This is my favorite meditation. I learned it from my teacher, Bill Helm about 12 years ago and I have suggested it to many patients over the years. I believe that the nature of the mind is to think, and consequently many people new to meditation find the parctice of emptying your mind and "thinking of nothing" to be a challenge. This meditation engages your mind the entire way through so that you are able to relax and gain the benefits of meditation even if you normally can not "empty your mind." I have explained this meditation and sometimes given a quick drawing to describe it, and many patients have asked me for it again and again, so I am finaly writing it out for everyone to enjoy. I hope you like it as much as I do.
The Five Elements of Chinese medicine are, in order, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, and Wood. They correspond to the five major organ systems of Chinese medicine, the Heart, Spleen/Stomach, Lungs, Kidneys, and Liver. During this meditation you imagine the color associated with each system and with each breath draw that color into that organ. The time spent with each color/organ is not set, allow it go at your own pace, when you get tired of one color move on to the next and you will naturally spend the most time in the system you are weakest in. For most people this meditation takes about 30-40 minutes to complete, although the time is not set, find a comfortable spot, close your eyes and begin.