small intestine and absorbing stuff that FEEDS you :-)

Link: http://agelessyoga.com/Second_Chakra_Part_1_Water_Element_Emotions_Pelvis_Sexual_Energy_Yoga_and_Relationships.htm

Prior to reaching our 5-foot long colon, the foods and beverages that we have consumed travel through the 30 or so feet of the small intestine, where they remain in a watery state while our small intestine extracts out the nutrients.

Traditional Asian systems of healthcare talk about this nutrient extraction process metaphorically as the “minister’s function.” The small intestine acts like a king and queen’s minister, in that it intelligently chooses what is worthy of presenting to the king and queen – in other words, ‘the nutrients’ - and leaves the rest to pass along, eventually exiting out the back door of the castle. The small intestine sorts through the castle’s many visitors, and only keeps the most usable and high-priority ones, letting the rest go.

Lets take a look at our lives analogously as it relates to our intestinal function. In much the same way as we take food and liquids into our bodies, we are taking information and experience into our psyche through our senses. We see, hear, touch, smell and taste the world. Much of this information and experience is digested, (and sometimes not digested all that well), providing us with energy, direction, insight and purpose.

If we don’t eat healthy foods and beverages to begin with, it is too much to expect our small intestines to extract out nutrients that were missing in the first place. Likewise, if our lives consist primarily of low quality relationships, stressful work life or personal life experiences, or if the way we take in life’s experiences is chaotic, unbalanced or mimics gorging or starving ourselves, then we simply cannot expect to end up with all that we need to operate our body in a way that provides sufficient energy to feel successful and happy with our lives.