Acupoints, Bodies and Chakras

Where Classical Chinese Medicine Meets Ayurveda

By Jack Sweeney
New Age literature places prime importance on the concept
of chakras, borrowed from the Vedic tradition of India, and
known in Ancient Egypt and Tibet. At the same time, the
New Age has witnessed the growth of alternative health
based on Traditional Chinese Medicine. Separate traditions
have emerged, such as Wilhelm Reich's discovery and
development of orgone energy.
A major difficulty encountered with New Age material is the
tremendous variety of sources stemming from different
world traditions. Taken together, much of this material
appears contradictory or mutually exclusive. There is no
central authority or theoretical thinker, no clearing house for
New Age studies, and few academics regard the New Age
seriously. The lay reader sails rough seas while navigating
New Age waters, as one meets contradictory and baffling
information in every sea of the New Age.
Much of the confusion stems from the Asian sources of New
Age learning. India produced thousands of masters, schools
and traditions of yoga, Chinese medicine differs from region
to region, and Daoism refers less to a monolithic institution
based on the classics, and more to a loose association of
nature-loving, free-thinking spiritualists. The strength of
Asian traditions lies in their diversity, their weakness in lack
of cohesion.
Combining the concept of chakras with Chinese medicine
may bolster that weakness. In so doing, we may strengthen
theoretical foundations for New Age psychology and
medicine, integrated around the physical and psychological
aspects of chakras and acupoints. By linking the knowledge
of the ancient medical and philosophical systems of India

and China, we may achieve a field of understanding where

ancient stories may inform our view of humanity's
condition.
Historically, Vedic and Chinese medicine developed as
related but separate bodies of knowledge, one growing in
India and Southeast Asia, the other in China and spreading
to Japan, Korea, and Vietnam. Despite China's borrowing of
Buddhist medical knowledge from India beginning around
the Tang Dynasty (700 ACE), the traditions remained
distinct, although with some degree of cross-fertilization.
Key to understanding Indian and Chinese medicine are the
concepts of Prana and Qi, and distinctions between the
physical human body and the etheric body. Related to these
are the seven primary chakras, their associations with
acupoints and organs, the endocrine system and with
emotions. All of these work together in the physical and
etheric bodies to mediate between the environment and
emotions. By placing these systems side by side, we hope to
view common areas that may lead to new insights and
therapies.
According to traditional Chinese medical theory, the Five
Emotions are linked with the Five Organs. The heart is
associated with excitement and joy, the spleen with
obsession and worry, the lungs with grief and sorrow, the
kidneys with fear and terror, and the liver with anger and
envy. When one feels joy, the feeling affects the heart.
Excessive joy can create as much heart trouble as excessive
fear might harm the kidneys. The emotions we feel relate
directly to our internal organs.
"Joy, anger, anxiety, thought, sorrow, fear and fright are the
seven affects, which are natural human responses to the
environment. Chinese medicine regards the seven affects as
capable of influencing the functions of the bowels and
viscera." Human experience of these emotions feeds into the

organs, and unbalanced or excessive emotion leads to illness

and disease. In this way, thought and emotion manifest on
the physical plane.
Illness and disease related to organs find their roots in
disturbances of related emotions. Too often, humans ingest
emotions, feelings, and experiences, without digesting them.
Instead, emotions are dumped into the body, and emotional
affects linger inside internal organs, thus engendering
disease. This concept reflects bioenergetic theories of
Wilhelm Reich, more recently developed as Radix:
The principle of mind/body unity confirms Wilhelm Reich's
discovery that you cannot effect lasting psychological
change without also having changed the body, especially its
chronic tensions. More obviously, we experience emotion
when the body's subtle biophysical energy (orgone, qi,
prana) flows through the body. "Stuck" feelings of fear,
pain, anger, longing, complexes, character defenses,
repressions, and other issues are held in the chronic
tensions of your body. These tensions distort the flow of our
life force, and we experience these distortions as
psychological discomfort. If the principle of mind/body unity
is real, then it follows that working with the body's tensions
can provide us yet another avenue for affecting
psychological change.
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine,
excessive grief may lead to lung problems, or too much
anger may cause liver disease. An angry person loads his
anger directly into his liver. Excessive emotion causes Qi
imbalances within the organs, as the organs contain Qi.
These health problems may find relief through accessing Qi
via acupoints found along meridians related to specific
organs.
Chakra Organ Chinese
1. Root, First
Fear, Terror
Kidney

2. Second,
Abdominal
Spleen
3. Third Solar
Plexus Lung
4. Fourth Throat
Liver
5. Fifth Heart

Obsession,
worry
Grief, sorrow
Anger Envy
excitement Joy

Chinese medical theory posits five types of Qi: 1) Yuan Qi

(Original or prenatal) 2) Zheng Qi (Correct, made up of the
Qi from organs), 3) Organ Qi (from the five organs and six
bowels) 4) Wei Qi (Defensive, on the body's exterior) and
Ying Qi (Construction). Xie Qi (Evil Qi) is the negative
manifestation of Qi caused by pathogens that causes illness,
disease and death. These types of Qi are found throughout
the body, although Wei Qi is generally found along the skin.
Various organ Qi's reside within each organ, ie, Liver Qi
inhabits the liver.
Vedic theory includes five types of prana, which dominate
different body areas. Alice Bailey and Djwahl Khul describe
prana in this way: quot; Samana (Green) extends from the
heart to the solar plexus and controls digestion, having to do
with the stomach. Apana (Blue) controls from the solar
plexus to the soles of the feet and concerns the organs of
elimination, of rejection and of birth. Upana (Purple) found
between the nose and the top of the head has a special
relation to the brain, the nose and the eyes, and controls
vital airs. Vyana (Red) is the term applied to the sum total of
pranic energy as it is distributed evenly throughout the
entire body.quot;
The distinction between primary and secondary chakras is
critical to understanding connections between the physical
and etheric bodies. New Age writers have difficulty in
locating the primary chakras because the primary chakras

are not directly linked to the physical body. Only the

secondary chakras share direct links to the physical body.
Secondary chakras connect with meridians and channels,
and then to acupoints aligned along them.
Qi travels in the body through electromagnetic routes called
meridians and vessels. The Governor and Conception vessels
run along the body's midline, from the skin surface to a
depth of one or two body inches, and connect with the five
organs and six bowels found in the torso area. Known as Qi
streets, these vessels distribute Qi between the major
organs, helping to maintain the body's Qi and blood balance.
Acupoints related to organ function are found along these
vessels.
Now that we have laid out the essentials of each system, we
can begin to associate Chinese theory with Vedic. Kidney
association with the Root Chakra makes sense when one
regards the kidney as the source of Original Qi (yuan qi),
and as the home of mind. quot;Kidney stores mindquot;
means that the will, spirit and memory are contained in the
kidney. The kidneys' function of holding reproductive
essence entails their importance in mind and emotions.
The uterus is the logical location of the Root Chakra, since
three major Qi meridians begin there. The uterus, which
functions to contain blood in women, is a powerful center of
women's anatomy, and has its male counterpart in the
scrotum, where semen is stored.
At the same time, Vedic theory locates the first, or
Muladhara Chakra, twelve inches above the anus, or slightly
below this level. So we may expect to find the Root Chakra's
location in the etheric body in the uterus. The gonads are
considered part of the endocrine system related to the first
chakra - the scrotum in males and ovaries in women. In
general, the endocrine system secretes hormones to
regulate body functions, and the gonads secrete sex

hormones that regulate sexuality. For example,

progesterone and estrogens regulate changes in the uterus
during menstrual cycles.
Biological functions related to the Root Chakra reflect basic
emotions - the most essential needs of human beings, our
rootedness to Gaia and our environment. Sir Martin Brofman
writes that the Red Chakra reflects:
Security, survival, trust, the relationship with money, home,
job, and the ability to be grounded, to be present in the
here and now. This chakra reflects a person's connection
with their mother, and with Mother Earthconnection with
the physical body.
Closely related to our reproductive organs are meridians, or
the pathways that Qi and prana take through the body. Each
organ is connected to a major meridian, and two major
meridians circle the midline of the human body, starting at
the Root Chakra:
"The thoroughfare vessel starts from the uterus, one branch
runs along the conception vessel upwards along the spine.
Another branch stems from the uterus, passes through the
perineum and genitals and emerges from Qijie (Qi Street). A
branch runs upward with the kidney and stomach meridians
to the abdomen."
"The Conception Vessel starts from the uterus and emerges
from the perineum, goes interiorly to the pubic region and
ascends along the interior of the abdomen, passing through
Guan Yuan."
"The Governor Vessel starts from the uterus, runs downward
to the central region of the pelvis around the genitals and
into the external orifice of the urethra in women and around
the penis in men. It joins the Conception and Thoroughfare
Vessels over the perineum, passes by the anus and moves
upward from the inside coccyx and sacrum."
The Governor Vessel emerges at Chang Qiang (GV1, located
midway between the tip of the coccyx and the anus), then

travels directly up the midline of the back and controls

organs along the spine. From Chang Qiang, the Governor
Vessel connects with the Conception Vessel and the Gall
Bladder and Kidney Channels. These are the main routes
that Qi takes through the torso, which link the seven
primary chakras and the twenty-two secondary chakras. The
Perineal Chakra is located near Chang Qiang and affects
sexuality and personality. A balanced and open perineal
chakra means that one is grounded and comfortable with
earthy reality and is unafraid of dirt or germs. An overactive
perineal chakra creates anal fixation and leads to a childish
sense of humor. If the perineal chakra takes over the usual
role of the genital chakra, one prefers anal to genital sex.
Male homosexuals with overactive perineal chakras may
hang out in public toilets seeking sexual partners. Those
with malfunctions in the perineal chakra may suffer from
obsessive-compulsive behaviour, obsessive tidiness, and
experience a fear of germs. Everything around such a
person must be spotless. A person with a blocked perineal
chakra may find difficulty in relating to earthy concepts, and
may feel emotionally insecure. All of these emotional
conditions can find relief through work with associated
acupoints, via acupuncture, massage, herbs or other forms
of therapy. Techniques of Chinese medicine, or Reichian
therapy, can help to open and balance chakras, and thus
balance emotions and personalities. Stimulation of acupoints
helps to balance organs, and when the organs are balanced
and tuned, the emotions reach a similar state. The
Abdominal (Swadhisthana, Second) chakra, located near the
navel, is physically related to the prostatic center and
concerns the unconscious, according to Swami Satyananda
Saraswati. Located three body inches below the navel, the
second chakra physically relates to the lumbar area, the
reproductive system and the abdomen, along with the sense
of taste and one's willingness to feel one's emotions. Organs
relating to this center include the stomach, liver, gall
bladder, spleen and the skin, muscles and face. Along with
this chakra comes the ability to sense and to respond to

what the body desires.

Fusing Chinese medicine with Vedic, the Abdominal Chakra
is located at the Guan Yuan acupoint, three body inches
below the center of the navel, or four fingers below the
navel center. Guan Yuan (CV4) is the meeting point of the
Conception Vessel and the Spleen, Liver and Kidney
Channels, and plays a key role in regulating function of
these organs, and so in regulating human emotion.
In Dao theory, this area is called the Cinnabar Field (Dan
Tian), regarded as the location of original or prenatal Qi.
Japanese martial artists call this area the Hara Center, a
place to build up reserves of Qi. Hari Kiri, or Japanese ritual
suicide by sword, focuses on this point as a way of
sacrificing one's Qi to the emperor or deities. In medical
theory, Guan yuan regulates the intestines, bladder and
uterus.
The second chakra relates emotionally to our needs such as
food, sex and our desire to reproduce. A person with a
balanced and open second chakra connects easily with
others and feels centered and balanced. One with an
overactive or unbalanced second chakra may be ruled or
swamped by emotion and have trouble with clear or rational
thought. Someone with a malfunctioning second chakra may
find emotional expression difficult, and experience frequent
rage.
The Solar Chakra, located at Zhongwan (CV12), four body
inches above the navel, on the body's midline, deals with
digestion, assimilation and temperature. Illnesses related to
Zhongwan include stomachache, abdominal distension,
indigestion, vomiting, hiccups, diarrhea, constipation and
epilepsy. The Third Chakra deals with issues including
"power, control, freedom and the ease of being," and is
related to the endocrine system through the pancreas, which
secretes insulin to regulate the flow of glucose in the body.

The Root, Abdominal and Solar chakras are located below

the diaphragm and are related to biologic functions and
basic physical needs. As we move higher among the chakras
along the body's midline, functions become less dense, more
refined, spiritual and etheric. Lower chakras deal with our
base, sexual nature, while higher chakras deal with our
spiritual nature. Alice Bailey distinguishes between the
chakras located below the diaphragm and those above, and
their relations to other planes and dimensions. The centers
below the diaphragm, i.e., the solar plexus center, the sacral
center and the center at the base of the spine, are controlled
by the four ethers of the planetary physical plane; the
centers above the diaphragm, i.e., the heart center, the
throat center, the ajna center and the head center, are
controlled by the four cosmic ethers.Indeed, the goal of the
yogi or the sage through history has been to refine and
move sexual energy from lower chakras to higher spiritual
centers. Refining sexual energy is the Tantric goal, and
reflects the aim of Kundalini yoga. Wilhelm Reich
emphasized the higher energy centers in practice. Operating
instructions for his orgone accumulator include daily
irradiation of the "a. eyes b. root of nose c. mastoid bone d.
mouth and throat, e. heart and f. upper abdomen (over solar
plexus)."
The Heart Chakra is located at the midline Juque acupoint
(CV14), six body inches above the navel, and associates
with the heart and lungs, the blood and circulatory systems,
the thymus center and the immune system. Emotionally, the
Heart Chakra is linked with feelings of love. Dao master
Mantak Chia describes the Heart Chakra as the center of
Yang energy in the body, the Yin center as the reproductive
organs, or the Root Chakra.
Shanzhong (CV17) located on the sternal midline, level with
the nipples, is the meeting acupoint of the Conception Vessel
with the Spleen, Kidney, Small Intestine and Sanjiao

Channels. Located just above the heart, Shanzhong is a

major cross point of meridians and is where Qi converges
from points all over the body. From its central location,
Shanzhong helps control emotions in the heart, spleen,
kidney, small intestine, and throughout the central torso
area.
The Magic Pivot, a classic text of Chinese medicine, states,
"The heart is governor of the five viscera and the six bowels,
and is the abode of spirit, fire and water aiding each other.
Kidney yin depletion or intense heart fire can upset this
balance, causing signs such as heart vexation, fearful
throbbing and insomnia." Conditions such as insomnia,
mania, or epilepsy are traditionally explained in Chinese
medical terms such as the "heart failing to keep its abode"
and "straying."
The Heart in Chinese theory plays key roles in regulation of
emotions, working in tandem with the kidney, mixing Fire
and Water, alchemical elements. When the heart center
opens wide, the heart channels Universal Love and
compassion, what esoteric Christians and Theosophists call
"Christ Consciousness". Once opened, the Higher Self is able
to work through the heart chakra, which may explain why
the heart is called the seat of the soul.
Tiantu (CV 22), located at the base of the throat, is the
meeting point of the Conception and Yin Linking Vessel.
Lung Qi emerges from this point, and the thymus of the
endocrine system is located behind this point. Physical
problems related to the voice, throat and lungs can be
resolved through Tiantu. The Throat Chakra is located at the
laryngeal plexus and relates to self-expression. Martin
Brofman describes the Throat Chakra:
Expressing can be in the form of communicating what one
wants and what one feels, or it can be an artistic expression,
as an artist painting, a dancer dancing, a musician playing

music, using a form for expressing and bringing to the

outside what was within. Expressing is related to receiving,
as in "Ask, and ye shall receive." The sixth chakra, known as
the Ajna Center or the Third Eye is found near the pituitary
gland. Concerned with psychic awareness, the sixth chakra
represents our perceptions of the world, and for this reason
Hindu women paint this area red. The acupoint Yintang,
located at the midpoint between the eyebrows, dominates
eye and nose functions and is related to the trigeminal
nerve, which controls related facial functions. One with a
balanced and open sixth chakra has a healthy sense of ego
and may posess clairvoyant abilities. Over-development of
this chakra creates an egotistical person, while malfunctions
lead to a distorted sense of self. A weak or blocked sixth
chakra creates an inadequate sense of ego-self.
Located at the top of the skull, Baihui is the most likely
location of the seventh or Crown Chakra. Baihui is found on
the midline of the cranium, seven body inches above the
rear hairline, and is surrounded by four acupoints, which
together are known as Sishencong. Stimulation of Baihui
helps relieve emotional problems such as schizophrenia and
depression, and physical problems such as uterus and rectal
prolapse. The Seventh Chakra is related to the pineal gland,
which secretes melatonin to affect reproductive development
and daily cycles.
An open Crown Chakra leads to spontaneous spirituality,
defined through unique individual experience - inner gnosis in place of external dogma or religion. One with an open
Crown Chakra may see auras or intuit higher forces. One
may experience visions or creative imagination, sense
cosmic order and gain inner understanding of Universal
Truths. When the Crown Chakra is blocked, so, too are all
spiritual and creative senses blocked. One's consciousness
tends to narrow, and one's world view reflects materialism,
or fundamentalist religion. Martin Brofman writes of the
Crown Chakra as our connection to higher authorities:

The Crown Chakra represents that part of our consciousness

concerned with perceptions of unity or separation, our
connection with our biological father, which becomes the
model for our relationship with authority, and ultimately,
with God. It's the level of the soul. This tour of the physical
and etheric bodies has taken us from the Earth root, through
the human body, to the cosmic connection of the seventh
chakra, reflecting the traditional Chinese world view of
Heaven, Earth and People. We've visited the major
intersections of Vedic and Chinese beliefs, the chakras and
acupoints. From these, we have viewed the relationships
between physical organs and emotions, and how these
mutually influence each other. Finally, we've associated the
endocrine system to chakras, acupoints, organs and
emotions, with the view towards creating a holistic system
that helps explain the link between the physical, emotional
and etheric bodies.
With this foundation, we can further explore relationships
between the physical body and emotions, using ancient
knowledge to enhance psychological innovations. Vedic and
Chinese medical knowledge, taken with western
psychological theory and practice, can lead to a more holistic
view of the human body, mind and soul. When we
understand that stimulation of certain acupoints may help
relieve emotional pain or release emotional blockages, then
we will have taken one step closer to reducing human
suffering. Integration of medical theory will lead to greater
individuation and maximum human potential, as well as
realization of our spiritual nature.
Jack Sweeney
Guangzhou, China 19 March 2005
Jack Sweeney is an ex-patriot American writer living in
Guangzhou, China, where he is studying Chinese medicine,

Chinese metaphysics and the I Ching. A holder of three

masters degrees from U.C. Berkeley, Jack worked as a
librarian in a Chinese library at Berkeley before taking up
journalism in Los Angeles, California. He is currently working
on a book entitled, Classical Chinese Medicine and the
Holographic Universe to help explain the relationship
between quantum physics and Chinese medicine.