Tantra Massage Therapy - 3 Main Blockages in Women - Part 2
Continuing with my series of describing the 3 main energy blockages in women, in this blog I am shedding a light on the next major blockage - the area around and below the belly button - or shortly, the abdominal area.
Let me begin by stating, that this is de-facto the most important area for determining the real health and well-being of humans. Our tummies, literally, affect and influence (negatively or positively) all the other systems in our bodies.
Looking at it from the energy perspective, you can find the largest cross-section of energy channels (also known as nadi-s or meridian-s) at a special point in the lower part of the belly. In essence, the whole human energy system is connected with and dependant on what is happening with and around that point.
So if you think your backache comes from your back, think again. If you believe your mood swings, anxiety, or depression come from your head, think again. Your arthritis? Same. Your vascular problems? You know what I’m going to say.
While yes, all of the mentioned issues could have their origins somewhere else, most of the time, however, the real reason for them can be tracked all the way to our bellies.
That our health resides in our abdomen, is one of the postulates and most important fundamental teachings of both Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Ayurveda knows that the seat of the three bio-energies or “doshas” (known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha) is in the abdomen. Similarly, Chinese Medicine knows that in our abdomen we have, what they call a “Triple heater”, a source of three fundamental energies that nourish the energy system of the human being.
So if you have a lower backache, Ayurvedic doctors would pay the utmost attention to your abdomen, and more specifically to your large intestine. In the case of mood swings and psychological issues the same. If you have problems with arteries, the cause might be toxins in your small intestines. If you have arthritis, the root issue is actually in your digestive tract and if you have osteoporosis the core problem is the malabsorption of nutrients, again in the intestines.
Even modern medicine is slowly catching up, with recent studies stating that the gut-brain axis could aid in understanding and treating neuropsychiatric disorders, especially depression, or, linking the gut microbiome to arthritis. In one such article, they state that: “although at first glance, these discoveries may seem esoteric, the clinical implications of the microbiome in human health and disease are becoming clear.”
As they are clearing up for them, let us focus on another group of people who, luckily, have cleared things up long ago - yogis. In Yoga, the emphasis put on digestive health is immense, with many postures or asanas aiming to purify and detoxify the energy channels of the abdominal area and to re-establish a healthy digestive fire, or, as it is known in Ayurveda - Agni. Agni is the frequency of energy that corresponds to the element of fire. It is the fire in our belly that we feel if we are healthy.
The role of Agni is transformation, digestion, alchemy.
Imagine it in this way: just like fire processes and transforms anything you throw in it, in the same way Agni transforms anything in our body. And by anything, I mean anything, from gross to very subtle levels. On the more gross levels Agni is responsible for digestion of foods and transformation of raw molecules into nutrients through the enzymatic and metabolic processes. On the more subtler levels Agni is responsible for digesting and transforming any kind of impressions from the outside. On the psychological level, it is connected to willpower and determination and people who have strong Agni also experience less emotional turmoil - they are more solar and strong in their minds and energy. This is because Agni is also responsible for churning and refining the more raw and heavy sexual and emotional energies from the lower energy centres of the body to the higher ones.
Because most people don’t know the lifestyle secrets of Yoga and Ayurveda, they slowly, over time, decrease their inner fire and hamper the Agni. For women, some of the causes are: improper diet, drinking coffee, eating cold or processed foods, sedentary lifestyle, trauma, too much emotional baggage, lack of masculine presence in a woman’s life or being with a non-spiritual man who doesn’t nourish his Yang energy and is, therefore, unable to sublime her heavier energies etc.
Kate’s Transformation through Tantra Yoga has been incredible. I am adding her testimonial to this blog to show the effects energy-based Yoga has on the abdominal area. Kate has built her inner fire and through that lost a lot of weight and achieved a big transformation. Her energy in this video is a nice representation of someone with a bit more fire in their being, being very jovial, happy but also strong in her mind, with lots of zeal for life and willpower.
Most women who come for healing therapy do have an impaired Agni and low fire levels in their belly. That itself manifests through different symptoms, some of which I am providing below:
Sluggish digestion and/or constipation
Irregular bowel movement
Bloated abdomen
Emotional issues - unprocessed and/or repressed emotions, emotional sensitivity
Psychological issues - heaviness of mind, depression, anxiety
Psychosomatic issues - disconnection from parts of the body, feelings of cold limbs, numbness etc.
Sexual issues - anorgasmia, desensitisation
Issues with genitourinary tract - problems with uterus, pelvic organs, bladder and kidney
Headaches
Agitation and/or defensiveness
Feeling of pressure in the lower part of the abdomen
Painful and/or tense abdominal wall
As a therapist, my goal is to guide the energy in such a way, that the more heavy (sexual) yin energies are guided to the higher parts of the body and through this they slowly purify and reignite the digestive fire, building the opposite energies of yang in the body. In this process I am using different energies, such as sexual and pranic energies, both through direct energy transmission as well as through accessing and activating specific and highly potent energy points in the body. As stated, through this process the sexual energy slowly gets directed to other parts of the body and this is where the client starts to experience intense activation and arousal of energies in the being. They start perceiving sensations of heat, tingling, many times some suppressed emotions come to surface, feelings like anger and laughter are not uncommon, and a lot of times there can also be a sort of an orgasmic energy that gets triggered and starts flowing beautifully from the pelvic area to the heart (as seen in the video above, where Mel is demonstrating the art of Tantra massage).
Through activating the fire element in the belly, a person slowly starts to purify their being on all levels. Their digestion becomes stronger and more balanced, their emotions can now be processed so they feel lighter, their mind becomes more pure and clear, their willpower increases, their eye-sight improves and so on. The transformation is even more prominent and observable when a person learns and starts to apply certain special techniques from Tantra Yoga. As shown in the testimonial video above, people can transform and “upgrade” physically, emotionally, and mentally in a very short amount of time through committing to these exercises on a daily basis.
Besides Yoga and Therapy, it has to be emphasised that diet is of crucial importance in both purifying and maintaining the health and function of the organs in the abdomen. This in itself leads us to another vast and complex field of proper diet, something, which I might touch upon in one of the future blogs.
Overall, the key takeaway of this blog should be, that the proper function of Agni is of the upmost importance for personal wellbeing. As Vasant Lad, the famous Ayurvedic doctor stated: “the span of life, health, energy, metabolism, complexion, strength, enthusiasm, luster and the vital breath are all dependent on Agni.”
So make sure to keep that fire in your belly alive!
For anyone having any questions in regards to this series of blogs, I welcome you to contact me through the form on Contact us page.