This movement greatly benefits the Triple Burner, which functions as our body’s thermostat. The concept of the Triple Burner (also known as the Triple Warmer or Triple Heater) is unique to Chinese Medicine. Rather than being a physical organ, the Triple Burner is more of a functional system—a collection of processes that regulate various functions in the body.
The Triple Burner divides the torso into three regions: the upper, middle, and lower burners.
1. **Upper Burner**: This area lies between the solar plexus and the clavicle. Its main functions are respiration and circulation, with the lungs and heart (including the pericardium) as its primary organs.
2. **Middle Burner**: Located between the solar plexus and the navel, this burner is responsible for digestion. Its main organs are the spleen, stomach, liver, and gallbladder.
3. **Lower Burner**: This area is between the navel and the pubic bone and is responsible for elimination. The key organs here include the kidneys, bladder, and lower intestines.
These three burners work in harmony, each supporting the others. The overall health of the body relies on the balanced interaction of these functions.
The Triple Burner also influences how we interact with ourselves and the world. A well-balanced Triple Heater helps us engage appropriately in various relationships, preventing us from being too distant, overly friendly, excessively inquisitive, or excessively aloof.
Additionally, this movement is associated with the endocrine system and can help alleviate anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia, and chronic fatigue.
The movement helps to:
– Regulate the spleen and stomach
– Harmonize Qi movement
– Remove heart fire
– Balance Yin and Yang
– Dredge meridian channels
– Strengthen the waist and kidneys
It is excellent for reducing stiffness in the shoulders and improving blood circulation. Other benefits include lowering heart rate and blood pressure, relaxing tense and stiff muscles, regulating internal organs, providing a full-body stretch, and helping with poor posture in the back and shoulders. It also increases lung capacity, effectively preparing you for the following seven exercises!
Each week, I will be posting about one of the movements in the “Eight Section Brocade,” starting with the first movement and continuing to the eighth. I will describe the benefits associated with each movement, so be sure to check this Blog regularly for the next one: “Draw the Bow to Shoot the Arrow.”