Two Extraordinary Points

LakeWe are now deep into winter and here in Adelaide we are being lashed by cold winds and rain even as I write. There is no better time to support the Water Element and its meridians of Bladder and Kidney. This time I want to examine two points, one from each of these meridians, two extraordinary points that have wide ranging effects.

Bladder 62 (Extending Vessel) and Kidney 6 (Shining Sea) are like old friends to me, for I have held these points countless thousands of times. I end almost all my treatments with these points in the feet because they are grounding, very calming and have a balancing effect that ties the treatment together in a complete way.

But I said they are extraordinary points. What makes them so? They are the master points for two of the eight Extraordinary Vessels, Yin Qiao Mai and Yang Qiao Mai, also known as the Motility Vessels. The Extraordinary Vessels are like reservoirs of Qi. We can think of them as lakes of Qi in contrast to the rivers of Qi that are the meridians. These lakes do not flow along linear pathways but rather are fields of energy that can be drawn upon or added to by the meridians depending on whether the meridians are excess or deficient.

These vessels do not have any points of their own, but weave through the points of other meridians like a web. For example Yin Qiao Mai passes through points of Kidney, Bladder and Stomach meridians, while Yang Qiao Mai passes through points of Bladder, Gall Bladder, Small Intestine, Triple Warmer, Stomach and Large Intestine meridians. When we work with these vessels, we are influencing all of these associated meridians, bringing balance to them all.

Now, back to our extraordinary points. Each of the eight Extraordinary Vessels has a master point which exerts a positive, balancing influence upon its related vessel. K6 is the master point for Yin Qiao Mai and BL 62 is the master point for Yang Qiao Mai. These points can be held separately or as a pair. I find that holding them as a pair is extremely effective in bringing calm and balance to the whole bodymind system.

In addition, these points have a strong effect upon the Bladder and Kidney meridians and act to balance the Water Element. BL 62 treats chills and fever, wind invasion, headache, neck stiffness, eye and ear problems, mania-depression, insomnia and lumbar pain. K6 treats swelling in the throat, eye problems, insomnia, fright, urinary dysfunction, oedema, irregular menstruation and cold abdomen.

If there are imbalances in the Bladder and Kidney meridians, symptoms are more likely to manifest in the season of winter. But the good news is that by treating these meridians in their own season, the effect is stronger. These two points offer a simple way to bring balance and harmony to your bodymind in the depths of winter.

SAMSUNGLocation of Kidney 6

Find the tip of your inner ankle bone. Measure 1 cun (the width of your thumb) below this to find a slight groove between two ligaments. Press directly and hold for 2-3 minutes.

 

 

SAMSUNGLocation of Bladder 62

Find the base of your outer ankle bone. The point is in a slight depression 0.5 cun (half the width of your thumb) below the base of the bone. Press directly and hold for 2-3 minutes.

 

When held in combination, these points are mutually supportive.