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ENERGY MOVES

By Barry Kapke, A.C.S.T., C.I.

Reprinted with permission of the author from

Massage & Bodywork: Nurturing Body, Mind & Spirit

Feb/March 2002

(pp. 140-143)

Three of the central concepts of Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM) [1] are Vital Energy (Chi), Pathways of Energy Flow (channels), and Systems of Function (organs), all of which are interrelated. For our purposes, let?s focus on the pathways of energy flow.

One of the functional attributes of Chi in the body is that it animates; it is the source of vitality. Ted Kaptchuk, writing in The Web That Has No Weaver, elucidates that ?Chi is not the cause of the movement, because Chi is inseparable from movement.? [2] Simply put, energy moves. When energy is not moving, there is a problem. One of the prevailing intentions of energetic medicines is to help restore the unimpeded flow of energy through the pathways and systems of the body.

Energy moves in the body in relatively predictable ways. Various traditional Asian medicines have devised their own maps of these pathways of energy flow. In China, they are called jing-luo; the Japanese call them keiraku; in Thai, they are sen; and in India, they might be referred to as nadis. The number and precise route of the pathways varies from system to system, but the territory described for these energy channels is remarkably consistent. We can ascribe the differences more to the mapmakers? choices, rather than to the actual territory being mapped.

In English, energy pathways are commonly referred to as meridians. A meridian is a line connecting points. This implies a linearity and fixity that is not consistent with how energy really moves. Channel is a much better term, in my view, as it connotes the notions of fluidity and change. The movement of energy currents in the living body is very much like the currents in a body of moving water. Ocean currents, like Chi currents in the body, have predictable patterns of flow, yet both are affected by conditions in their surrounding environment. Maps of ocean currents and maps of body currents are both useful tools, representing predictable patterns of flow and points of reference in a constantly changing environment.

Another important generalization about energy channels is that the channel and the energy are not separate. It is tempting to think of channels as energy conduits, similar to the circulatory system with its veins, arteries and capillaries within which blood travels to all parts of the body. However, the channel is energy moving. Again, we can use the ocean analogy, all the more pertinent since the body is largely water. In the same way that ocean currents travel and interact within their environment as a vital force, so do the energetic flows of the body. You can work with, even measure, the channel energies, but you can no more isolate them from their total environment than you can take a channel out of the sea. Chi does not flow in or along a channel; the channel is Chi flowing.

Rather than try to point out all the differences in the various energy maps of the body, I will focus here on the Channel System of Chinese Medicine as a map representative of many common conceptualizations of energy patterns in the body.

THE CHANNEL SYSTEM

The channel system serves three primary functions. First, it is a communication network, interconnecting all parts of the body ? the zang-fu organs [3], the five tissues [4], the four limbs and their 12 joints, the five sense organs [5], and the nine orifices. [6] Through this network, the internal and external aspects of the body remain ?in touch? and ?in the loop.? The internal environment can respond appropriately to external conditions. The body surface and other superficial aspects of the body can reflect the internal environment. There is connection and communication between top and bottom, left and right, front and back, inside and outside. Secondly, the normal and orderly flow of Chi within the channel system coordinates the proper functoning of the zang-fu organs, as they support and restrain each other. Finally, the circulation of channel Chi, the vital energy of the channels, supplies essential nourishment, fluids and warmth to all tissues of the body.

The channel system as a communication, regulation and distribution network is a complex of seven different kinds of channels, each with their own distinctive function. This network, from the Traditional Chinese Medicine viewpoint, is comprised of 12 main (Jing) channels, eight extra channels, the divergent channels, 15 connecting channels, 12 cutaneous regions, and the collateral (Luo) channels. [7] The 12 main channels are the energy flows common to most Asian bodyworks, although the names and how these territories are connected may vary.

The 12 main channels are longitudinal; that is, they flow vertically in a continuous cycle up and down the body. Of the 12, six are said to be yin, and flow upward along the anterior and medial surfaces of the body; the six yang channels flow downward along posterior and lateral parts of the body. The yin channels convey more interior energy, while the yang reflect more superficial or external energy. The main channels are bilateral; they are exactly mirrored on left and right halves of the body. These channels are said to inhabit the middle ?cylinder? between the organs and the skin, flowing anywhere from 1/8 inch to several inches in depth and rising nearer to the surface proximate to joints.

Each channel is associated with an organ system. Those associated with a zang organ ? Heart (Ht), Pericardium (Pc), Lung (Lu), Spleen/Pancreas (Sp), Liver (Lv), and Kidneys (Ki) ?are called yin channels. Yang channels ? Gall Bladder (GB), Stomach (St), Urinary Bladder (UB), Large Intestines (LI) and Small Intestines (SI), and Triple Warmer (TW) ? are associated with fu organs. They exist in functional yin/yang pairs ? Lu/LI, Pc/TW, Ht/SI, Sp/St, Lv/GB, and Ki/UB ? supporting and restraining each other. This yin/yang pairing is called the interior/exterior relationship. Weakness or problems in any one will inevitably stress the other partner as well.

The channels may also be viewed as top/bottom pairs which connect to form an extended ascending or descending flow. Of the six upward-flowing (yin) channels, three begin on the feet, ending on the abdomen, and three begin on the chest and end on the fingers. As the yin flows terminate at the fingertips, they connect with the beginnings of the downward (yang) flows ? three of which begin on the fingers ? and descend [8] to the face, connecting there with the origins of three other yang channels which all end on the toes. It therefore takes two channels end-to-end to make one ascending or descending longitudinal movement through the body. Since the channel system is an unbroken circuit with one meridian flowing into the next, identically mirrored on both (left/right) sides of the body, and there are 12 main channels, you can see it takes three ascending pathways up the body and three descending pathways down the body to complete the chain. The order of flow in the full circuit is LI (+) [9] , St (+), Sp (-), Ht (-), SI (+), UB (+), Ki (-), Pc (-), TW (+), GB (+), Lv (-), and Lu (-).

These stacked pairs promote connection between the top and bottom of the body. Those channels associated with the superior half of the body are referred to as Hand Channels, of which three are yin, flowing upward along anterior-medial surfaces, and three are yang, flowing downward along posterior-lateral aspects. Likewise, those yin and yang channels associated with the lower body are called Foot Channels. These yin and yang top/bottom pairs are also described in terms of location on the extremities through which they flow.

In referring to a channel, it is a convention to refer to (1) the name of the solid or hollow organ with which it is associated, (2) whether it is associated with the upper or lower body, and (3) its yin or yang aspect based upon location on the limb. The complete name for the lung channel, for instance, would be the Lung Channel of Hand ? Taiyin.

The body is understood as a microcosm of the universe. The channel system is conceived as the fluid continuity of seas, rivers, streams, reservoirs, pools, marshes, springs and wells interconnecting in one flow. The names given to the points (tsubos) along the channels are often reflective of this liquid character ? Bubbling Spring, Celestial Pool, Sea of Blood and Sea of Chi.

The flow of Chi is also seen to parallel the diurnal ebb and flow of yin and yang in the natural cycle of the planet. Chi expands outward toward the surface of the body during the day and retreats to the body?s core at night. Each channel, in turn, has a maximum concentration of Chi and blood [10] during a two-hour increment in the 24-hour flow cycle, as well as a period of quiescence at the opposite phase of the cycle. Following the order described above ? Lu, LI, St, Sp, Ht, SI, UB, Ki, Pc, TW, GB, Lv, and then starting over again with Lu ? one meridian flows into the next, alternating between yin and yang, ascending and descending. The lung channel is at its energetic peak between 3 a.m.-5 a.m., conversely, its energy is lowest between 3 p.m.-5 a.m., when the urinary bladder Chi is at its peak. This energetic clock is useful both in terms of diagnosis and treatment. A symptom that recurs repeatedly at 4 a.m. might be indicative of an imbalance in the lung Chi, or the urinary bladder Chi, or both. Typically, symptoms of excess (jitsu) appear during peak hours, whereas symptoms of deficiency (kyo) tend to show themselves during the ebb tides. [11]

ENCOURAGING FLOW

Asian Bodywork Therapies, such as Shiatsu, acupressure, anma, Thai massage, tui na, Chi Nei Tsang, Jin Shin Do^R, Insight Bodywork^TM, and other forms, all seek to help restore ease and balance in the body/mind/spirit through mobilizing and supporting the free flow of energy in the channel system. The body has a self-corrective reflex and it often takes but a little nudging to get things moving in the right direction. Even something so simple as tracing the energy pathways is often enough to prompt stuck energy to begin moving.

Tracing meridians is a good way to start to familiarize yourself with energy pathways and to feel their effect. It is also an excellent way to support the body as a daily self-care routine.

In tracing the channels, use an open hand with the palm facing toward the body surface. The hand can be in light contact with the skin or it can even be hovering a few inches above the body. I suggest moving slowly; typically, the slower you move, the more you will feel. Due to electromagnetic energies in the hands, the energies of the channels will follow the lead of your hands, like the moon pulling the tides. It should take less than 10 minutes to mindfully trace the entire circuit of the 12 main channels.

The lung channel is a good place to start, as the lungs govern the flow of Chi. Begin with your palm in the hollow next to your shoulder and brush up the palmar arm and off the thumb. Changing polarities, brush the large intestine channel along the radial side of the index finger, down the dorsal aspect of the radius to the front of the acromion process, across the side of the neck and over the upper lip to the opposite nostril. Then repeat brushing the pathway of this yin/yang pair with the other hand for the other side of the body.

With both hands palming the cheeks with the fingers under the eyes, brush down to the jaw and then up to the temples, then back down the side of the jaw and neck, over the chest, down the abdomen, and then move out to the lateral side of the thighs. Continue down that anterolateral side of the leg, down the center of the dorsum of the foot and off the second toe. This is the stomach channel. Now we change polarities as we begin tracing the spleen meridian up the medial side of the big toe, over the ankle, and up the anteromedial aspect of the leg. Brush over the ASIS and up the side of the torso.

With one hand, brush the heart channel from the armpit, up the palmar arm, and off the radial side of the fifth finger. Change polarities, connecting to the ulnar side of the fifth finger and down along the border of the ulna and the triceps, to the lateral aspect of the scapula. Continuing the small intestine channel, reach to the base of the back of the neck and brush up the side of the neck to the cheek and over to the ear. Repeat this pattern with the other hand on the other side of the body.

Beginning at the inside corner of the eyes, brush with both hands over the skull to the base of the neck at C7. Reach down and behind to the scapula and brush down the sides of the spine onto the sacrum, over the buttocks, down the back of the legs and off the lateral fifth toe. That is the urinary bladder channel. Shifting polarity to work the kidney channel, start at the balls of the feet, brushing over the medial malleolus, the medial lobe of the calf, and the inside of the thighs to the pubis, then ascend up the center of the abdomen and over the sternum to the clavicle.

Brush with one hand from the side of the breast up over the shoulder and up the palmar aspect of the arm to work the pericardium channel, sliding off the middle finger. Change polarity, following the triple warmer channel along the ulnar side of the fourth finger, over the dorsal aspect of the hand and arm, along the back of the shoulder and neck to the mastoid process, up and around the ear and then ending at the lateral corners of the eyebrows. Repeat this pattern with the other hand on the opposite side.

The last pair of the cycle is the gall bladder and liver channels. The gall bladder begins at the lateral corner of the eyes. Brush both hands over to the ears and then arc up to the center of the eyebrows and then over the skull and back of neck to the top of the trapezius near the base of the neck (the ?boulder in the shoulder? area). Brush down the side of the chest to the axillary line, arc anterior onto the lower ribs, then back to the floating ribs, then medial to the ASIS, then back to the depression of the buttocks. Continue descending down the iliotibial band, over the fibula, and off the fourth toe. Change polarities to brush between the first and second toes, acoss the ankle to the medial aspect of the leg, brushing across the inguinal ligament to the floating ribs and then anterior to the lower ribcage. This completes the circuit of the 12 main channels by brushing back up to the shoulder where the lung channel begins. Take a moment to register how you feel.

Even though this was a very general description of the channel pathways, it offers a thorough stimulation of the body?s principal energy circuit. As you feel inclined, take the time to learn more precisely the location of the Chi pathways. [12] Supporting the flow of the channels promotes vitality and balance, eliminates blockages and stagnation, adjusts metabolism, supports the organ systems to function smoothly and efficiently, and helps regenerate and conserve the body?s energy.