Emotional Tissue

My introduction to Yin Yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine ten years ago suggested that thought, emotion and tissue (of the physical body), are woven together in a tightly knit tapestry. Interconnected and interdependent, we are a complex combination of many elements that work in symbiosis; a rather foreign concept in this part of the world where we have separated mind and body even in the structure of our language.

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, organs are not merely a cluster of tissue performing a specific function but rather a conceptual area that governs not only the physical function but also our emotions. Attention to and awareness of physical responses throughout the body, largely in relation to meridian lines, helps to decipher what response is required to resolve the issue on all levels. Rather than numbing pain or treating one symptom, Traditional Chinese Medicine considers treatment for all layers involved to truly eradicate the cause.

When we experience muscle tension, pain or injury, how might our understanding of what is required for healing change if we consider what is going on for us emotionally? Are we experiencing stress in our lives? Are we resisting necessary change or caught in stagnancy and struggling to get out of a rut?  Whatever our circumstances, consideration of how they may be impacting our physical body may uncover a deeper, more comprehensive plan for recovery.