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Extraordinary Energy Flows

by Iona Marsaa Teeguarden, M.A., L.M.F.T., Dipl. ABT Revised for Pacific Symposium from article in "Acupressure News," Volume 18

Jin Shin Do® Acupressure (JSD) works - even for beginners who don't know acupuncture theory. I think this is because the basic JSD "release examples" (point combination patterns) are based on the "Strange Flows" or "Extraordinary Vessels," and most of the 55 main JSD points are Strange Flow points, according to Japanese, Korean, Chinese, French and American sources.1 (JSD utilizes points along the entire routes of the Strange Flows so as to circulate energy in these primary and primal energy channels, whereas acupuncturists generally use only their Master and Coupled points.)

The eight Strange Flows (Qi Jing Ba Mai) are not as well known as the 12 Organ Meridians. However, the Strange Flows actually regulate and balance the intricate energy delivery system of the Organ Meridians. In fact, some think that using these "Extraordinary Vessels" (along with the Five Elements) is essential for treating the root of a problem. This is the view of traditional Japanese acupuncturists and of French authors like de Morant, Chamfrault, Van Nghi and Schatz - all of whom are physicians, except de Morant. They say that such Root treatment is "preventive in nature."2

According to Dr. Manaka, and Matsumoto and Birch, the Extraordinary Vessels are present from the very beginning of life, with the Conception and Governing Vessels being produced by the first division of the fertilized ovum. French acupuncturists theorize that the eight Extraordinary Vessels are closely connected with the genetic code that determines our basic constitution, and so can be used to help access the core of our body-mind being.3

In the Revised Complete Guide to Acupressure (2002), I described how these Strange Flows receive Qi from excessive meridians and distribute it to deficient meridians: "The function of the Strange Flows is traditionally said to be like that of lakes and reservoirs, which regulate the balance of water in the rivers (the twelve organ meridians) and streams (the luo and divergent meridians). Of course, the classics are not really talking about water. Qi is like water in the way that it gathers and flows. The reservoir analogy was first presented about 1,800 years ago, in the Nan Jing (Difficult Classic). The Nan Jing describes the Strange Flows as being like waterways which facilitate the passage of water, and which can deal with emergencies like heavy rains. . ."4

A Los Angeles-based JSD teacher, Evan McCormick, offers a fresh perspective on why JSD is so effective for tension release: 1) Many of the basic JSD points correspond not only to the Strange Flows but also to key junctions where bone, muscle and fascia overlap; and 2) The Strange Flows are in the path of myofascial "tracks."5 Fascia is the collagenous network present throughout the body which enfolds and enmeshes every structure and organ. Myofascia is muscle (myo) and fascia combined. The metaphor of myofascial "tracks" helps us visualize the vertical, horizontal, and spiral ways the fascia "runs."

It also explains why releasing a main JSD point helps release other muscles (i.e. those that contributed to the tension via fascial connections). It is as though all the fascia that relate to a particular local point organize themselves around its frequency.

The User-Friendly JSD Teaching System

Basic JSD students begin with the simple 30-point JSD numbering system, which makes it easy for anyone to do acupressure for self, family and friends. Developed in 1976 and used in my first book, The Acupressure Way of Health:

Jin Shin Do® (1978), this 30-point numbering system simply goes down the front, up the back and along the arms. For most beginners, this is much easier than the modern acupuncture numbering system of 361 points on 12 meridians.

Beginners can be quite effective just by using local and distal point combinations illustrated on the JSD Strange Flows chart by a simple "Color-Coded Release Method," which is based on the 30 main JSD points.6 The reason why points of the same color on this chart work together harmoniously is because they are related along a particular Strange Flow.

This reminds me of a small harp which is based on a pentatonic scale - five notes instead of the usual seven. All the notes of a pentatonic scale are harmonious with each other. Therefore, without knowing musical theory, a beginner can play any of the strings on this harp together freely, without fear of discordant notes. Similarly, the beginning JSD student can confidently combine local and distal points of the same color, and learn by doing.

The Strange Flows are not only the core of the Basic JSD class, but also a fundamental part of the practice of JSD. The "four legs" of the theory underlying Jin Shin Do are: the Strange Flows, Segments, Organ Meridians and Five Elements. Students gradually learn other related points in the 45 main point areas, plus the major special point groupings.

The Strange Flows and Segmental Armoring Chronic tension, or "armoring," hinders the smooth delivery of energy along the Strange Flows. In The Acupressure Way of Health, I compared chronic tension to beaver dams, which can block the flow of streams. Twenty-five years later, after cleaning up a creek in a flood plain, I think "debris dams" is a more apt modern image. Debris dams, which today are far more likely to block the flow of creeks and rivers, result from the buildup of debris-even hazardous wastes-that human beings have thrown away. Similarly, muscular armoring results from a buildup of defensive reactions to various stressful and hazardous social situations, and blocks the flow of Qi.

When the chronically tight muscle knots and bands are released, the Qi which had been bound up in the muscular armoring can move along the Strange Flows to nourish deficient Organ Meridians.

To release muscular armoring more deeply, Jin Shin Do integrates the segmental theories of Wilhelm Reich, M.D. "Segments" are horizontal body areas in which the muscles and points work together physically and emotionally, allowing us to move and to feel. Chronic tension or armoring often begins as a needed defense, to survive physical or emotional pain, but eventually it tends to limit our energy and joy of life. According to Reich, it is important to:

1) release the tension in the back and the front of the segment, and

2) release the upper segments before releasing the lower segments.

To release armoring more pleasantly, JSD uses both Strange Flow and Organ Meridian local/distal point combinations to help release muscular tension. In a series of sessions, first we focus on release of local points in the ocular, oral, cervical, and shoulder segments, and then in the thoracic segment, and gradually the diaphragm, abdominal and pelvic segments.

All along, we use distal points in the arms and legs.

The Strange Flows and the Hara

There are two main sources of information on the Strange Flows: 1) acupuncture books and charts (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, French, English and American) and 2) the Taoist Qi gong and Nei gong traditions. The latter may be a better source of information regarding the optimal flow of Qi in the Strange Flows because the Taoist masters used the Strange Flows to circulate energy.

"In Jin Shin Do acupressure, we visualize the energy circulating up the back and down the front of the Strange Flows-especially the Extraordinary Energy Flows continued from page 13 Central Vessels (Ren and Du Mai), Regulator Vessels (Wei Mai) and Bridge Vessels (Qiao Mai). By contrast, acupuncture literature shows these vessels all going up the body, towards the head. Qi can flow in any direction in the Strange Flows, but imagine the effects of sending all the Qi up to the head! You can experiment with this if you feel adventurous. Taoist yoga suggests circulating the Qi up the back and down the front, which helps us connect with the Hara-the "gate of prenatal nourishment."7

The Hara is a vitally important energy center inside the lower abdomen, about two inches below the navel. Karl Durckheim says of the Hara: "Every movement is as though anchored in an immovable centre from which all motion flows and from which it receives its force, direction and tendency. The immovable centre lies in Hara." He says that the Hara is our center not only physically but also in a spiritual sense, because the human body "is more than a merely biological-physiological entity." Therefore, "all expressions and idioms containing the word Hara refer to the character in its totality, to the basic quality of a man's nature. . ."8

In Japan , Korea and China , developing the Hara was traditionally considered to be of primary importance. The Japanese term Hara no aru hito means "a man with 'Center,'" who is balanced and tranquil because of an inner elasticity. It also implies "a quality of breadth," or being large-minded, magnanimous and warm-hearted. Hara no dekita hito means the person who has developed the Hara or "finished his belly, that is, himself: for he is mature." Used only regarding older persons, the term Hara no okii hito means "the man with the big belly," who can accept and even welcome whatever happens, giving each thing its due place, and finding the positive in everything.8 This is symbolized by the well-known image of Buddha with a big belly.

Contrast this with the Western ideal of a flat belly and big breasts, or big pectoral muscles on a man. From the traditional Japanese perspective, this is top-heavy. "The man with the little belly," or Hara no chiisai hito, may also be Hara no nai hito, or "a man who lacks Center" and easily loses his balance. He is "nervous, not because he is particularly sensitive, but because he lacks that inner axis which would prevent his being thrown off centre, which would enable him to deal with situations realistically. He is either one-tracked and rigid, mentally or emotionally, or else he has no composure at all. In an emergency he behaves either with blind obstinacy or quite erratically."8

The common modern condition of spending too much time in the head and losing touch with the body is also Hara no nai hito. Consider, then, the implications of acupuncture charts which show the Central, Regulator and Bridge Vessels going to the head-up the back and up the front. Directing the Qi in this manner is contraindicated today, because the common problem is, precisely, that too much energy is going to the head, while the Hara is neglected.

In Qi gong and Nei gong, on the other hand, the Qi flow in these Vessels is visualized as being circular in nature. Qi is circulated up the Governing Vessel and down the Conception Vessel in the "Microcosmic Orbit," and up the back and down the front of the Wei and/or Qiao Mai in the "Macrocosmic Orbit."9 Jin Shin Do Acupressure is designed to mimic Taoist meditative practices like these.

In 1975, I asked Master Sung Jin Park why acupuncture theory showed the Governing and Conception Vessels both going up to the head, whereas the Microcosmic Orbit directs Qi up the back and down the front of the Central Vessel. Master Park said that before we are born, our attention is focused in the Hara (because it is internal to the umbilicus, through which we receive nourishment in the womb) and the Qi simply goes up the back and down the front of the Central Vessel. The Hara is the "Gate of Former Life." After we are born, our attention is suddenly focused on the sense organs-the mouth, nose, eyes and ears-which are the "Gate of Latter Life." The Qi flow in the Central Vessel then resembles a figure-eight: the Qi descends internally, ascends the Governing Vessel, descends internally, and ascends the Conception Vessel. Master Park said that the Taoist ideal was to "return to the Gate of Former Life" by first accumulating energy in the Hara and then circulating the Qi in its prenatal orbit-up the back and down the front.

Hara Breathing Meditation

Count slowly to five while inhaling through the nose and breathing down through the diaphragm, expanding the lower abdomen. Remember that with each inhalation, you can absorb as much Qi as you need from the great ocean of energy that surrounds and supports us. Then count slowly to five while Extraordinary Energy Flows continued from page 13 exhaling through the mouth, relaxing the lower abdomen and concentrating the energy there.

To accumulate more energy, add this step: after inhaling as described above, pause for a count of five (or less, if this is uncomfortable), to concentrate Qi in the Hara, before exhaling slowly. Feeling warmth in the Hara indicates the accumulation of Qi.

Iona Marsaa Teeguarden will be leading a restoration workshop entitled "Jin Shin Do Acupressure: an In-Body Experience" during Pacific Symposium 2004.

1 For more on the scholastic research behind the choice of the JSD points, see A Complete Guide to Acupressure by Iona Marsaa Teeguarden, 1996, revised 2002, Japan Publications, Tokyo/NY, footnote 3 on pp. 54, 324.

2 Acupuncture Imaging: Perceiving the Energy Pathways of the Body, by Mark Seem, Ph.D., Dipl.Ac. (NCCA), Healing Arts Press, Rochester , VT , p. 32.

3 For more about this, see chpt. 6 of A Complete Guide to Acupressure: Recipes for Magic by Arnold Porter.

4 A Complete Guide to Acupressure by Iona Marsaa Teeguarden, 1996, revised 2002, Japan Publications, Tokyo/NY p. 55-56.

5 See Anatomy Trains, by Thomas W. Myers, pp. 51-60.

6 Students are directed to end each session with the Basic JSD Neck-Shoulder Release, holding main shoulder and neck points, plus do a foot massage for grounding.

7 A Complete Guide to Acupressure by Iona Marsaa Teeguarden, 1996, revised 2002, Japan Publications, Tokyo/NY, p. 58.

8 Karlfried Durckheim, Hara: The Vital Centre of Man, 1962, George Allen & Unwin Ltd., London , p. 26, 49-52.

9 The JSD Strange Flow chart also follows Taoist tradition in showing arm branches of the Wei Mai. Taoist masters called the Yin and Yang Wei Mai the "Negative and Positive Arm Channels," just as they called the Yin and Yang Qiao Mai the "Negative and Positive Leg Channels." (See Taoist Health Exercise Book by Da Liu, 1974, Links Books, NY/London,

p. 95 & 99 (illustration), and Taoist Yoga: Alchemy and Immortality by Lu K'uan Yu, p. 21.)