Bubbling Spring

After seven years of practicing Chinese Medicine, I had the privilege of being introduced to T’ai Chi Chih. I recently became accredited as a TCC instructor after three and a half years of practice. Though still a beginner, my background in Asian medicine gave me a perspective to immediately appreciate the value of this simple, sacred practice that Justin Stone has given us. It is my hope to share some details (with which Justin was undoubtedly familiar) that may enhance others in the TCC community’s appreciation of the Bubbling Spring.

In the Five Element tradition of Chinese medicine, the kidneys belong to water and the heart to the fire element. They are considered to be mutually supportive because the yin of the kidney moisturizes and nourishes the heart, restraining its fire, and the yang of the heart descends to warm the kidneys. Harmony and communication between the heart and kidneys are considered essential for a healthy, calm and stable spirit.

Bubbling Spring, of which Justin spoke often, referring to it as “the soles of the feet,” is actually a specific acupuncture point just below the ball of the foot, about the size of a nail head. It is also the first point on the kidney meridian, the energy channel that runs up the inner leg medially, intersecting with the spleen channel and then ascending through the liver, the lung, the heart and pericardium. In other words, it brings yin moisture from the earth to all five of the yin organs.

Yongquan Kidney-1, as it is referred to in Chinese medicine, connects us to yin as it is expressed on earth in the element of water. It is the source of water as it percolates up from the ground. It is like the roots of a tree that taps into the earth for its nourishment and growth. It is a pure, effervescent spring and reservoir of vital force and power.

Bubbling Spring is a monumentally significant point in Chinese medicine, which is why it has been a strong focus of the martial arts for thousands of years. Because of its location at the lowest point on the body, Bubbling Spring has the distinction of being the most effective point for the treatment of pathologically rising qi and excesses of the upper body. Its function is to raise the yin up to the yin organs, and root the yang down to keep us calm. It is indicated in the treatment of anxiety, insomnia, poor memory, fear, unconsciousness, high blood pressure, dizziness, headaches, heat in the upper body, stroke and even “rage with a desire to kill.” It is the most grounding point on the body.