ONE of the most popular exercises in Energy Medicine as taught by Donna Eden has many more benefits than meets the eye. “Connecting Heaven and Earth” is an exercise that is simple to learn and simple to practice that promotes stretching and movement of energy through the joints. Donna believes it can help prevent arthritis.
Let’s take a deeper look into this whole-body practice.
If you have done the exercise already, then you’ll know that it is crucial to point the palm of one hand to the sky above (Heaven) and simultaneously point the palm of the other hand down to the Earth below.
As we do Connecting Heaven and Earth we mostly focus on the benefits of stretching but did you know that there is a very wise reason for the palms to be exposed to the forces above and below? These are the forces of Heaven and Earth. Don’t let yourself get distracted by the term ‘Heaven’ as it is simply a poetic name used to describe the cosmos or universe above and around us. Just imagine our beautiful planet floating, spinning, and rotating through space. Heaven is above our heads but also under our feet. We are immersed in energies of the universe day and night. It is a mighty force which holds us in space and is charging our batteries! Human beings receive a positive charge from the cosmos. We call this charge Yang. The negative charge enters the body from Earth through the soles of the feet. We call that negative charge Yin.
When we practice Connecting Heaven and Earth we are telling our body to open and receive Yin and Yang forces. The palm stretching up soaks in Yang (positive charge) energies from the cosmos and the palm facing down soaks in Yin (negative charge) energies form the Earth. As we stretch we are making space for stagnant energies to move out and release. We also exercise all of the meridians and replenish them with a positive and negative charges that will get circulated through the body to balance deficiencies and excess. The Liver and Spleen meridians benefit greatly from this exercise, yet Heart and Lung meridians get a good workout too. When we bend forward to hang like a rag doll our spine gets a nice stretch but also our Bladder meridian releases accumulated tension.
Continue reading “Connecting Heaven and Earth – A Deeper Look”