Shen, More Than Meets the Eye

It's been a couple of months since my first semester finished, but I still find myself returning to certain ideas.

Shen is one of them.

It's often translated as "Spirit", although I've come to realise that's only part of the story.

In TCM, Shen describes far more than something spiritual. It's associated with our consciousness, emotional wellbeing, mental clarity and our behaviour.

One of the things that stayed with me was learning that practitioners often observe the eyes when assessing Shen.

They're sometimes described as the "window" to Shen.

Not because they reveal every answer, but because presence is difficult to hide.

You can usually sense when someone feels calm. When they're overwhelmed. When they're joyful. Or when they're simply exhausted.

I'd never really thought about observation in that way before.

Throughout my first semester, I'd been learning anatomy, physiology and pathology alongside Chinese Medicine. One explored the body through structure and function. The other reminded me that health can also be reflected in the things we don't always measure.

Presence.

Connection.

Expression.

The more I reflect on my first year, the more I appreciate that Chinese Medicine isn't asking us to replace one way of understanding the body with another. It's inviting me to notice it on a deeper level.

Shen makes me notice just how rarely my mind is giving genuine quiet. There was nearly always music playing, something to watch in front of me, a phone in my hand, or another piece of information being consumed. I have started leaving small pockets of the day deliberately unstimulated, putting my phone away before bed, and listening to gentle Hz soundscapes, lighting incense or having a cup of tea and looking out the window when I want to slow down. I found the repetition deeply calming; a small ritual that helps me feel more settled, present and, in the language I was beginning to learn, more protective of my Shen.

An observation for you:

The next time you’re talking with someone, notice their eyes.

Not to judge them. Just to observe. Are they bright and engaged? Tired and distant? Calm and settled?

Then ask yourself the same question.

Sometimes the smallest observations tell us more than we expect.