Category Archives: Tiredness

Building for the Guest

Agitation, Anxiety, Depression, Kidney, Pregnancy, Psycho-emotional, Tiredness, Water Element, , , ,

 

Zhubin – Guest House – Kidney 9

PregnancyA recent seminar on Acupressure for Pregnancy puts me in mind of the importance of Zhubin – Guest House, a powerful point on the Kidney meridian. Kidney 9 helps to sustain the mother through her pregnancy, and there is a Japanese tradition of using this point to support the foetus in the womb, especially in the 3rd, 6th and 9th months. One of its names is Building for the Guest which envisions the creation of a welcoming, comfortable environment for the closely related being who inhabits the inner guest room for nine months.

This is one of a category of points known as the xi-cleft or Accumulation points. In this case, it is the xi-cleft point of the Yin Wei Mai, one of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels. Xi-cleft points treat acute conditions, namely those of sudden and recent onset; in addition these points of the yin meridians and vessels are supportive of Blood. The Yin Wei Mai is very important because it unites all the yin meridians as well as the Conception Vessel (appropriate in this case), thereby making it tremendously supportive of overall yin. The condition of pregnancy is one that is emblematic of yin and so is well supported by Kidney 9.

Another of its merits is the treating of manic mental disorders such as bipolar. Among the evocatively descriptive conditions it can address are raving fury and cursing, vomiting of foamy saliva and tongue thrusting. While we may not often encounter such displays, we are often confronted with milder versions of this agitation. Zhubin is an excellent choice for profoundly calming the mind, clearing oppression of the chest, vague anxieties, depression, nightmares and palpitations.

This range of symptoms implies its usefulness when the Heart and Kidney are in disharmony, when shen and jing are disconnected. When the knowledge of how to be in the world is undermined by exhaustion, Zhubin can conjoin the shen of the Heart and the jing of the Kidney to empower the person to stabilise, settle and be nourished. Then the power of the Water Element can appropriately direct the energies to confront the problems of life.

While most of us are rarely in the state of pregnancy (and at least half of us never are!), we are continually conceiving of notions for our lives, gestating them in mind and heart, before birthing them into the world. Guest House is the perfect place to support the gestation of our creations.

Location of Kidney 9

Kidney 9

 

 

On the inside of the lower leg, 5 cun above the tip of the inner ankle bone and 1 cun behind the back of the tibia. It lies on a line drawn between Kidney 3 and Kidney 10.

Caught on a Sticky Wicket

Digestion, Earth Element, Menstrual disorders, Tiredness, Urination, Vitality, , , ,

Yinlingquan – Yin Mound Spring – Spleen 9

8 HumidI’ve just spent a week in Brisbane where the late summer has flowed deep into the autumn, producing 30 degree temperatures and 80% humidity. These conditions create a hot, damp, sticky climate that can be overwhelming for visitors used to drier places. As with any climatic condition, dampness that arises from high humidity can penetrate the bodymind. When it does, it affects the balance of the Earth Element and injures the Spleen.

When damp enters the body it produces symptoms such as heaviness, particularly in the limbs and lower body; lethargy and fatigue; fluid retention; and sluggishness of body and mind. Thinking can become slow and the mind foggy. There may be loss of appetite and distension of the abdomen. Overall, you feel like a wet noodle. Movement is like walking through mud.

You don’t just have to go to the tropics to experience damp. Cold, wet climates such as those found in northern Europe can cause damp to penetrate, as can being in wet clothes for too long, sitting on damp ground, working in damp conditions or living close to water in a damp house. Moreover, a diet that is injurious to the Spleen can create internal damp. This includes consuming too much sugar, cold foods and drink.

If any of this describes your current condition, then help is at hand. Yinlingquan – Yin Mound Spring is one of the best points for clearing damp from the body. As the Water point on an Earth meridian, it helps to rebalance conditions where the Earth has become waterlogged and soggy. These include oedema, bloating, urinary dysfunction, sticky vaginal discharge, diarrhoea and loss of appetite. Locally it is a great point for treating swelling of the knee. In all cases this Spleen point dries the dampness by draining the Water from the Earth.

You may have noticed that this blog is a week overdue. I was fully intending to write it while I was in Queensland but the humidity sapped my energy both mentally and physically. Even though in South Australia we are well into the autumnal season of Metal, I thought I would extend the run of Earth articles by writing about what was in front of me. Now please excuse me while I go and press Spleen 9.

 

SP9Location of Spleen 9

The point is located in a depression below the inside of the knee in the angle formed by the medial condyle of the tibia and the posterior border of the tibia. Run your finger up the inside of the lower leg, following the groove at the back of the tibia, until it falls into a depression below the prominence of the medial condyle.

 

 

 The Way of the Five Seasons is now available

Book cover

 

My latest book is now available for purchase. The Way of the Five Seasons is an in-depth exploration of using the Five Elements in daily life to improve your health at all levels, physical, psycho-emotional and spiritual. This book is a distillation of all I have learned in 30 years of living life from this perspective.

 

Order now through Book Depository UK via my website