Small Intestine Meridian

The Pathway of the Small Intestine Meridian
From the base of the little finger this meridian runs along the back of the arm to the shoulder where it zig zags through the back of the shoulders and up each side of the neck to the front of the ear.

Small Intestine Meridian Associations
The small intestine meridian helps the small intestine to assimilate nutrients from food. Mentally this meridian is said to assist with the assimilation of ideas. Blockages in this meridian most commonly result in stiff necks and elbow and shoulder pain.

Standing Forward Bend
The following exercise is said to balance the Small Intestine Meridian. It stretches along the path of the meridian plus it squeezes around the shoulder blades to release any tension there. It is said to be beneficial for building up resistance to colds and flu.



*Come into a standing position and clasp your hands behind your back.
*Inhale and as you exhale bend forward from the hips.
*Soften your knees so there is no strain in your back and if you have no lower back problems or high blood pressure or heart issues you can keep as much length through the front of your body and fold down over your legs letting your arms reach up and over your head.
*Feel the stretch along the back of your arms and the squeezing of the shoulder blades.
*Stay for 30 seconds or more and then slowly return to upright position and shake out your arms.

Triple Warmer Acupressure Point

Triple Warmer 6 lies on the back of the arm 3 thumb widths up from the wrist crease in the middle of the arm. Stimulating this point is good in the lower warmer for constipation which may be due to too much heat and stagnation in the body. In the middle warmer it helps with chest pain and in the upper warmer for inflammation, eye redness and pain and ear pain.



Link here to see a diagram of where TW 6 is.

Triple Warmer Stretch

What is the Triple Warmer Meridian?
The pathway of this meridian starts at the ring finger and travels up the arm, around the shoulder, up the side of the neck, around the ear and up to the temples. The Triple Warmer governs three different segments of the body - the upper part governs respiration, the middle part governs digestion and the lower part governs elimination. The Triple Warmer Meridian therefore functions to harmonise these three bodily processes.

Stretch for this Meridian
Garuda Arms
Come into a sitting position and bend your knees. Slide your right foot under your left leg and slide your left foot to the side of your right hip.
Cross your right arm under your left arm and join your palms.
Lower your left ear to your left shoulder.
The stretch is felt along the side of your neck and upper arm and shoulder which is the location of part of the triple burner meridian.
Stay here for 5 or more breaths and repeat on the other side.


This is a hybrid pose combining the Garuda Pose with the Cowface Pose. Usually the head is held upright in the Garuda Pose therefore when we add the Triple Burner stretch to the neck we sit down for safety reason.

Breathing for the Lung and Large Intestine Meridians

Dancing Crane
This is a great breathing sequence to enhance the chi in the lung and large intestine meridians. It is a very graceful movement and very calming. Strengthening the lung meridian helps to ward off sickness.



1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, your knees slightly bent and soft and your arms raised out to the side at shoulder height, with palms facing down.
2. Inhale and draw the backs of the wrists towards the ears.
3. Exhale and drop your elbows down to your sides and slowly push your hands through the air in flexed position arriving back at starting position. (Visualize the air to be very thick like oil)
4. Inhale: In starting position
5. Exhale slowly rotate to the right move left hand to rest on right shoulder and the back of the right hand resting on top of left kidney. Moving head to look over right shoulder.
6. Repeat sequence from #1 on the other side.

The Pericardium Meridian Stretch

The Pericardium Meridian
As you can see the Pericardium Meridian runs from the side of the ribs across the inner shoulder and centrally down the inner arm to the middle finger.



The function of the pericardium channel is considered important to the functioning of the heart. It's function is to dissipate excess chi in the heart and send it out through the palms. It is especially active in times of feverishness.

Pericardium Meridian Stretch with Shoulder Opening Exercise

Stretching the meridian will help with the smooth flow of energy through this channel.

1. Take a belt or scarf and hold it stretched between your hands in front of your body.
2. Inhale and raise your arms above your head, exhale and lower the belt behind your shoulders. Bring it to a point where you are feeling maximum stretch along the centre of the inner arm.
3. Raise and lower the belt with your inward and outward breath a few times and then hold it in position for 5 or more breaths. You can bring your hands closer together along the belt if you feel you need more stretch.

Acupressure for the Spleen Meridian

The pressure point Spleen 6 is a tonic point for the blood and for disorders of the spleen. It is helpful in cases of digestive disturbances, gynaecological issues, bleeding disorders, insomnia and anxiety related emotions. However it should not be stimulated during pregnancyand heavy and frequent periods.
For painful conditions, indigestion and abdominal bloating 'disperse',(to disperse make little circles counterclockwise and to tonify simply press the point for 1 - 2 minutes) for debility 'tonify'.



The spleen is responsible for storing blood, forming antibodies and producing white blood cells for the immune system. Traditionally the Spleen/Pancreas Meridian is said to govern menstruation and also is said to transport the energy in food up to the lungs where the energy from the breath combines with it to form the essential energy for the whole body. This meridian can be damaged due to worry, excessive sugar, obsession and cause weakness, forgetfulness worry or digestive disorders


To find Spleen 6 Feel the tip of the inner ankle and then feel for the inner border of the shin bone which goes from the knee to the ankle. Lay the lower portion of the little finger on the tip of the ankle sp6 is located 4 fingers up on the flesh next to the inner border of the shin.

At the yoga classes at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga we often incorporate acupressure points into our poses. This point can be pressed during Seated Head to Knee Pose or the Cobbler Pose.

Wave Breath

This breath opens up the Gallbladder and Liver Meridians. It is a variation of the Side Warrior Pose and Extended Side Angle Pose which are standard poses found in most classes held at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga

1. Stand with your feet wide apart left toes 90 degrees and right foot turned in slightly (the heel of left foot in line with arch of right foot), arms down by your sides.
2. Inhale as you raise your arms to shoulder height.
3. Exhale as you bend your left knee, extending left arm down in front of the body and right arm over the head. When exhale is complete, straighten left leg (pause momentarily)
4. Inhale: lifting through the fingers of the right hand slowly come up to starting position.
5. Repeat 4 or 5 times
6. Change the position of your feet and repeat to the right.

Stretch for the Spleen Meridian

The Spleen Meridian begins at the base of the big toenail and it travels up the inside of the center of the legs to the groin, through the digestive organs up over the ribs to the outer part of the chest and ends underneath the armpits.

The spleen is responsible for storing blood, forming antibodies and producing white blood cells for immune system. Traditionally the Spleen/Pancreas Meridian is said to govern menstruation and also said to transport the energy in food up to the lungs where the energy from the breath combines with it to form the essential energy for the whole body. This meridian can be damaged due to worry, excessive sugar and obsessive behaviour. Once damaged the person may experience weakness, forgetfulness, worry or digestive disorders.

Seated Wide Leg Pose



This pose is the beginning to the Seated Wide Leg Forward Bend Pose as seen on the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga website.
1. Come into a sitting position and widen your legs. Roll to the top of your sitting bones. Keep your knees and feet facing upwards but rotate your thighs outwards.
2. Place your hands on the ground behind you and lift up through the front of your torso keeping your shoulders down away from the ears and the back of your body long.
3. Stay for as long as comfortable and breathe. It is helpful to focus on the spleen energy pathway, drawing energy up the pathway from the feet on the inward breath and spreading around your body on the outward breath.

Stretch the Stomach Meridian with Dancer Pose

The Stomach Meridian runs pretty much centrally down the front of the body and legs so the Dancer Pose is an ideal way of stretching the Stomach Meridian. When we stretch a meridian we are helping clear the energy pathway which can become blocked or inhibited by tension along the front of the body. In a normal everyday yoga class at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga all the meridians get a good stretch, however focusing the mind on a particular aspect of the pose and gently breathing down into the abdomen can help to activate the healing energy and send it to the area we are focusing on. Therefore in the Dancer Pose try focusing on the length that you are creating through the front of the torso, neck and legs.

The Dancer Pose
1. From the Mountain Pose shift your weight onto the left foot and lift up strongly through that leg and hip, bend your right knee and take hold of your right foot.
2. When you have your balance raise your left arm and lengthen into your fingertips.
3. Keep your hips level with each other as you continue lengthening through the front of your body, arm and leg and slowly lean forward while lifting the back leg higherand gently arching the back.
4. Stay for 5 or more breaths and repeat on the other side.

Stomach Meridian Breathing

At my classes at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga I often insert a breathing exercise as a link between series of poses, as a rest and rejuvenate or as a centering activity. This breathing exercise is very rejuvenating because it opens up the lungs for good oxygen exchange, it is also good for the whole body as it activates the Stomach and Spleen Meridians.

The Stomach Meridian starts at the side of the nose, and swirls up to the eye, down to the jaw and back up to the front of the ear and temple, it then descends through the neck, abdomen, groin, along the front of the thigh and lower leg to the top of the foot where it terminates at the outside tip of the second toe. In Chinese medicine it is referred to as ‘the sea of nourishment’ because it controls the digestion of food. It is said to be the most central organ of the body, naturally therefore an imbalance in the Stomach Meridian will directly affect all the other organs.

The Spleen Meridian begins at the base of the big toenail and it travels up the inside of the center of the legs to the groin, through the digestive organs up over the ribs to the outer part of the chest and ends underneath the armpits.

The spleen is responsible for storing blood, forming antibodies and producing white blood cells for immune system. Traditionally the Spleen/Pancreas Meridian is said to govern menstruation and also said to transport the energy in food up to the lungs where the energy from the breath combines with it to form the essential energy for the whole body. This meridian can be damaged due to worry, excessive sugar and obsessive behaviour. Once damaged the person may experience weakness, forgetfulness, worry or digestive disorders.



1. Stand with your feet wide apart, toes turned out slightly and arms down in front of your body with your wrists crossed.
2. Inhale as you raise your arms above the head.
3. Exhale as you open the chest and rotate arms backwards. When your arms are at shoulder height bend your knees into a deep squat, tilting your body forward slightly and sinking your weight evenly to all corners of your feet, (feeling deeply rooted into the ground)…scoop your arms down in front of the body and cross your wrists.
4. Repeat - inhale to raise up, exhale to lower

Acupressure for the Gall Bladder Meridian

Sometimes at my classes at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga we hold an acupressure point while we are holding a pose. Incorporating acupressure points into a yoga workout adds to the beneficial effects of the asanas and also adds interest to the class.


Gall Bladder 20 is great for all issues of the head, such as occipital headaches, vertigo, dizziness and poor memory. It is also used for neurological disorders which can manifest as twitching and numbness.. It is effective in dispelling fever and chills and helpful for pain, weakness and stiffness in the neck, shoulders and upper back.

Finding Gall Bladder 20: this point is located at the junction of the skull and the neck to each side of the vertebral column. To find it turn your head to one side and locate the thick muscle that runs down the neck just behind the ear, the point is located in the depression behind this muscle.

Stimulating GB20 in a yoga pose: Stand in Mountain Pose and place your index fingers on each GB20. Bend your knees a little, engage your abdominal muscles and slowly roll down into a Standing Forward Fold, hold for 5 - 10 breaths and then release the hands and roll back up.

Lotus Rising Chi Yoga Breathing

This movement lengthens the yin meridians of the arms (heart, lung, pericardium)

Just as a lotus flower rises up from muddy beginnings

so this breath raises the energy, lifting our spirits and energising us.

• Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, arms by your sides and palms facing back. RELAX!!
• Inhale as you slowly raise your arms in front of your body to shoulder height.
• Rotate your arms so the palms face each other. Exhale and separate your arms out to the sides.
• As you inhale rotate your palms upwards and raise your arms above your head.
• Exhale: Bend your elbows and slowly lower your hands with your palms facing down, thumbs reaching towards the floor, keeping your hands close to your body without touching.
• Return your arms to starting position by your sides and repeat 5 or more times.
  
  
  
  

In my regular classes at AMSY & GCCC I often fit this breath in between poses or more particularly after a strenuous sequence of poses. It helps us to centre ourselves, to relax and rejuvenate.

Liver Meridian Acupressure Point in Forward Fold

There is a great acupressure point on the liver meridian called Liver 3. It is good for headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, red, swollen and painful eyes, PMS, chest pain, digestive issues and most importantly is a calming point for anger, irritability and insomnia.

To locate this point bend your knees or sit down and reach down onto the top of your foot. Feel the valley between your first and second toes and follow it up until it ends. At this junction point is Liver 3.

This point can be pressed while relaxing in a Standing Forward Fold which is also helpful for calming the nerves.

Stretch the Liver and Gall Bladder Meridians

The Liver Meridian controls the eyes as well as the nervous system. The liver secretes bile, which is necessary for the digestion of fats. According to the traditional Chinese medical system allergies are related to the condition of the liver. If this meridian is too full a person may easily get angry whereas if there is not enough energy in the meridian a person is more likely to be depressed.



The Gall Bladder meridian regulates our ability to make decisions and to execute them. If the Gall Bladder Meridian is too full one easily can become angry or irritable. Indecision and muscular weakness would indicate a deficiency in this meridian. It also controls the flexibility and strength of the tendons and ligaments. Migraine headaches that feel like a tight vice compressing the skull are a traditional Gall Bladder symptom.



The Extended Triangle stretches both of these meridians which helps to release tightness around the pathways and allow the chi to flow better.

EXTENDED TRIANGLE



Stand with your legs wide apart and turn your right foot out ninety degrees and if you like you can angle your left foot in forty-five degrees.
Inhale and reach your arms out to each side extending the energy from between your shoulder blades out into your finger tips.
Exhale and tilt your torso out to the right keeping the spine lengthening out of the hips.
As you inhale rotate your abdomen and chest upwards extending your arm upwards in line with the lower arm which is reaching down onto your right leg or ankle.
On the next exhalation extend your top arm over your ear parallel to the floor.
Stay here for 5 - 10 breaths feeling the extension along the inside of the right leg (liver meridian) and outside of the left leg (gall bladder meridian) and along the left side of the trunk (liver and gall bladder meridians).

There is very nice advice from Sam Dworkis in his book 'ExTension Yoga', to 'feel the difference between tension and extension!' Make sure you are extending not tensing and feel the difference. Extension will free up the meridians whereas tension will inhibit the movement of chi in them

Massaging the Liver and Gall Bladder Meridians

The main liver meridian starts at the inside of the big toenail and travels up the inside of the leg through the groin and crossed the abdomen to the opposite side of the body, from there it travels to just above the waist where it angles up to the liver and stops directly below the nipple.

The liver meridian is paired with the gall bladder meridian which starts at the outer eye and winds its way around the side of the forehead and ear down the neck to the highest point on the trapezius (shoulder) muscle. From here it descents to the chest and lower abdomen and down the outside of the leg and foot to the lateral side of the tip of the fourth toe.

To massage these two channels firmly pound with a soft fist down the outside of your legs and up the inside. This helps to loosen up the tissues around the meridians and help the energy to flow more freely.

Large Intestine 11

Large Intestine 11
This is a tonification point for the whole body, which is also particularly good for skin diseases like hives, rashes and acne. It is used to treat burning diarrhoea, hot flushes and menstrual issues and is effective for anaemia and also tennis elbow.

Bend your elbow and notice the crease that is made between the upper and lower arm. At the end of this crease is Large Intestine 11.
Press your thumb at the end of the crease and relax and breathe.

Large Intestine Meridian Stretch

The Large Intestine Meridian starts from the tip of the index finger and runs in line with this finger up to the shoulder where it branches and runs internally to the lungs, diaphragm and large intestine and externally up to the neck, cheek and lower teeth and gums, from there it curves around the upper lip to the opposite side of the nose. According Chinese Therapy disharmony of the Large Intestine Meridian can lead to symptoms of abdominal pain, intestinal cramping and elimination problems. Because of its pathway through the mouth and around the nose symptoms like toothache, a runny nose, nosebleeds and pain or heat along the meridian pathway can also indicate a disorder in this meridian.

Straight Jacket Pose

• Stand comfortably and relax.


• Place the left hand onto the right shoulder and reach it round behind as far as it will go.


• Place the right arm over the top and onto or around the back of the left shoulder.


• Lift the elbows to upper chest height.


• Keep your head facing forward and lower your left ear to your left shoulder.


• Stay and breathe for at least 5 breaths and repeat with the left arm on top and the head tilting to the right.

Stimulate the Lung Energy

Yunmen - Lung 2

Once you have stretched the lung meridian and softened all the tissues around it you will find great benefit from stimulating different acupressure points along the meridian. I have chosen this point because it's not only good for our breathing but also good for upper back and shoulder stiffness.

Slide your index finger along the underside of the collar bone from the centre towards the shoulder. At the end of the collar bone where it meets the shoulder bone is a slight dip – this is Yunmen ( Cloud Door) or the 2nd point on the lung meridian. Press into it with the first or second finger of the opposite hand. As you exhale press a little harder and as you inhale take the pressure off. Stay for 3 or 4 breaths and then repeat on the other side.

This point is good for all lung disharmonies especially for coughs, wheezing and asthma. It is also good for shoulder pain and back pain and tension in the chest.

Massage for the Lung and Large Intestine Meridian

Organ Meridian Pairs
There are twelve organ meridians in the body which are in six pairs. The functions of each pair are strongly related to each other. Disease in one of the pairs often affects the other and it is beneficial to treat a problem in one by treating it's partner. The lung meridian is paired with the large intestine meridian therefore we can massage both for the best effect.

Benefits of Meridian Massage
Massage increases the tissues' permeability for Chi and can thus balance deficiencies and excesses along the individual meridians

Time Factor
Anytime is good for meridian massage but for best effects you can treat the meridians during their peak times or their low times. Each meridian has 2 hours of peak activity and 12 hours later a 2 hour period of low activity therefore according to therapists in this field the best time to strengthen the Chi of any channel is just after it peaks, when it has the greatest energy. The best time to disperse Chi is prior to the peak period. In other words, before it accumulates an abundance of energy. The lung meridian is most active between 3 - 5 am and least active between 3 - 5 pm. According to this theory the best time to increase the energy of the lung meridian is to get up around 5 am and do some deep breathing and massage!!!! Sounds good to me.

Massage Technique
With your right hand make a loose fist and bring your left arm out in front of you with the palm turned up. Firmly tap down the lung meridian which runs from under the collar bone down to the thumb and then move over to the large intestine meridian which starts at the first finger, rotate the palm downwards and tap up the back of the hand and arm in line with this finger, up to the shoulder and then rotate the arm and begin again.

Reclining Cobbler Pose For the Lung Meridian

Just looking at this pose makes you want to take a deep breath doesn't it!!! The lung meridian runs across the inner shoulders and down along each inner arm to the thumb and internally it runs down to the large intestines. See how this pose opens up all those places? As an added bonus it expands the lungs encouraging deep slow breathing.

You don't need to be down the beach to do this pose but why not try it next time you're down there basking under your beach umbrella.


This is how:

• Place a long bolster** on the mat so that you can lie the length of your spine and head on it. Sit at the end of the bolster in cobbler position - the soles of your feet together and the knees apart. (if this is too challenging try cross-legged or just knees bent feet flat on ground)
• Gently lower your body onto the bolster and bring your arms out to the sides.
• Relax and breathe gently

** Most people don't have their own bolsters so you can substitute in any of the following ways

• a long pillow or a couple of them
• some rolled up beach towels or blankets that reach up under your head
• if you're down the beach - easy - create your own bolster out of sand and cover with your towel.

More on the Reclining Cobbler Pose