Governing Vessel 20: Clarity of Thought and Mind
Nourishing the brain with Governing Vessel 20.
The beginning of the year is a wonderful time to reflect upon one’s life and goals. For many of us, our lives become very full. To be able to keep up, we also need to slow down so that we can maintain focus, discipline, and the ability to follow through with tasks to be able to reach goals. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine as a whole can be a very helpful modality to allow yourself to slow down, if only for that hour you are receiving treatment. The points chosen can help facilitate clarity of thought and mind beyond your treatment time.
One of these points is Governing Vessel 20. The Chinese name is Bai Hai (pronounced ‘bye whay’) which translates to One Hundred Meetings, said to treat 100 diseases. It is the uppermost point on the entire body located at the center of the crown of the head on the scalp. According to Chinese medical theory, this point has many actions (what it does) and indications (what it is used for) such as headache, dizziness, disorders of the nose, prolapses in the organs, even loss of consciousness, and also is said to benefit the brain and calm the spirit.
Being located so close to the brain, it helps nourish this vital organ. From a more mental and spiritual perspective, this point can help with disorientation which can happen if we are so busy and become overwhelmed and lose focus, as well as with poor memory and sadness by helping “move a person forward to a different level of understanding and being.” If one is very tight and tense, it can calm and lift the spirit, clear the mind, and stabilize the will power helping to restore control in one’s life to be able to gather resources needed to calm feelings of overwhelm or even chaos.
You can meditate on opening this point by focusing on the very top and center of your head and if you’d like you can apply pressure. Most patients really like receiving acupuncture at this point, it is like an antennae to connect with all things bigger than ourselves, and to bring in peace and clarity from our surroundings as well as from within.
May your new year’s resolutions be assessed clearly and carried out with a strength of focus. Cheers to your health and happiness in the new year!
Resources:
A Manual of Acupuncture by Peter Deadman
Spirit of the Points by J.R.Worsley, Lonny Jarret, et al.
