A 30-second Exercise for Emotional Balance

Our hands are somehow connected with our emotional life. In discord or balance, our hands express our thoughts. The hands of angry person move agitatedly. The hands of contented person move gracefully.

In every culture, for thousands years, hands have been useful and intimate tools for accessing our emotions and bringing peace of mind in trouble. In praying for example, we put two hands together in front of our heart. In Eastern culture, a two hand bow symbolizes peace and harmony for everyone.

On Fingertips and Emotion

Like musical notes, each finger tip represents different emotions and evokes different sensations in the mind. For example, the thumb is associated with sadness, the index finger with fear, the middle finger with anger, the ring finger with worry, and the small finger with timidity. When you press each fingertip, you may experience different corresponding sensations. And when you press them all at once, you can experience a release of stress, helping you restore the order and balance within. This effect is not just emotional but also physical.

On Spleen and Emotion Control

From ancient time, the spleen has been associated with our emotional life, especially with temper and spite. When someone’s temper gets short, he or she may be called hot blooded.

Why is emotional balance related with the spleen? From olden days the spleen has been believed to be the seat of emotion, particularly worry. Worrying weakens the work of the spleen causing depletion of energy in other organs such as the liver and kidney and lungs, three central organs in the body through which blood passes and nutrients or oxygen are distributed.

The spleen, essentially, is a checkpoint in which blood is cleansed and invaders and unhealthy blood cells are destroyed for the maintenance of optimal condition of the body. It regulates the immune system. That’s why the spleen is the target organ for regulating blood health and emotional imbalance in Eastern medicine.

Finger Wheel & Spleen Meridian

In addition to stimulating the spleen meridian, Finger Wheel exercise, especially the heel lifting and arm circling parts, activates the proprioceptors, sensors for self, in the toes, heels, ankles, calves and shins, thighs, and the abdominal muscles, which increases your sense of physical balance. Together, Finger Wheel exercise helps you experience increased holistic sense of physical and mental balance by replacing the overflow of worrisome stressful energy with smoothly flowing conscious inner energy.

 How to Practice Finger Wheel

1. From natural stance with your toes pointed slightly outward, place your hands in front of the lower abdomen with your fingertips pressing against each other (1).

2. Inhaling quickly by pushing the belly out, raise your hands to chest level with elbows bent (2).

3. Exhaling, lift your heels briskly off the floor and roll your hands forward above your head (3a) in a circular motion; slowly lower hands to the chest level (3b) while bending your knees gently; and end in posture 4, completing exhalation.

4. Inhaling, return to natural stance.

* For exhalation, initially breathe out sharply, then slow down commensurate to the speed of the fall of the hands, just like a feather falling.

You can watch a demonstration of this movement in this video.(This is the 4th movement in the MBX-12 sequence.)

This article is adapted from the book, Mindful Movement: Mastering Your Hidden Energy

For more MBX-12 Exercise Articles, go to MBX-12 page.