Point of the Month | CV 4: The Residence of Will Power
How acupuncture can open our CV 4 point or "Gate of Origin".
The beginning of a new year is always a nice time to reassess one’s life, how things are working, how they are not, and to re-establish or set new goals. Setting a goal is the easy part, following through requires work and focus which requires some will power. According to Chinese medicine different aspects of our consciousness are said to reside in certain organs—for example, the heart houses the mind, the spleen houses the intellect, and the kidneys are the residence of will power. The kidneys are referred to as the “root of life” and support all of the other organs of the body, therefore keeping them strong is vital to our growth, development, and longevity. Attaining goals requires longevity—a rooted and strong effort. Acupuncture can help with these endeavors by helping to strengthen our reserves.
The point CV 4, named Guan Yuan or ‘Gate of Origin,’ is a very nourishing and strengthening points. Located on the conception vessel (CV) channel that runs up the center of the front of the body, this point is about a hand’s width directly below the belly button. Of its many actions, a few are that it “fortifies the original Qi and nourishes the kidneys.” “If Qi is flourishing there is health, if it is weak there is disease,” therefore in order to address any health issue, it is important to strengthen and sometimes redirect the body’s energy. By stimulating this point with acupuncture or pressure, we can access the “deepest energies of the body and the sources of all movement.” You can press here, lying down on your back, with both index fingers, or just place one (warm) hand on top of the other over this area, draw your attention here and meditate, even for one minute if that’s all you have.
As an entire system of medicine, Chinese medicine treats all things health and medically related, including health maintenance and prevention of disease by facilitating longevity. Simply by living our lives and aging there is a natural amount of depletion we experience, so it is important to find ways to continually build our bodies and minds primarily with good food, exercise, sleep and stress management. Consider using acupuncture to help you attain your goals by giving back to yourself and to improve your health overall this year.
Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year.
Sources:
A Manual of Acupuncture by Peter Deadman
The Foundations of Chinese Medicine by Giovanni Maciocia
