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 since it’s considered general knowledge in those areas—and essential for traditional Taiji and internal Qi Gong—you should definitely have some basic TCM background.
If you want more detailed information about Meridians and Acupuncture Points, I suggest checking Wikipedia or TCM-specialized resources.
Find more Taiji lessons at Taiji Main.
According to TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), Qi—the vital energy of the body—circulates through specific interconnected channels called meridians (jing luo). The existence of these meridians hasn’t been proven by Western science. In TCM, it’s believed that interruptions, blockages, or misdirected energy flow in the meridians can lead to physical or emotional illness.
There are many meridians in the body, and some are thought to have a direct influence on specific organs. The most important ones include the meridians of the:
Lungs, Pericardium, Heart, Large Intestine, Triple Warmer, Small Intestine, Kidneys, Spleen, Liver, Stomach, Bladder, and Gall Bladder.
For example, if the Lung Meridian suffers a blockage, TCM claims this can lead to lung malfunction—and that lung malfunction can also cause arm problems, because the Lung Meridian runs from the shoulder through the arm to the hand.
Meridians run through acupuncture points. You can imagine acupuncture points like bus stops along the energy flow lines. In TCM, blockages such as the one above are treated with acupuncture, acupressure, etc. Traditional Taiji and internal Qi Gong exercises are supposed to help maintain good energy flow in the first place.
Modern Taiji, on the other hand, is mostly practiced for competition and is very athletic (and actually a bit unhealthy for the joints). It involves acrobatic jumps and techniques similar to rhythmic gymnastics.
External Qi Gong is meant to be the result of improved energy flow from internal Qi Gong. But that’s not 100% accurate. Shaolin monks practice both internal and external Qi Gong, but internal work isn’t always necessary for external demonstrations. During my years of training at a wushu institute in China, I also kept an eye on Qi Gong training methods and practiced them myself for a limited time.
All you really need in order to break bricks is:
a) Harden your bones/muscles
b) Kill your nerves
c) Use proper technique (concentration and coordination are extremely important)
Meditation improves your concentration—but it’s not “focused energy” that actually breaks the bricks.
Here are the most important meridians and acupuncture points. Of course, there are hundreds more. These are simply the ones referenced in some Flash Mavi lessons. For detailed information, please consult TCM-specialized sources.
Bladder Meridian — from the eyes, across the front of the head, over the back, and down to the toes.
Conception Vessel Meridian — from the Hui Yin straight up the stomach and chest to the mouth.
Gall Bladder Meridian — from the outer eye, up over the ears, down behind them, up to the forehead, back to the neck, and down the body to the toes (internally).
Governing Vessel Meridian — from the Hui Yin up the spine, through Bai Hui, to the top of the forehead.
(Conception Vessel runs up the front; Governing Vessel runs up the back.)
Heart Meridian — from the axilla down the arm to the little finger.
Kidney Meridian — from the center of the sole, up the leg, through the upper body, to the inner collarbone.
Large Intestine Meridian — from the index finger up the front of the arm to the shoulder, to the spine, back to the shoulder, and up to the side of the nose.
Liver Meridian — starts in the right big toe, goes to the ankle, then from the ankle of the left foot through the leg to the liver.
Lung Meridian — one inch above the collarbone, down the front of the arm to the thumb.
Pericardium Meridian — from the outside of the chest muscle, through the arm, to the center of the palm.
Small Intestine Meridian — from the little finger up the arm to the shoulder, into the shoulder blade, up the neck, to the ear, 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, up to the forehead again, then down the neck, through the body, and to the second-largest toe.
Triple Heater Meridian — from the ring finger up the arm to the shoulder, then from behind the ears to the outside of the eye.
Dan Tian — Center of the body; two fingers below the belly button.
Bai Hui — Top of the head. “One hundred meridians” are said to meet here.
(Bai = hundred.)
Hui Yin — Point between the anus and genitals.
Lao Gong — Center of the palm (between the bones of the middle and index finger).
Shang Yang — 1–2 mm from the nail of the index finger.
Yin Tang — Between the eyebrows and the forehead.
Tai Yang — One finger-width from the outside of the eye.
Xi Yan — “Knee Eyes” (points around the kneecap).
If you practice external Qi Gong, you can use internal Qi Gong and Taiji exercises to improve coordination, concentration, and breathing. You don’t need to believe in energy flow to apply external Qi Gong techniques.
This is just a sketchy article. If you find any serious mistakes, please let me know.
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