The idea of Winds that enter and exit the body is rather common in Asian traditional medicine systems. You find it in Yoga as the Prana Vayus, in Thai Traditional Medicine as Lom, and in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoism as Feng.
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Winds are thought to enter from outside in the body through Wind Gates, which include the navel area, the respiratory system, the back of the head (neck), arms, legs, and the skin, which are also thought to be the locations where Winds can exit.
All these traditional systems typically recognize several types of Winds that are characterized by their movement in specific areas of and directions through the body flowing through Wind Channels (the latter known as TCM Meridians, Yoga Nadis, or the Thai Sib Sen, etc.), while each type of Wind has specific functions and manifestations.
Actually, it’s not so easy to understand the concept of Winds because, depending on the context in which it’s used, Wind can point to many different body phenomena. For instance, it may point to mobility, change and transformation, movement, circulation, pulsation, electromagnetic frequencies, tension, energy, breath and respiration, gas, and Life Force Energy, among others.
Nevertheless, in general one can say that the “Mother of all Winds” is Life Force Energy — the primordial and original Wind — known as Prana, Qi (Chi), Ki, or Lom Pran, and so on, depending on the traditional medicine system. In fact, it’s thought that when Life Force Energy enters the body it transforms into various types of Winds and manifestations depending on where it goes, where it passes, and what it should do.
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An important idea behind Winds in the body is that they should flow freely, being able to reach each and every cell of the body to perform their functions. If Winds can move uninhibitedly they will do their work according to plan, which means that they become “good Winds.”
If Winds don’t flow properly it means that they got trapped, blocked, or stuck by which they become “bad Winds” or “evil Winds,” which are toxic for the body. It’s thought this can have a variety of causes, such as muscle tensions, lack of physical activity, weather conditions, scar tissue, injury, an inadequate diet, lack of sleep, or negative emotions, to name some.
When Winds in the body get blocked or congested it causes health discomforts and illnesses. Blocked or congested Wind can manifest itself in various ways, including stiffness, overly cold or overly hot body parts, cramps, arthritis, bloating, organ dysfunctions, distensions, fever, skin rashes, pains, headaches, cramps, vertigo, in addition likewise causing muscle tensions, knots and tangles, or negative emotions, and so on, which creates a vicious circle.
Hence, to regain health the Winds need to move freely through the body, which is done by removing the obstacles that restrict its flow. Depending on the type of obstacles and constrictions, various treatments may be applied which can include practices like massage, meditation, acupressure, acupuncture, breathwork, herbal medicine, diet, exercises, and so on. Moreover, it’s important that the Wind Gates are open so that bad Winds i.e. toxins can exit the body and fresh Wind can easily enter the body to perform its functions.
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