Category Archives: Five Elements

Catching a breath – Reaching the depth

Acupressure Points, Asthma, Breathing, Five Elements, Point Location, Psycho-emotional, Vitality, , , , , ,

BlakeIn the southern hemisphere, winter is waiting in the wings, anxious to take its place onstage during the dark months. But before autumn is done, let us take one more excursion into the realm of the Metal Element.

In the early years of my practice, I discovered the power of Lung 9 to help asthma sufferers. One client in particular found that by holding this point for herself whenever she felt an asthma attack coming, she was able to reduce the use of her inhalant medication by two thirds. Lung 9 is the source point of the meridian and as such it directly relaxes the organ as well as balancing the meridian. Source points are powerful points and if all you know about acupressure is the 12 source points, you have a valuable tool set

Other physical conditions that this point can treat include cough, wheezing, difficult breathing, dry throat, phlegm in the lungs, cold hands, weak voice and the weakness and fragility that result from Qi deficiency.

Reaching Deeper

Later in my practice, I came to discover that Lung 9 can go much deeper, to the psycho-emotional and spiritual levels of a person’s being. Indeed, the name of this point, Very Great Abyss, suggests more profound possibilities than simply treating the lungs.

Very Great Abyss influences the Po which is the spirit of the Metal Element. Of the five spirits the Po, also known as the Corporeal Soul, is the one that supports the functioning of the body. It is what gives us our instincts, our animal nature. It is our animal soul. Paradoxically, the Po also allows for a tricky balancing act of living life as a human being, namely that of being a creature of spirit inhabiting the body of an animal.

When the Po is troubled, this balance between spirit and body, between heaven and earth, can be disturbed. Lung 9 is able to go down into the abyss, to the depth of the soul. It can retrieve a person who has lost their way, calm one who is manic, stabilise someone who feels like they are cracking up or losing control. In short, it can reach down into the very depth of a person, calming, revitalising, rejuvenating and bringing a sense of security and stability.

Whether you simply want to breathe more deeply or if you want to feel more at ease in your body-soul, Very Great Abyss will help bring you back to yourself.

Location of Lung 9

LU 9Hold your left hand with the palm facing you. On the thumb side of the wrist crease, find the hollow between a tendon on the thumb side, the radial artery next to it, and the bone at the base of the hand. Hold the point with gentle pressure for 2 to 3 minutes. Tune into the Qi at the point. Notice how you feel as you hold it. Notice whether it affects your breathing or your mood. When you feel done, hold the same point on the right wrist and tune into the Qi there.

If you want to explore further, you can hold Lung 9 in combination with Large Intestine 4 which we learned earlier in the autumn. (See previous blog post). By holding the two source points of the Metal meridians together, you will be balancing the yin and yang of Metal. Doing this in the autumn, the season of Metal, makes it more powerful still. Try this on your friends and family. Self acupressure is good but treating another allows the work to go much deeper.

Letting go of letting go

Acupressure Points, Constipation, Five Elements, Pain Relief, Point Location, Relaxation, , , , ,

Falling petalsPerhaps the best known acupressure point is Large Intestine 4 (Joining Valley), the point in the webbing  between the thumb and index finger. Many people know this as a good point for easing headaches. But this powerful point is also good for constipation, releasing toxins, stress and emotional tension. These are all conditions that involve tightening and hanging on, where there is an inability to let go, relax and be free. This can be a physical holding on in the colon, tension in the belly, arms, neck, face and jaw. Or it may be an emotional holding that includes difficulty expressing emotions like anger and grief, resulting in an inner turmoil.

Letting go of these things is not as simple as it may sound. Friends may advise you, “Just let go”, as if it were as simple as taking off a coat or setting down a suitcase. The problem is that our holding on is not of this kind. Rather it is borne of long standing habits, patterns, attitudes and beliefs. Letting go is not something you actually do. In fact it happens when there is no doing. Letting go is surrender, acceptance. It is being present with what is here now in this moment. Being in the now is the antidote to holding on to memories of the past or projections of the future.

Large Intestine 4 is one of the points of the Metal Element. Metal is at its most obvious in autumn, our current season here in the southern hemisphere. Autumn teaches us about letting go. Nature is gradually shedding her foliage and daylight hours as she prepares to go within for the winter. This downward moving energy of Metal supports us in contacting the qualities of this Element: acceptance, allowing and surrender.

I invite you to spend some time sitting quietly with this point. By doing so you will be holding hands with yourself in a quiet, contemplative pose. You will be bringing yourself back to yourself in the present moment. It will support you in letting go of all those things that are no longer helpful to you, no longer in service of your well being.

LI 4Location of Large Intestine 4

If you tuck your thumb into the side of your hand, a crease is made. At the end of that crease is a bulge. Press your opposite thumb into the muscle at the highest point of the bulge. Press towards the hand. Roll around until you find a sensitive area. Hold this with steady pressure for a few minutes or until the sensitivity decreases. Hold the left side first, then the right. Bring all your attention to the physical sensations and any feelings that may arise.