Holistic Living & The Story of the Spleen

It hit me hard...the story of the spleen.  I haven't been able to stop thinking about it for weeks.  After meeting my new client Ellie, a very sweet golden retriever with a host of allergy issues including a severe case of ear inflammation, the story of the spleen entered my consciousness like a bolt of lightning just before a loud crash of thunder.  I sat on the floor with Ellie to get a better sense of the language of her ears and the body as a whole.  When I ran my hands along her body I sensed she wasn't receiving all she was being given. 

Ellie is a bit overweight and her body felt hardened, tough and inaccessible with an underlying nervousness and a need to be touched.  I felt like the spleen was struggling to bathe her body in blood and bring the needed nourishment to her organs.  There was stagnation that hardened.  The suppleness required to receive nourishment was gone and replaced with rigidness.  I've seen this many times before but this case was somehow different.

The intricate web my mind was weaving while sitting with Ellie overcame me and I knew there were great personal lessons to take away from this client.  After preparing Ellie's nutritional protocol I began to dig deeper regarding the holistic nature of the spleen, this seemingly small little lobe tucked neatly behind the stomach, just under the liver and snuggling up to the pancreas and left kidney.  Because of the actual function of the spleen as a major immune system organ and an important blood filtering organ, it brings spleen out of the shadows of the stomach and into the limelight like the conductor of an orchestra or the master of ceremonies. 

In Chinese medicine, the spleen is the organ of transformation and nourishment.  In the tradition of Iyengar yoga, the postures that help feed the spleen intertwine in an eloquent dance between the kidneys, the arms and all the digestive organs like when you move through Chaduranga Dandasana (Four Limbed Staff Pose) into Bhujangasana (Cobra Pose) and can feel your core of organs breathing and finding their own space.

The art of holistic living embodies the ability to start with an imbalance and work your way full circle involving all aspects of that imbalance physically, emotionally and spiritually.  The beauty of our animals is that they teach us to observe our own wellness and, if our eyes are open, bring us closer to the mystery of our imbalances by acting as a conduit in which to learn. 

For Ellie, we'll start on the physical plane by supporting her digestive organs with appropriate supplementation and being kind to her stomach with warmed, moist, enzyme-rich food.  We'll strengthen her kidneys with herbal support, provide the extra-cellular matrix an opportunity to find it's groove again through the use of vitamin C and work on her circulation through daily massage and acupressure given by her owner.  The work will continue to holistically clear the ear inflammation with the hope that, as her ears are touched, her body massaged, and her organs supported, that one day the spleen will awaken to receive all that it is being given.

For me, I appreciate the stubborn nature of Ellie's ears and how they encourage me to dig deeper and find a message within the imbalance of the spleen.  By awakening to all that surrounds me and taking time to consciously and purposefully receive the nourishment that lies within my own heart, within all my beautiful relationships and within the food that enters my body, I will begin to awaken to a life that is well lived...a life well nourished.