According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, one has three treasures: Jing, Qi and Shen. These concepts are rather complex, but in a nutshell it would be:
Jing – it is stored in the kidneys and it is associated with Mother Earth. It is the most Yin of these three treasures, the densest one. Jing is the essence, also referred to as kidney essence, the most dense physical matter within the body. It is associated with the adrenals and sexual energy. It nourishes and fuels the body. In conventional medicine, one could look at Jing as something similar to the cells or genetic memory.
Qi – as explained before, Qi is vital force energy, breath, energy flow and movement. Qi is associated with the stomach & spleen and it represents the human being, the most balanced Yin Yang of the three treasures. Qi circulates through the body, moving through the meridians. Qi is something inherent to every single thing (as I explained further in the Yin Yang of Essential Oils for Health which you can download for free upon subscribing to Skin at Heart).
Practices such as Qigong and Meditation allow the human being to cultivate what is known as Qi field, an energy field believed to be produced by visualisation and/or affirmation, which is basically the frequency in which we vibrate in and/or that we create with the connection between thoughts and emotions, also known as feelings.
This energy field is the basis for several therapeutic approaches such as Acupuncture or the whole scope of Energy Psychology.
Shen – it is stored in the heart and it is associated with Father Sky. It is the most Yang of these three treasures, the more expansive one. Shen is a word that can be used for deity, god, spirit, consciousness, mind or presence. It is said to live in the blood vessels and to be nourished by the blood and it is translated into bright shining eyes.
Healthy Shen depends on the strength of the essence (stored in the kidneys) and Qi (produced by spleen and stomach). Shen is dependent upon pre-Natal Jing and post-Natal Jing (food, breath). Blood is closely related with Qi and it is formed from the post-Natal Jing (derived from food). Blood formation is simultaneously with that of the formation of Qi.
So, the human being is a living organism consisting of body, mind and spirit where these three treasures interact together in order to maintain the natural state of balance, translated into health and wellness.
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Thank you so much Matthias for your support! More than an interesting reader, you are also a wonderful friend. I am very blessed that these fascinating topics of health and wellness are bringing people together! With love and gratitude, Natália
Natália, I’m a bit behind following your posts (you are quite active hahaha). I really like all the pre-work you do and then presenting us a summary of your findings. Since I’m in the beginning of discovering the Qi I find it interesting what is around the Chinese Tradition. Of course, I would like to see and feel it even stronger but maybe that is a muscle that needs training. Your findings give me the background to further learn in this are. Keep on going Natália!