Grief and the Lung Meridian | A Subtle Energy Practice for Release
Updated: Oct 7
Grief does not always arrive as something we can easily name.
It can follow bereavement, but it can also come with illness, burnout, the loss of a version of ourselves, a relationship changing, or a life unfolding very differently from the one we imagined.
Sometimes we understand what we have lost, yet still feel its presence in the body. Our breathing may feel different. The chest may feel tight or heavy. We may find ourselves sighing more, holding our breath, or simply carrying a sense of sadness that has not quite moved.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Lungs and Lung meridian are traditionally associated with grief and sadness. This does not mean grief is literally stored inside the lung tissue. Rather, it offers an energetic framework for exploring the relationship between emotion, breath and the body.
This short practice works with the Lung meridian, breathing and subtle energy techniques to create space for whatever you may be carrying.
There is nothing you need to force yourself to release. The invitation is simply to notice, breathe and allow your system a little more room.
Practice with me
Why Are the Lungs Associated With Grief?
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, each organ system is associated with particular qualities, functions and emotions.
The Lung system is traditionally connected with grief, sadness, breath, receiving and letting go.
There is something beautifully symbolic about that relationship. With every breath we take something in, and with every exhale we release.
Grief can sometimes challenge that natural movement. We may hold tightly to what has been lost, struggle to make space for what has changed, or feel caught between what was and what is now.
Working with the Lung meridian offers one way of bringing awareness to that experience without requiring you to analyse or explain everything you feel.
Can Grief Be Stored in the Lungs?
You may hear people describe grief as being “stored in the lungs.”
From a medical perspective, emotions are not understood as being literally stored inside a particular organ. But grief can certainly be experienced physically.
People may notice changes in breathing, heaviness or tightness in the chest, fatigue, a lump in the throat, tension or a desire to sigh deeply.
Within Chinese medicine and subtle energy traditions, the association between the Lungs and grief gives us another way to explore those experiences.
I see it less as trying to remove grief from an organ and more as creating movement and space around an emotion that may have felt difficult to express, process or let move through us.
Why Might I Wake Between 3 and 5am?
In the Traditional Chinese Medicine organ clock, the period between 3am and 5am is associated with the Lung meridian.
Because the Lungs are also traditionally connected with grief, you may sometimes hear waking during these hours interpreted energetically as a sign that grief or sadness needs attention.
I would not treat that as a diagnosis, but as a prompt to ask; What am I carrying that may need a little more space?
Sometimes grief is obvious. Sometimes it sits quietly underneath exhaustion, frustration or the feeling that something within us has not completely caught up with what has happened.
Healing does not necessarily mean getting rid of grief.
Sometimes it means giving it enough room to move, change and become part of who we are now without continuing to take up all the space.
How Can You Work With Grief Through the Lung Meridian? What This Practice Covers
During this practice, I guide you through several techniques drawn from the subtle energy work I use, including:
Flushing and retracing the Lung meridian
Working with points associated with the Lung energy system
Bringing awareness and fresh attention to the breath
Breathing more fully into different areas of the lungs
Using touch and movement to encourage a greater sense of energetic flow
You do not need any previous experience with energy work.
Simply find somewhere comfortable, follow along with what feels supportive, and notice what you experience.
Looking for More Support?
If this practice brings something to the surface that feels as though it would benefit from more personalised support, you can explore my 1:1 Subtle Energy Healing Sessions.
The work is shaped around what you are experiencing now, rather than following a fixed process, creating space for release, restoration and integration at a pace that feels supportive.
Or continue exploring the free practices in Subtle Practices, including meditations, Energy Medicine Yoga® and simple techniques for working with your own energy.
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