Chinese Medicine holds that the meridian system determines a person’s health status. If the meridian system is blocked, your energy will not circulate freely in the body and illnesses will develop. With dual cross-legged meditation, you can open up your meridian system and boost your immunity to help resist the COVID-19 virus.
What is the meridian system?
The meridian system includes channels and collaterals*, which refer to a network of passages that cover the whole body, through which energy and the basic material essence of the human body circulate.
There are 14 meridians in total. These include the 3 dorsal (yang) meridians of each hand and each foot and the 3 medial (yin) meridians of each hand and each foot plus the Governing Vessel and the Conception Vessel.
To put it simply, the meridians are a transportation network. Qi and blood are transported throughout the whole body along this network. Once the meridians are blocked, various diseases will occur in the human body. Sometimes your body may feel uncomfortable with no obvious visible symptoms; the cause, in this case, is due to blocked meridians. Many people are prone to crossing one leg while sitting and relaxing, however, this habit is detrimental to your health. In contrast, learning to sit in the full lotus position, with both legs crossed, while meditating, will generate tremendous health benefits for the body.
There is no age limit for practicing or learning to sit in the dual cross-legged (full lotus) position while meditating or sitting to relax. For first-timers, it might be somewhat difficult. With persistence and determination, even if you starts to practice it at the age of 60, you can succeed in mastering it. Sitting in the dual cross-legged position exercises your muscles and opens up your meridians. If a 70-year-old person can persist in doing this practice for 20 minutes every day, he/she can hike mountains without any difficulty. The risk of contracting diseases will also be substantially lowered.
The benefits of dual cross-legged meditation
Sitting meditation not only opens up meridians in the legs, but it also opens up the hip joints. As you cross both legs, your ankle will hold down the aorta and your heart will increase its strength to pump more blood, so your internal organs are supplied with more blood and the functions such as gastrointestinal motility will be improved. Practicing dual-legged meditation daily can exercise the muscles in the waist and legs and relieve sciatic issues resulting from a sedentary lifestyle. When you are under great pressure and the brain does not function well, practicing sitting meditation can increase the blood supply to the brain. You will feel refreshed and energetic after finishing the practice.
Sitting meditation can improve irregular menstruation and poor menstrual flow, relieve menstrual pain, and improve endocrine function. For busy mothers taking care of babies and doing household chores, sitting meditation can relieve any waist and back pain, and prevent the development of any spinal issues. Males who practice sitting in meditation before sleep can improve the functioning of their internal organs and circulatory system, which in turn will help in safeguarding the health of their kidneys and prostates.
How to begin
Before attempting this double cross-legged method, you should do some warm-ups to open up the crotch region. Then sit upright and try to cross both legs until they are in the correct position. Try to endure as long as possible. It is common for pain to develop in the legs or in the back as you attempt this initially. When crossing the legs correctly, your spine will straighten up and your back will be pain-free.
The sitting meditation can boost your immunity
The guiding principle of health care in Chinese medicine is to keep the meridian system and the body’s energy (the basic material essence) unblocked. Doctor Hu Nai-wen, a famous physician in traditional Chinese medicine, was frail when he was young. He tried various treatments in Western medicine and Chinese medicin, but to no avail. He regained his health and became energetic after practicing Falun Gong.
Dr. Hu mentions that one of Falun Gong’s exercises is a sitting meditation. He found it to be very effective in healing his own ailments and keeping fit. Many of his patients with intractable diseases recovered after practicing Falun Gong. With the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus and with Dr. Hu’s personal experience, he alludes to the fact that a person may as well practice the sitting meditation to help boost their immunity to better guard and fight against the virus.
*NOTE: Collaterals are the pathways that distribute the qi of the regular meridians to the muscles, tendons, and joints. They are regarded as the external connecting regions of the regular meridians.
Translated by Audrey Wang
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