FINDING THE SWEET SPOT: the pancreas, spatial tension and hosting parties
It's probably not the first organ you would turn to for support in the way you organise your body or movement practice, but it can be a revelation.
Your pancreas is a both an organ and a gland. We’ll get into the specifics of its location but, in general terms, it is located below the diaphragm, in the upper left quadrant of your abdomen, behind your stomach. Its structure is usually described as having a head, body, and tail (see the image of the Koi carp below). It’s about 15-20cm long, the head is around 4-6cm in diameter, and the tail around 2-3cm wide.
It has both exocrine and endocrine function. For the former, it produces digestive enzymes like amylase and lipase, secreting these through ducts directly towards the small intestine to help break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. For the latter, the tissue that is made up of the islets of Langerhans releases hormones like insulin and glucagon straight into the bloodstream. Insulin is responsible for lowering blood sugar, while glucagon raises it. This dual function helps regulate digestion and blood glucose levels, which are essential for maintaining energy balance and overall metabolic health.
LOCATION & ORIENTATION
The easiest way to locate the pancreas is to remember that your navel lies roughly at the junction of your third and fourth lumbar vertebrae. Place the fingertips of your right hand on your navel and then shift them up about three fingers-width and you are at the site of your second lumbar vertebra. This is also where you will be in connection with the head of your pancreas.
Now, bring your left hand onto the side and slightly backward on the left-side ribs. This is the site of your spleen and the tail of the pancreas points to its centre. Your elbow will be pointing left and back too and this gives you a sense of the angle and direction of the pancreas from its tail to its head. (I’ll put a video in the Companion Notes to demonstrate this).
Take another look at the image of the Koi fish above to get a sense of shape and direction and the anatomical images below. I have shown the pancreas in blue; the spleen is the darker disc-like structure you can see at the tail of the pancreas.
HOW DOES IT SUPPORT POSTURE AND MOVEMENT?
If you were to stand in a star shape, a bit like da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man (see image below), and draw an inverted triangle across head/hands with the point at the tail, then mirror this with a triangle whose base runs across the stance of the feet, you will find the head of the pancreas at the intersection of the two triangles. As such, it is central to all six limbs: head, tail, hands and feet.
While we can use specific organs to support our limbs, for example lungs for arms, colons for legs, gut tube for spine, the pancreas offers a place of integration. It balances spatial tension across the diagonals and along the vertical axis. You could explore this by initiating a star shape from your pancreas out into the limbs, or organise the limbs first and then recruit the presence of your pancreas to bring them into radial relationship.
If you have a yoga practice, then notice any changes to your experience when you bring your pancreas into the organisation of Triangle or Half Moon shapes - it’s likely to bring steadiness throughout the entire organ-body. (I’ll have some video demonstrations for you in the Companion Notes).
SOMATIC ASSOCIATIONS
The “mind” of the pancreas has something of a sweet, social energy - not quite the relational range of the heart, which is located above. It connects and integrates, like a warm, inviting party host who excels at bringing everyone together to enjoy each other’s company through convivial conversation, fun, laughter, and non-competitive (is that possible?) party games.
Just like a party host, however, it can get tired, it can get out of balance, so as you reflect on the pancreas there might be questions about how much you offer of yourself to keep your life (and those around you) in balance, how are you managing the seriousness of life with playfulness and social interaction?
I’m going to pick up and expand some of these themes in the Companion Notes along with thoughts on the “solar plexus”, the Sri Yantra and the mythic substances of amṛta, nectar, and ambrosia- the food of the gods.
If you are not a full subscriber, drop me a note in the comments for a free pass to Companion Notes this month, I’d love to share more with you and hear your feedback.
That’s it for now and thanks so much for reading this edition of Field Notes.
Beverley