Category Archives: Insomnia

Bubbling Spring

Anger, Anxiety, Confusion, Headache, Hypertension, Insomnia, Menopause, Tiredness, , , , , , ,

Yongquan – Bubbling Spring – Kidney 1

2.13In 2009 I began publishing a newsletter about the Five Elements. The idea for this just bubbled up one day, like a spring suddenly appearing on a hillside. When casting about for a title for the publication, this too just sprang to mind in the most effortless way. I called it Bubbling Spring after the first point of the Kidney meridian. And like a perennial spring, this quinterly newsletter pushed its way up, insisting on its publication through four years and 19 issues until it began to morph into a book.*

This feeling of something bubbling up irrepressibly from within gave me a direct experience of the nature of the Water Element. Water is the most yin of the Elements but it is not passive. It offers us access to power that comes from true will, wisdom that is borne of stillness, knowing that arises from not knowing.

Yongquan – Bubbling Spring is the only acu-point on the sole of the foot, the lowest and most yin part of the body which is in continual contact with the yin energy of the earth.

It can therefore be used as a portal through which we can visualise drawing upon the energy of the earth as a tree’s roots draw nourishment from the soil. This image of the tree is quite appropriate here since this is the Wood point of the Kidney meridian, one which empowers growth and development to reach our fullest potential.

When a person lacks stamina, strength, will or perseverance, Yongquan can help him to draw on reserves in order to get a kick-start. It can restore consciousness and is called for when someone has fainted. On the other hand, it can be used when energy rises aggressively and unrestrainedly, producing conditions such as dizziness, headache at the top of the head, confusion, impaired vision, nosebleed and hypertension.

One of the most important relationships in the body is between the Kidneys and the Heart. The Kidneys nourish the Heart while the Heart warms the Kidneys. Harmony between the two is one of the main requirements for a peaceful spirit. Therefore imbalance between Kidneys and Heart is a cause of a range of emotional disorders including anxiety, mania, agitation, restlessness and surges of anger and rage. Yongquan treats these conditions by calming the mind and clearing the brain.

It is a very grounding point and can be massaged at bedtime in order to stave off insomnia. Putting your feet in a bowl of warm water for 15 minutes is a wonderful way to bring on sleep.

Yongquan is good for disorders brought on by menopause, including hot flushes, night sweats, anxiety and headache. It also helps Water related issues such as oedema, infertility and poor memory.

As the Wood point on a Water meridian, this is the sedation point of Kidney and as such moves Qi from Water to Wood around the sheng cycle. This is what gives it its power of resurgence. However, the Kidney Qi is rarely, if ever, in excess, and so this point must not be overused lest the reserves of Kidney Qi be depleted.

If you want to put a spring in your step or draw strength from the well of the Water Element; or if you feel exhausted by effort and want to contact your true will, dip your cup in the Bubbling Spring.

2.14

 

Location of Kidney 1

On the sole of the foot, the point lies in the depression that appears when the toes are curled. Locate between the second and third metatarsals, about one third of the distance between the base of the second toe and the heel.

 

 

* Newsletters  are archived at http://www.acupressure.com.au/newsletter_archive.html

This is an extract from ‘The Way of the Five Elements’ by John Kirkwood, to be published by Singing Dragon Press (an imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishing) in November 2015.

Shen – The Spirit of Fire

Anxiety, Confusion, Depression, Five Elements, Heart problems, Insomnia, Joy, Psycho-emotional, , , , , , ,

In the final posting about Fire points for this summer, we look more deeply into the nature of this Element by looking at the spirit of Fire.

sun on hand gestureShen is the spirit of the Fire Element. As the most yang of the spirits is the one closest to heaven. Indeed it is the heavenly light of awareness and consciousness residing in the heart of each one of us. When the heart is healthy, it provides a place for the shen to rest. But when the heart is unhealthy, disturbed and unsettled, the shen flies away like a flock of birds startled by a commotion.

In the classical literature, shen is used in two ways. In the first, it refers collectively to all five spirits (wu shen), five individual aspects of consciousness, each expressing the nature of its corresponding Element. In the second sense, shen refers particularly to the spirit of the Fire Element. This spirit is responsible for thought, feeling, emotions, perceptions and cognition. The Heart and the mind are so inextricably linked that the shen of the Heart is often translated as mind or heart-mind. The shen of Fire resides in the Heart during our lifetime; upon our death, the spirit returns to the heavenly realm from whence it originated.

The shen is not directly visible, but it is reflected in a person’s eyes as a sparkle, a point of contact, a “thereness”. This inner radiance, called shen ming, is what gives each person his personal uniqueness. It is that which makes each of us like no other.

The shen is reflected also in a settled mind and clear thinking. When it is disturbed, has flown away, the eyes become dull and there is a sense that the person is not quite there. Shock, trauma and abuse are common reasons for the shen to fly. People who have experienced war, imprisonment or torture, or refugees who are fleeing persecution are often likely to have shen disturbance and therefore Heart imbalance.

The spirit of the Heart is responsible for settled sleep, settled emotions, and cognitive functions such as concentration, short-term memory and the ability to think clearly. Shen disturbance can therefore appear as difficulty getting to sleep, dream disturbance, volatile emotions, anxiety, panic, depression and feelings of rejection. Since shen is the mind of the heart, any disturbance will result in disturbances of the mind. Indeed, all mental illness can be viewed as an imbalance in the shen.

A healthy and balanced Heart shen enables the capacity to form and maintain healthy and meaningful relationships. Heart boundaries are clear but also able to adapt appropriately to different relationships. Conversely, emotional problems that stem from relationships such as abandonment and betrayal, weaken the Heart and hurt the shen.

What does shen look like when it is in perfect balance? Such a person is settled, calm and not easily distracted. She sleeps peacefully, undisturbed by dreams. She has an inner light that infuses her with a glow that can be seen in the eyes. She makes eye contact that shows her depth. Her speech is coherent, reflecting a balanced mind. The way she lives her life is congruent with who she is as a person. She gives and receives love with ease. In a way she lives a life of love. She may well be intuitive, her consciousness in open communication with universal consciousness.

A point that strongly influences the shen is Shentang – Spirit Hall. It is the outer shu point of the Heart and lies on the Bladder meridian. Shentang makes direct contact with the heart-mind and has the capacity to restore the shen to the Heart. It brings us back to the centre of who we are in our uniqueness as a drop of the Tao.

When the shen is disturbed and there is anxiety, depression or heartbreak, or when we are resigned, in a state of shock, or without the capacity to act, then Spirit Hall can restore the spirit and encourage participation once more in the richness of life.

Location of Bladder 44

BL 44Shentang is located between the shoulder blades. It is 3 body inches lateral to the midline at the level of the junction of T5 and T6 and at the medial border of the scapula. This point is best held by someone else. To treat yourself, lie on a tennis ball or golf ball pressing into this point. It is best if you can be relaxed so that you can tune into the subtle influences that this point can bring.