By Josh Zimmer, Ap/DOM
When it comes to meditation, one approach is to direct energy flow on specific areas of the head and torso. What’s remarkable is how many of them are both Chakra and Acupuncture points.
Who hasn’t been told, for example, to combine their meditations with the third eye? Aligning with the sixth chakra, it is the oft-used Yin Tang point in Traditional Chinese Medicine. One of Yin Tang’s main functions is to promote relaxation.
From what fountain of wisdom were the ancient Chinese and Indians drinking when they developed their healing, parallel visions of mind-body?
Most chakra points, which begin at the root chakra on the perineum, are located along the Chinese Ren Channel – the sea of Yin. The Yin is feminine and nourishing, parasympathetic in comparison to the stimulatory energy of the male-oriented Yang channel, the Du.
The Ren and Du channels form an integrated circuit of circulating energies, just like the chakra system. While their specific functions may differ, the universal effect of both visions is to nourish, regulate and animate our very existences.
Sounds calming and meditative already, no?
But who says meditation can’t make use of other regions of the body represented by acupuncture points? The following points and combinations create their own meditative energetics. They engage parts of the body linked with afferent signaling to the brain. These are the impulses from our environment that, in partnership with our thought processes, get processed by our central nervous systems. The clearer these pathways are, the more easily we can promote calm. Interestingly, the points are located on the hands and feet, which makes sense since in the world of touch and travel, we use them more than any other parts of the body:
- Fingertips
- Sole of Foot – in the crown just below the padding between the second and third toes. This is Kidney 1, the first point on the channel that is responsible for our Essence – or genes – and governs the nervous system, including the adrenals that are so often implicated in fight-or-flight syndrome
- The webbing between the first and second toes – about 1.5 inches up. This is Liver 3, a point that regulates Qi flow in the body and stores Blood. By handling so much of our daily pressures, it’s a pivotal point in controlling the battle between our sympathetic and parasympathetic worlds.
In the Traditional Chinese Medicine system, location renders these points extremely energetic. In fact, all the major meridians, except for the Ren and Du mentioned above, begin and end on the tips of the hands and feet.
During one of your next meditations, experiment with these points as energetic extensions – alone or in combination with the chakra/acupuncture points mentioned before, like the Third Eye and Crown Chakra. See how it feels. Imagine energy gently flowing into and out of the body through the fingertips, or a direct circuit between the top of the head and bottom of the feet. The connectivity can only be meditative.
Josh Zimmer is a Nationally Certified, State Licensed Acupuncture Physician. He is a 2008 graduate of the East West College of Natural Medicine in Sarasota, FL. Josh is the acupuncturist at Four Pillars, providing natural healing for pain relief and digestive issues. He also treats symptoms of cancer, stroke and neuropathy. Four Pillars is located at 8209 Natures Way, Suite 221, Lakewood Ranch. For more information, call 941-373-3955, email Info@FourPillasFlorida.com or visit FourPillarsFlorida.com.