brings nutrition, oxygen, and qi in and helps remove local toxic accumulations should any be present. It also helps lubricate the joints and muscles, relaxing those which may be stiff and achy from relative inactivity or overuse, effectively âdried outâ from reduced blood flow or inflammation. Conversely, in some people blood and other body fluids may pool, creating a swelling. The activity of this exercise will help pump out the pooled fluids, and over time it will strengthen the muscles so that whatever your finger, hand, and forearm concerns may be, they will improve and have a reduced likelihood of returning.
Energetic: Stimulates all the Five Phase points (Jing Well, Ying Spring, Shu Stream, Jing River, and He Sea) to varying degrees.
The Hand Jing Well points are stimulated indirectly, as blood, moved by the physical aspect of the exercise, brings more qi to the tips of the fingers where the Well points are located. The Jing Well points have an invigorating effect on the mind, and so this practice may help to improve your focus throughout the course of your practice session and into the rest of the day. Mental functioning is additionally stimulated by any directed hand usage. We use our hands to grasp and apprehend, which are more than metaphors for the grasping and apprehending synonymous with understanding. The Spring and Stream points are involved in this result, and other deeper, core energetics outside the scope of this book also come into play.
The hand Ying Spring acupuncture points are more strongly stimulated. They are located on the hand, near where the fingers join the hand. As in the Foot Spring points, they are useful in clearing heat. One of the Western correlations to clearing heat means reducing inflammation, so your fingers and hands will benefit from that energetic effect. Pericardium 8, Laogong, is the Ying Spring point located in the center of the palm. For anyone already sufficiently advanced in a qigong practice, keeping P8 open and activated will assist in sensing, projecting, and absorbing qi.
The arm Shu Stream points are found at various places around the circumference of the hand, primarily between where the fingers join the hand, and around the wrist. Stream points are most commonly used to treat Bi syndromes (more colloquially called Painful Obstruction syndromes), which are often the same as or associated with various types of arthritis pain. This is especially true if Damp is part of the pathogenic picture, which is almost always the case in Bi syndromes. That Damp may or may not visibly manifest as swelling or edema.
The Arm Jing River points are classically used to clear both heat and cold sensations, specifically centered around the chest. They are useful for cough, asthma, throat, and respiratory problems, especially those associated with heat or cold. They are also useful to help resolve local pain.
The Arm He Sea points are located around the elbow. Classically they are used to treat a variety of stomach and intestinal disorders, and many have psychological, psychoemo tional, and psychosomatic functions. This exercise only minimally stimulates the Sea points, so while you will notice some of those benefits, they will be correspondingly slight.
Techniques used
Simple flexion and extension.
Method
Standing or seated, with your arms hanging loose at your sides, make moderately tight fists with both hands, tighter than a loose fist but not so tight that your hands feel hard. Then open your fingers wide, extending them fully so that they are angled slightly backward from your hand, and so that you can see the tendons standing out at the backs of your hands ( Fig 4.1 on next page ). If your hands are painful or weak, open and close them fifteen to twenty times. Otherwise, open and close them as many times as you can until a comfortable fatigue sets in. Try for a hundred times. When that becomes easy, gradually increase the number by five to ten each week, until you get
Energetic: Stimulates all the Five Phase points (Jing Well, Ying Spring, Shu Stream, Jing River, and He Sea) to varying degrees.
The Hand Jing Well points are stimulated indirectly, as blood, moved by the physical aspect of the exercise, brings more qi to the tips of the fingers where the Well points are located. The Jing Well points have an invigorating effect on the mind, and so this practice may help to improve your focus throughout the course of your practice session and into the rest of the day. Mental functioning is additionally stimulated by any directed hand usage. We use our hands to grasp and apprehend, which are more than metaphors for the grasping and apprehending synonymous with understanding. The Spring and Stream points are involved in this result, and other deeper, core energetics outside the scope of this book also come into play.
The hand Ying Spring acupuncture points are more strongly stimulated. They are located on the hand, near where the fingers join the hand. As in the Foot Spring points, they are useful in clearing heat. One of the Western correlations to clearing heat means reducing inflammation, so your fingers and hands will benefit from that energetic effect. Pericardium 8, Laogong, is the Ying Spring point located in the center of the palm. For anyone already sufficiently advanced in a qigong practice, keeping P8 open and activated will assist in sensing, projecting, and absorbing qi.
The arm Shu Stream points are found at various places around the circumference of the hand, primarily between where the fingers join the hand, and around the wrist. Stream points are most commonly used to treat Bi syndromes (more colloquially called Painful Obstruction syndromes), which are often the same as or associated with various types of arthritis pain. This is especially true if Damp is part of the pathogenic picture, which is almost always the case in Bi syndromes. That Damp may or may not visibly manifest as swelling or edema.
The Arm Jing River points are classically used to clear both heat and cold sensations, specifically centered around the chest. They are useful for cough, asthma, throat, and respiratory problems, especially those associated with heat or cold. They are also useful to help resolve local pain.
The Arm He Sea points are located around the elbow. Classically they are used to treat a variety of stomach and intestinal disorders, and many have psychological, psychoemo tional, and psychosomatic functions. This exercise only minimally stimulates the Sea points, so while you will notice some of those benefits, they will be correspondingly slight.
Techniques used
Simple flexion and extension.
Method
Standing or seated, with your arms hanging loose at your sides, make moderately tight fists with both hands, tighter than a loose fist but not so tight that your hands feel hard. Then open your fingers wide, extending them fully so that they are angled slightly backward from your hand, and so that you can see the tendons standing out at the backs of your hands ( Fig 4.1 on next page ). If your hands are painful or weak, open and close them fifteen to twenty times. Otherwise, open and close them as many times as you can until a comfortable fatigue sets in. Try for a hundred times. When that becomes easy, gradually increase the number by five to ten each week, until you get
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