Flash Mavi concentrates on the athletic and competitive aspects of martial arts. However, when you learn Taiji or Qi Gong, you should still know a little about meridians and acupuncture points. Modern Taiji and external Qi Gong don't really require this kind of knowledge, but as it is general knowledge in these areas and essential for traditional Taiji and internal Qi Gong, you should definitely have some TCM knowledge. If you seek more detailed information about meridians and acupuncture points, I suggest you search on Wikipedia or TCM-specialized resources. Find more Taiji lessons at the Taiji main page.
Description: Acupuncture Points and Meridians
Meridians - Jing Luo
According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), the Qi (vital energy of the body) circulates through the body via specific interconnected channels called meridians (jing luo). The existence of these meridians has not yet been proven by Western scientists. In TCM, it is believed that interruption, blockage, or redirection of energy flow through these meridians can lead to physical or emotional illnesses. There are many meridians throughout the body, and some are thought to have a direct influence on your organs.
The most important ones are the meridians for:
Lungs, Pericardium, Heart, Large Intestine, Triple Heater, Small Intestine, Kidneys, Spleen, Liver, Stomach, Bladder, Gall Bladder.
If the Lung Meridian, for example, suffers a blockage, according to TCM this can lead to a malfunction of the lung. A malfunction of the lung can also lead to arm problems because the Lung Meridian runs from the shoulder through the arm to the hand. Meridians run through acupuncture points. You can imagine the acupuncture points as “bus stops” of the energy flow lines. In TCM, blockages like the one mentioned above are treated with acupuncture, acupressure, etc. To prevent poor energy flow in the first place, traditional Taiji and internal Qi Gong exercises are supposed to help.
Modern Taiji, on the other hand, is thought to be for competition and is very athletic (actually unhealthy for the joints) and involves acrobatic jumps and techniques similar to rhythmic gymnastics.
External Qi Gong is meant to be a result of improved energy flow from internal Qi Gong exercises. But that’s not 100% true. Shaolin monks practice both internal and external Qi Gong. Internal Qi Gong exercises are not always necessary for external Qi Gong demonstrations. During my years of training at a wushu institute in China, I also observed Qi Gong training methods and practiced them myself for a limited time.
All you need to break bricks:
a) Harden your bones and muscles
b) Desensitize your nerves
c) Use the right technique (where concentration and coordination are very important)
What improves your concentration is meditation. But it’s not focused energy that actually breaks the bricks.
Locations: Acupuncture Points and Meridians
Here are the most important meridians and acupuncture points. Of course, there are hundreds more. The ones listed here are used in some Flash Mavi lessons. For more detailed info, please search for TCM-specialized resources.
Meridians
Bladder Meridian (from the eyes through the front of the head to the back and then to the toes)
Conception Vessel Meridian (from the Hui Yin up the stomach and chest to the mouth – straight line)
Gall Bladder Meridian (from the outside of the eyes up over the ears, down behind the ears, up to the forehead, to the back of the neck, down to the toes – inside the body)
Governing Vessel Meridian (goes from the Hui Yin up the back of the spine, through the Bai Hui to the top of the forehead). The Conception Vessel Meridian goes up the front of the body while the Governing Vessel Meridian goes up the back.
Heart Meridian (from the armpit through the arm to the little finger)
Kidney Meridian (from the middle of the foot sole up the leg, through the upper body, to the inner end of the collarbone)
Large Intestine Meridian (from the index finger up the front of the arm to the shoulder, to the spine, back to the shoulder, then up to the side of the nose)
Liver Meridian (starts in the right big toe, goes to the ankle, then from the left foot ankle through the leg to the liver)
Lung Meridian (one inch up to the collarbone, down the front of the arm, then to the thumb)
Pericardium Meridian (from the outside of the chest muscle through the arm to the middle of the palm)
Small Intestine Meridian (from the little finger up the arm to the shoulder, in the shoulder blade, up the neck, to the ear, then to the cheekbone, and back to the ear)
Spleen Meridian (from the big toe up the leg to the outside of the chest muscle)
Stomach Meridian (from the eye down to the chin and up to the forehead again, then down the neck, through the body to the second biggest toe)
Triple Heater Meridian (from the ring finger up to the shoulder and from behind the ears to the outside of the eye)
Acupuncture Points
Dan Tian – Center of the body, two fingers above the belly button
Bai Hui – Top of the head; one hundred meridians run through it. Bai means “one hundred” in Chinese.
Hui Yin – Point between the perineum and genitals
Lao Gong – Middle of the palm (between middle finger and pointer finger)
Shang Yang – 1–2 mm from the tip of the pointer finger nail
Yin Tang – Between your eyes and the forehead
Tai Yang – One finger width from the outside of the eye
Xi Yan – Xi = Knee, Yan = Eye
Trainer advice: Acupuncture Points and Meridians
If you practice external Qi Gong, you can also do internal Qi Gong and Taiji exercises to improve coordination, concentration, and breathing technique. It is not necessary to believe in energy flow to apply external Qi Gong techniques effectively.
This is only a sketchy article. If you find any major mistakes, please report them.
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