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Yong Quan, Gushing Spring, Kidney 1

As follow-up to last week’s blog post about transition, Yong Quan, or Gushing Spring, is the perfect intuitive acupuncture point to help us keep calm during times of transition.

Kidney 1, the Gushing Spring, is the only acupuncture point to be located on the soles of our feet, where the energies of earth and human unite.  As shown, it’s at about one third the distance between the base of our second and third toes and the heel of our feet.

Listed amongst it’s indications are calming the spirit, descending excess from the head, and reviving consciousness- totally all about anchoring and grounding!  In the classics it is described as, “echoing the earth,” and “returning the unrooted back to it’s source.”  In Vedic medicine our Gushing Spring is known as the foot chakra and is, again, used to connect our energies with the earth’s energies.

What a soothing point!  I have my anxiety or insomnia clients soak their feet in an Epsom Salt and hot water foot bath before bed, as to really draw their energy down here- to the most yin (still, serene) point during the most yin time of day to generate a totally yin’d – out experience of inner calm and trust.

You in the middle of a transition?  Like you’re in mid-air and would really much prefer your feet on the ground?  Getting a little too “heady” for your own good?  If you could use a little extra support and it feels like all you wanna hear right now is, “it’s all gonna be okay,” try this qi gong (energy-cultivation) exercise:

Using Your Gushing Spring

Sit up-right in a comfy chair, placing your feet on the ground.  Allow your eyes to close, take a few deep breaths and focus your awareness on the bottom of your feet.  Here are your Gushing Springs, your feet chakras.  Imagine spinning discs at the bottom of your feet and feel them spinning.  Can you feel it?  Feel free to explore your feet chakras by speeding up or slowing down the rate at which they spin to see what works best for you.

Now that this point is open and activated, let’s get in rhythm with nature!  With each inhale, imagine that you are drawing up earth energy.  You may want to visualize the earth’s energy as a color or substance, or you may want to focus on what you are feeling.  The energy is moving up from the earth into your feet and continues to move all the way up your legs and into your core.  Allow the earth’s divine intelligence to fill you in and nourish and heal your body, mind, and spirit.

With each exhale, imagine you are releasing any unwanted energies from your body down your legs and out your feet.   The earth knows exactly what to do with this energy.   Let go any unwanted thoughts, beliefs, emotions, or energies.  Again, you may choose to visualize this by imagining colors leaving your body and being absorbed into the earth, or you may want to simply focus on how this exercise feels in your body.  Up to you.

Recap:

With each inhale, you are drawing up the earth’s natural grounding, calming, and healing properties through your feet and into your core.   With each exhale you are releasing any unwanted energies from your body/mind/spirit down your legs and out your feet.

Repeat, repeat, repeat!   I suggest setting a timer and trying it for 5 minutes.

Also a great one to do at your desk, while on the train, sitting at a bar, anywhere, any time!  Try it!  If even for a few deep breaths!  Totally simple and easy to do anywhere and yet SO effective!