Courage Lives in the Lungs
Virtues of the Po Spirit
The lung Spirit is called the Po.
Related to the metal element, the Po controls our autonomic nervous system, and all the survival mechanisms of our body. The Po is always looking out for our safety and wellbeing. When we are not safe, the Po lets us know through the "fight, flight and freeze response".
When trauma (big or small) is left unresolved, the Po's response will be stored as a memory in our soma (body unconscious).
These unconscious responses can be triggered by events that are no longer a threat. This is why our reactions or "overreactions" to certain situations, might make no logical "sense". Thus, the Po is what carries the shadow parts of our personality, or what we could call our "demons."
If abandoned by the heart, the Po cannot bear the truth of uncertainty and change, leading to ridged and over-controlling behaviours.
While the Po might seem "evil", it provides exactly what we need to "test" our eternal soul so it can learn and transform. If we can find the courage to stay and breathe with the difficulty embodied life asks of us, we come out stronger on the other side.
The Po spirit asks us to look right into the eyes of our own fear, anger, worry, grief, regret, shame, and mortality.
Do we respond to the call?
Do we look her square in the face?
It is scary.
But the breath gives us courage.
Because the lungs (via the breath) control our nervous system, they are exactly what we need to gather the courage to bear witness to our humanness and to transform our "demons" into wisdom, compassion and understanding.
How to work with the Po spirit:
Learn how to breathe deeply and use your breath as a tool when you are triggered. Extending the exhalation is a good place to start!
Feel your feelings as tangible, bodily experiences. Pendulate in and out of difficult sensations in order to keep your nervous system regulated.
Hot/cold therapy, yoga, Qigong, dance and other somatic therapies will support the Po spirit!
Practice being vulnerable. Get curious to what is behind your armour when you feel defensive or withdrawn.
Be honest with what you are feeling and practice self-compassion. Hold yourself the way a mother would hold her child.
Seek support. Find a good therapist, counsellor or body worker who can help you work through the hard stuff. Seek friendships and community that support you along your "highest" path!
