The Adrenal Glands
The adrenal glands sit atop the kidneys and provide energy for fight or flight in emergency situations. We’ve all got the power of the adrenals in our bodies but we don’t feel it unless there’s a ‘close call’ with an automobile, a real or perceived life-threatening situation, or another triggering event. Coffee, drugs, and extreme sports/hobbies can stimulate the adrenals, but they can also deplete them over time.
The adrenals create a rapid response from the sympathetic nervous system, to increase the heartbeat and respiration. The adrenals produces cortisone, adrenaline and noradrenaline, and glucocorticoids that govern blood sugar levels. These hormones regulate the body’s retention and excretion of minerals, particularly sodium and potassium.
While common, modern habits can deplete the adrenal glands and drain the life force, there are exercises to replenish these glands and hormones. For instance, practicing the Microcosmic Orbit meditation can return one to a natural energy level. With practice, the need for stimulation from outside will slowly decrease.
When we practice the Inner Smile to glands and organs, we spread awareness and energy, rejuvenating their functions. Once they have our attention, they don’t have to scream to get our attention, thus we don’t need to try to appease them with external substances. The six healing sounds can cool off trapped heat in the glands and balance the yin and yang energies of the body. When the body feels balanced, it has all it needs.
Learn more about Taoist exercises for rejuvenation in The Alchemist’s Tao Te Ching: Transforming Your Lead Into Gold https://www.amazon.com/dp/1718636970/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_8k9iEb2MS1SVW