Tag Archives: GV 4

How Cold is Cold?

It has seemed a colder winter than usual in the Adelaide Hills. So it was a surprise when I looked at past records for July and discovered that the mean temperature in this area has been a degree warmer than last year, and indeed warmer than most previous years. It must be that my years are catching up with me, since a person’s Kidney Qi declines with age, and that is a factor in one’s resilience to the cold. Indeed, when I rug up to out walking and see young people in shorts and tee shirts, I am reminded that cold is a relative condition.

One of the best acupoints for expelling cold invasion in the body is Governor Vessel 4, Ming Men, Gate of Life. I wrote about this point in The Way of the Five Elements and that article can be accessed here. It revitalises and reinvigorates by strengthening Kidney Qi. It can open the gate to reconnect with our real reservoir of energy, the Jing or Essence.

I’ve been using this point a lot in clinic over the course of the winter in combination with other points. In keeping with the theme for the year, I share here some of my point combinations with Governor Vessel 4.

The first is to combine with Conception Vessel 5, Shimen, Stone Gate. This is the front mu point of the Triple Heater (San Jiao), a place where Qi collects and stagnates if there is an acute imbalance in that channel/organ. One of the functions of Triple Heater is to regulate the heating system and the defensive Qi of the body. In this way it mirrors some of the features of Mingmen. This combination also illustrates a key principle of point combining in Five Element Acupressure, that of holding points that are in the same segment of the body, both front and back. In this case the focus is on the lower abdomen. Gentle pressure on the front pushes towards the back, and pressure in the back pushes towards the front, creating an effect on the fascia of the region, softening and loosening all of the fascial structures and facilitating the flow of Qi throughout the segment, not only in the points themselves.

The second combination is to hold GV 4 with Bladder 40 behind the knee, first on the left side, then on the right. The reasoning behind this combination is that the Divergent Channel of the Bladder meridian breaks off at Bladder 40 and moves up the back very close to the centre of the spine. Treating the Bladder also treats cold in the body. By holding this combination, you can facilitate the movement of Qi through both the Bladder meridian and Governor Vessel, strengthening resistance to the cold.

The third combination I learned very early on in my career and its sources have been lost to memory. With one hand you hold GV 4, while with the other you hold, in sequence, Bladder 62 on the left ankle, Kidney 6 on the left ankle, Kidney 6 on the right ankle, and finally Bladder 62 on the right ankle. Usually, when this final point combination is completed, it feels like a circuit has been connected and there is a rise in the perceptible level of Qi. Bladder 62 and Kidney 6 are important points on channels that treat cold. Furthermore, they are the master points of the Qiao Vessels which support movement, grounding and balance. Here is another article referencing these points.

These three combinations provide a nice off-the-shelf protocol for supporting a person (like me) who is feeling the winter cold more keenly.

Location of Governor Vessel 4

On the spine in the junction between the 2nd & 3rd lumbar vertebrae. It is level with the navel.

Location of Conception Vessel 5

Conception Vessel 5 is 2 cun below the navel, or two-fifths of the distance from the centre of the navel to the top of the pubic bone.

Location of Bladder 40

Bladder 40 is in the middle of the posterior knee crease.

Location of Bladder 62 & Kidney 6

Bladder 62 is half an inch (cun) below the base of the outer ankle bone. Kidney 6 in one inch below the tip of the inner ankle bone.

Fire of the Gate of Life

Mingmen – Gate of Life – Governing Vessel 4

2.9There is surely no point name more exalted than Mingmen – Gate of Life. It goes to the very core of our existence on this plane, our life itself. It is a very powerful point which accesses the gate where we emerge from the void with our essence, our constitution and our destiny. This point can help us reach our full potential and fulfil our destiny.

Although according to the Five Elements the Kidneys belong to Water, they are also the source of Fire in the body, which is called mingmen, the “Fire of the Gate of Life”. This Fire is needed for our survival as warm blooded animals and fuels all activity. When the Gate of Life is open, it provides free access to this Fire and there is vitality, sparkle and zest for life. If the gate begins to close, there is diminishment and depletion.

Mingmen is a remarkable point for revitalisation. It can reconnect us with our essence, raise us to a new level of consciousness, and support the achievement of our highest potential. It is a point that helps us connect us with our original nature.

Lying as it does on the spine between the Kidney shu points (BL 23), Mingmen powerfully tonifies Kidney Qi and supports the Water Element. If there is timidity, it offers courage; if there is forgetfulness and disorientation, it clears the consciousness; if there is depression or emotional withdrawal, it coaxes the person to reengage with the world.

Gate of Life addresses the crucial Fire/Water balance in the body, and therefore treats both hot and cold conditions. It clears heat conditions such as a feeling of burning up as well as chills alternating with fever. More commonly it is used to treat cold conditions such as feeling cold all over the body, especially in the low back and belly, incontinence and abundant, clear urination.

It addresses reproductive disorders such as frigidity, impotence, infertility, irregular menstruation and menstrual pain caused by cold in the uterus. Other conditions include tinnitus, poor memory, haemorrhoids and prolapse of the rectum. It is an excellent point for stiffness, rigidity and pain in the low back and lumbar pain that radiates to the abdomen

This is an important point of focus in Qi Gong exercises and is known to be one of the places on the spine where it is more difficult to move energy, one of the three “tricky gates”. (The others are at the coccyx and the occiput.)

In people who have experienced a chronic, debilitating illness, this point is usually empty and needs considerable attention to persuade it to open. However it has the power to reconnect with the jing or essence and restore a person to health and vitality, a capacity reflected in its alternate name, Palace of Essence.

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Location of Governing Vessel 4

 

On the spine, between the 3rd and 4th lumbar vertebrae, approximately at the level of the navel. Use direct, moderate pressure.

 

 

This is an extract from the forthcoming book ‘The Way of the Five Elements’ by John Kirkwood, Singing Dragon Press. Publication date November 21st 2015. You can now pre-order this book at Fishpond, Book Depository and other online booksellers. (123 days to go!)