Will-Power and New Years. What do they have in common?
With the coming of the New Year some people make new resolutions, some renew their resolutions, some reinstate their resolutions that were quickly dropped the previous year, and some just don’t make any resolutions at all. Any which way you look at it (even if you choose not to change at all), you need Will-Power.
What is will-power you might ask? According to the dictionary, the will is ‘the faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action; the power of control the mind has over its own actions; the power of choosing one’s own actions; the act or process of using or asserting one’s choice; volition; wish or desire; purpose or determination, willfulness.’ According to Chinese Medicine, the will is quite similar. It is called the Zhi and it is housed by the Kidneys (the root of the body) and indicates drive, determination, single-mindedness in the pursuit of goals, enthusiasm and motivation. While the ‘ideas’ are formulated elsewhere, the determination to follow through with them belongs to the Kidneys and the Zhi.
Therefore, it is essential for the Kidneys to be strong. According to Maciocia, “The Will-Power (Zhi) must be coordinated with the Mind (Shen), just as on a physiological level, the Kidneys and Heart must communicate. The Will-Power gives the Mind the drive and determination in the pursuit of its goals and the Mind directs and harnesses the Will-Power. If the Mind is clear in its aims and plans, and the Will-Power is strong, then the person will have the drive to pursue goals. Thus it is necessary for both Will-Power and Mind to be strong.”
So in this time of reflection and revolution, it is important to have both a strong Mind and a strong Will. In our previous article we talk about the Heart and what it does for the body. The Kidney is the congenital root of the body (vs. the Spleen, which is the acquired source of the body), it plays a key role in water metabolism, and is in charge of reproduction and development. It is also the lowest organ in the body (vs. the Lung, which is the highest), and belongs to the water element (vs. the Heart, which belongs to the fire element). It is a key organ with respect to hormonal balance, longevity and overall development, maturation and health.
How do we Nourish our Minds and Will-Power?
There are two points that are great to massage. DU 20 (Bai Hui) is the top-most point of the body and has a great effect on regulating and nourishing the Mind and Will. HT 7 (Shen Men) nourishes the Heart and regulates the Mind. Massaging both of these regularly and often will trigger the body to balance. Also, avoid deep-fried and greasy foods as well as foods that are cold in nature, especially in the winter will help to preserve energy. This means moderating salads and eating lightly steamed veggies instead. Click here for reasons why.
For any goals or resolutions that you may have, wishing you the Mindfulness and Will-Power to accomplish them all in the New Year and beyond!
Caroline Prodoehl, D. Ac, TCMP
References:
Maciocia, Giovanni (2009). The Psyche in Chinese Medicine: Treatment of Emotional and Mental Disharmonies with Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs. Churchill Livingstone Elsevier.