition parts are more active with habitual task, such as habitual eating.    By the Pre-frontal cortex slowing down or shutting down altogether we are able to multitask.  So while we are able to complete many tasks at once there is the cost of not being conscious of what we are actually trying to achieve.    Tasks therefore might not be completed correctly or in the case of eating, we may not get the necessary feelings of satisfaction, satiety or fullness that we might experience if we were fully present with our food.

Creating mindful habits can satisfy our needs and leave us with a feeling of being satisfied.

A Cascade of Chemical Reactions in the BodyDuring the habit form cycle there is a cascade of chemical reactions that occur in the body.  It is these chemicals that give us the reward aspect of the cycle. 

When the behaviour is enacted the reward and pleasure hormone Dopamine is released leaving us with a sensation we leaves us feeling good.  This is why we continue repeating the behaviour, for the dopamine release.  Our body starts to crave it and therefore we find ways that support its release.

Changing the Habit
Good news we can control our behaviour – reward response cycle. 

Habits are not always easy to change and it takes a lot of practice.  But it is possible to change the unhealthy habits we have formed to embrace a conscious, mindful behaviour.  Ultimately the goal is to form newer healthier habits that have lasting effects and maintaining those habits by practicing mindfulness in all aspects of our life.

The first step to changing the habit is that we need to develop awareness of the trigger or cue for the behaviour.

There have been numerous studies that have demonstrated the effectiveness of mindfulness practices such as yoga and meditation which mediate increased awareness.   Here is a meditation you can listen too as a brief introduction to developing awareness.

When you notice the trigger you can set about changing the cycle or behaviour-reward.  Perhaps it’s not necessarily one thing maybe it’s a series of events that lead to the behaviour.  In this case it’s a good idea to start journaling so you can get a grasp of the ‘event’ behind the behaviour.  Generally you find a trigger will be:

• An emotional trigger (anger / boredom / sadness)
• It could be related to a time of day / week / month
• It might have association with a place or location
• Or it could be to do with an interaction with a person or even a particular event

Once you become aware of the habit you want to change, start to notice the triggers or cues that precede the behaviour. 
Then you might like to set about determining the reward – is it a sugary hit?  Perhaps it’s a glass of wine or beer?  Could it be purchasing a coffee with a sweet treat?  All of these examples are food based but it doesn’t necessarily have to be a food reward. 

In some cases when we are faced with traumatic events we develop avoidance behaviours.  These avoidance behaviours start to create situations that might not be a positive habit and compounds issues.   For example if we have an argument with a friend we might start bitching about them to other people as you seek vindication for your part in the argument which ultimately may not be conducive to future friendships if we are known as the whinging friend who gossips. 

The next step once you have determined your trigger and where that leads to in terms of the reward it’s time to start to make a plan on how you will change your behaviour. 

If for instance your know that when you walk past a particular shop on your way home from work and in that process of walking past you always walk in and buy your favourite mocha latte with a chocolate donut you can re-route your trip home to not go past that shop. 

Sometimes we know it’s not possible to avoid situations so we need to find creative ways to develop a new behaviour.    This might include:

• Deviating from routine
• Reframing your thinking – mindset / affirmations
• Embrace failure – it actually takes many times of failing at breaking a habit before you succeed in changing it
• Find a more suitable yet equally delectable reward (i.e. herbal tea instead of that latte)
• Find an accountability partner
  
  

Changing a habit is not easy but it does start with creating a mindset of mindfulness.  From there you keep practicing to modify the behaviour to your more preferred behaviour.  And then never ever give up. 

There are few studies on the safety and efficacy of yoga during pregnancy. 
One study in India (2005) that yoga is safe during pregnancy with positive outcomes for the mother and child including improved birth weights and decreased chance of preterm labour.

A paper that looked at 6 randomized controlled trial studies concluded that a prenatal yoga program results in positive benefits for pregnancy, labour and birth outcomes.  While safety was not a considered parameter in the RCT study they found that there was:

• Improvements in stress levels,
• Improved quality of life for the mother,
• Increased aspects of interpersonal relating,
• Improved autonomic nervous system functioning, and
• Improved labour parameters such as comfort, pain, and duration

General Guidelines for Safe Practice

• Gentle Twists (open twists) that promote space are beneficial: Avoid strong closed twisting
• Pelvic floor work is beneficial: avoid strong pelvic strain and abdominal contractions
• Backbends only recommended for advanced students
• Prone poses not recommended from 2nd Trimester
• Find awareness in transitioning between poses – adopt a mindful practice
• Awareness of the ‘Vena Cave Syndrome’ : Supine poses should not be practiced from 2nd Trimester
• Forward folds (inversions) may not be suitable : awareness of blood pressure, dizziness
• Awareness of balance poses and venous pressure
• Maintain ambient body temperature
• Maintain rhythmic, regular heart rate: avoid over exertion
• Awareness of the affects that some hormones have on the body : relaxin and over stretching
• Keep poses moving and only hold poses for short periods of time
• Use supports whenever and wherever available
  

We live in a different world to the generation of women that came before us.  We have the blessing of technology and medical advancement, however all this medical advancement has not made having a baby an easier.    In some ways I wonder if it’s made our lives a little more complicated.  I mean there is now an expectation that if natural conception doesn’t work for us we can turn to medical assistance and we will easily start our family.  But ask any woman (and man) who have had to turn to Assisted Reproductive Technology or Invitro-Fertilisation the difficulties that come with starting or adding to your family using this method. 
Back in ancient days before artificial lighting, birth control and the ease and availability of food via hunting and gathering methods communities relied on the knowledge and ability to work with the cycles of nature around them.  They understood the importance of the moon, the stars, the sun and seasons for just being able to live a harmonious life.   In today’s modern living many individuals are out of sync with the natural flow of life and this is really impacting on the rates of infertility.

It is thought that approximately 1 in 6 couples will experience infertility and more than 1% of births are a result of assisted reproductive technology.   Having a baby is supposed to be the most natural thing on Earth and yet natural conception is denied to many couples.  Some couples are even choosing not to have children.  Of course there is a myriad of reasons why but for those wanting to have a child the reason not to continue with ART is more than likely due to although not limited to the financial, emotional and physical burden just trying to conceive (TTC). 

Infertility sucks and there is no two ways about it.  Wanting to start a family should be easy and yet 1 in 6 couples experience difficulty achieving their dream.   It is a blessing that modern medical science can help however from experience I know that going down that road can contribute to an added sense of becoming disconnected from your natural cycles.

For women our menstrual cycle is a way that we can connect to nature.  When we are TTC we learn about our natural cycle.  We learn the little nuances of our natural flow and we start to harmonise with nature again.   Often though this connection might be unconscious; it is very rare that I meet up with a women who can explain what the different stages of cervical mucus indicate or if they can identify when they ovulate without having to count back from when they starting bleeding. 

Definitely women who are TTC are more astute and understand their cycle more than a woman who is disconnected and not TTC but I am doubtful it is a natural connection to their body.  However when we add medical assistance to the mix, many women start to become reliant on ultrasounds, blood tests and doctors to tell them when to “do the horizontal tango”.

Recently though we have seen some media around natural therapies that can support women while they are TTC.  I personally have been supporting women in this area of work for quite some time.   I have however been reluctant to call it Fertility Yoga (or fertility anything for that matter) and here is why.

Yoga, meditation and massage are increasingly being used in the area of fertility not because they guarantee a couple will conceive but because yoga, meditation and massage are the perfect opportunity to reconnect with nature’s cycles. 
For the past few years I have been referring to my “Fertility” Yoga classes as Moon yoga classes. 

The average woman’s menstrual cycle is approximately 28 days while the Moon cycles from a full moon to new moon back to a full moon approximately every 29.5 days, making the comparison of a woman’s menstrual cycle to the moon cycle very easy. 
In fact if we look at culture through the ages it can easily be observed the reverence various traditions hold with the moon and women in general.    Women would often sit in circles and menstruate together – these circles were known as the Red Tent.  Younger non-menstruating women would serve the food and do the women’s work giving the menstruating women an opportunity to rest and bond as women.    Often these circles would correspond with the Dark Moon – a time commonly considered for restful introspection and going inwards to embrace deep inner wisdom. 

Fertility had little to do with these gathering of women.  Non-fertile, non-bleeding and women passed child bearing years would also participate in these circle.  These times were simply about rest and the women held their bodies sacred and hence honoured that.

The word Fertility may also hold women back from developing a suitable feminine practice if we start labelling a yoga class as being a “fertility” class.  Finding a more appropriate name is important for me to describe the classes I offer that can help women embrace their innate power of moving with the cycles of nature.   

Yin yoga could be one description but how many women understand that Yin has feminine connotations?

Feminine Flow is another name I could use however I have a reluctance with using this as feminine could be associated with a feminists movement.  Although I must say I don’t mind the name.

Womb Luna Yoga has a nice ring to it and could possibly become my new name for this regular class I facilitate.  Many women have the energy of womb even in menopause and Luna has the connection with moving with nature. 

At the end of the day I am facilitating these classes to empower women to reconnect with their bodies with the hope that each of them will learn how their bodies cycle, with or without menstruation being that driving force.  

Women have an innate power that when they are conscious of her natural biological power and connection to the natural environment within and outside of her, she will rise to a level of freedom she is entitled to feel. 

The pains of TTC and infertility, the discomfort of menstrual dysfunction and the stress of modern living begin to fade away when we become conscious of our power.   We cope with the anxiety, depression and feelings of shame, guilt and failure with strength, understanding and forgiveness of self and others.   Learning to move with the cycles of our body and nature does work.   We just need to be willing to experience it.

If you want to learn more contact me. 

Probably the most common phenomena most women associate with hormonal change is Premenstrual Stress (PMS), mood changes and behaviour change including impulsive decision-making and disturbances to sex drive and function.
 
Oestrogen is closely linked to our emotional wellbeing (emotional aspect of our brain) and when this hormone fluctuates we can experience mood changes.   Before or at ovulation you might notice you feel more energetic, happy and perhaps inspired or creative.  This is because oestrogen levels have been rising and often reach a peak at ovulation.

Just before you are due to menstruate oestrogen levels drop causing mood swings and even an increase in impulsive behaviour in some women (I am an impulsive online shopper around my period).

Oestrogen is also responsible for preparing the body for pregnancy and ensuring that your uterus has all the right conditions for a health uterine lining and the conditions are perfect to optimise fertilisation (see more on cervical mucus below).

Small amounts of testosterone are found in women.   It has an important function in physical and mental well-being in women and normally is not of concern. .  However levels of testosterone can cause physical signs of hormonal imbalance in the body.   When the body produces too much LH or too much insulin testosterone levels may increase causing women to develop acne or grow extra hair on their face or body. 

This is often associated with a condition known as Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS).  PCOS is a complex condition in both Western and Eastern Medicine and is discussed in more detail below.

Other things to consider with testosterone are the role it may play in women’s libido and during menopause.     This scope of this particular workshop does not consider the role of testosterone however it is worth noting for future reference.

Progesterone rises after ovulation and is primarily responsible for maintaining a pregnancy. It is believed that imbalances in progesterone are responsible for some of the physical symptoms of PMS – breast tenderness, bloating, fatigue, food cravings, migraines, sleep disturbances and irritability.    Although some studies suggest that PMS is more likely a combination of oestrogen and progesterone working together. 

If an egg is not fertilised both oestrogen and progesterone will start to dramatically decrease in a short period of time.   The ratio of oestrogen and progesterone need to be in proportion and in some women we may experience disproportionate levels of these aforementioned hormones.  This is what could possibly contribute to our premenstrual symptoms.

Eastern Perspective of PMS
Even in oriental remedial therapy hormonal balance is a precarious act of moving from one phase to the other smoothly without disruption.    The reproductive system is about balancing the opposing energies of Yin and Yang to achieve homeostasis.   This extract from the Nei Jing summarises it perfectly:

If there is heat, cool it;
If there is cold, warm it;
If there is dryness, moisten it;
If there is dampness, dry it;
If there is vacuity, supplement it; and
If there is repletion, drain it
 
Randine Lewis in her book The Infertility Cure says that a woman’s menstrual cycle is a dynamic process of hormone fluctuation (p57).   Finding balance in our hormones is subject to many factors including diet, external environmental factors, lifestyle and even our ancestral patterning.  Understanding PMS in our own bodies requires knowledge of the patterns throughout the menstrual cycle (as mentioned in an Eastern Understanding above) and then looking at how our own menstrual cycle fits with each of the phases. 

A PMS diagnosis will require working with a therapist to determine your specific pattern however PMS may be related to:

• Kidney deficiency
• Spleen Ki deficiency
• Liver Ki Stagnation
• Transformation of Yang to Yin (an imbalance of either Yin or Yang in the body)
• Heat
• Dampness
• Blood Stagnation
• Or any combination of these

Physically the water element is associated with the kidney and bladder organs.  Each organ has an associated meridian. 
The Kidney Meridian is the Yin aspect of the water element while the Urinary Bladder Meridian is its Yang partner.

Kidney Meridian
The Kidney Meridian is considered the “Root of Life” because it houses the essence or the prenatal force that we are given from our parents at conception, this essence being yuan chi (Qi / Ki). Although this meridian is named for the kidneys, it also includes the adrenals (which physically sit on top of the kidneys.) The adrenal glands secrete a wide array of essential hormones that regulate metabolism, support immunity, and control sexual potency and fertility. (The kidney system also includes what the Chinese call the ‘external kidneys’: the testicles in men and the ovaries in women, so is very important in sexual vitality.) As if that wasn’t enough, the kidney energy controls the growth and development of bone and marrow, which the Chinese consider to also include the brain and the spinal cord.

The location of the Kidney organs mean that any deficiencies of the Kidney energy may result in lower back pain.  The Kidneys dominate the gateway to the Ming Men Point and have a Yin and Yang quality.  The Kidney Yang has a true Fire quality and is responsible for warming the body and other organs.   The Kidney Yin has a true water quality and moistens and nourishes the body and organs.

Physical symptoms of an imbalance in the Kidney Energy includes but not limited too:

• Lower Back Pain
  
• Menstrual dysfunction
  
• Adrenal Fatigue
  
• Painful Knees and Ankles
  
• Teeth and Gum problems
  
• Chronic Fatigue
  
• Emotional feelings associated includes fear, lack of will power, phobias, shame and paranoia
  

 
Urinary Bladder Meridian
The Urinary Bladder Meridian is considered the “Minister of the Reservoir” because of its ability to excrete waste products. Being the longest meridian of the body, it is associated with the autonomic nervous system. Stress and tension play a key part when bladder chi is dysfunctional.  When the sympathetic nervous system is over stimulated we can be in a constant flux of fight or flight.  In the long term this can result in depression, feelings of in-adequateness, anxiety, stress and fear.

Physical symptoms of an imbalance in the Urinary Bladder Energy includes:

• Incontinence
  
• Frequent and Urgent Urination
  
• Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections
  
• Thirst
  
• Dehydration
  
• Aversion to Cold
  
• Occipital Headaches
  
• Stiff Neck
  
• Emotions associated with Urinary Bladder energy includes lack of confidence, jealousy, holding onto long term grudges