2010 Thomas Richardson

www.extraordinarychinesemedicine.com
The Ying Qi Cycle and the Diurnal Evolutionary
Unfoldment of the
Extraordinary Vessels
By Thomas Richardson
Abstract
This article follows the fow of the ying qi cycle to examine its relationship
to the extraordinary
vessels. This cycle reveals an underlyin coherency of the extraordinary
vessels and their
relationship to the cycle of the evolution of consciousness! startin from
the "ource! brea#in into
yin and yang and from here creatin the rest of manifestation. $n fowin
throuh the primary
channels and openin the extraordinary vessels in this order! the ying qi
cycle allows one the
opportunity to deepen their connection to the "ource and achieve reater
interation within self and
with everythin else manifest at the level of humanity.
Introduction
The ying qi fows throuh the twelve primary channels! correspondin with
the horary cloc# and the
cycles of day and niht. As it fows throuh the channels! it is followin the
cycle of birth!
transformation! and death! %ust as the sun is born each mornin and dies
each niht. $f we follow
the %ourney of the ying qi throuh the channels! we &nd that it activates
the points of the channels as
it fows throuh. $n so doin! it radually opens and connects the body and
allows for the
fourishin and interation of body and spirit! enhancin the ability for
experiential awareness! selfreali'ation!
and connection between above and below and the inside and the outside.
(hen $ &rst bean learnin the channels and points! $ used to! as a reular
practice! feel the fow of
qi throuh each of the channels! feelin as it activated each point and
opened the channel. )ne
niht! out on a run! $ bean to *run+ throuh the channels aain!
somethin $ had not done in ,uite
awhile. As $ traveled down the -un channel! $ reached -u . /lieque 0
Bro#en "e,uence1.
Thin#in to myself! *2onfuent point of the ren!+ suddenly $ felt the ren mai
liht up. $ bean to
wonder how and in what order the extraordinary vessels would open as $
continued to fow throuh
the channels. To my surprise! $ found that the order in which the confuent
points of the
extraordinary vessels are accessed suests an underlyin coherency and
structure in the nature of
the vessels themselves! as well as in their relation to the primary channels
and the evolution of
consciousness. $n this paper $ would li#e to follow the ying qi throuh the
horary cycle! to see what
this %ourney reveals reardin the extraordinary vessels.
The Quiescent State
(e bein our %ourney throuh the channels with the -un 2hannel of 3and
Taiyin. This meridian
beins the cycle of ying qi throuh the twelve channels and corresponds to
456am! the pre5dawn of a
new day. "tartin in the middle jiao and emerin at -u 1 /zhongfu 0
7iddle 8alace1! the qi fows
throuh the meridian and reaches -u .! the confuent point of the ren mai.
2ontinuin! the qi
travels up the -are $ntestine channel to the nose! then moves into the
"tomach channel and fows
all the way down to the feet! crossin over into the "pleen channel. As it
starts fowin up the
"pleen channel! we come to "p 9 /gongsun 0 :randfather :randson1!
confuent point of the chong
mai. ;rom the "pleen channel the qi fows into and throuh the 3eart
channel until! upon reachin
the "mall $ntestine channel! it reaches the confuent point of the du mai! "$
4 /houxi 0 Bac# "tream1.
;lowin throuh the "mall $ntestine channel and accessin the du mai
mar#s the completion of the
&rst half of the cycle /the &rst six primary channels! correspondin to the
horary cycle from 4am to
2010 Thomas Richardson
www.extraordinarychinesemedicine.com
4pm! and the openin of the &rst three nuclear vessels1. At this point in
our %ourney we have
accessed the ren! chong! and du mai< these three vessels are all said to
start in the lower dantian!
and to be three branches of one vessel. Thus they correspond to the
"ource! to the undi=erentiated
oneness! as it is %ust beinnin to form into the foundations of yin and
yang within the microcosm of
the human body. This may be referred to as the ,uiescent state! the deep
interior reservoir from
which all life sprins forth.
The ren and du mai correspond to the deep polarity of yin and yang within
the channel system! with
the chong mai bein that which connects them. As noted by >ii#o
7atsumoto and "tephen Birch!
-i "hi ?hen stated that@ *The ren mai and du mai make contact together at
the chong mai.+ They o
on to say that@ *3e explains this statement by notin that the ren mai and
du mai are the
fundamental divisions of yin and yan in the body. The chon mai insures
the inseparability of
oneness of the ren and du mai! the yin and yan functions.+1
(hen the oneness splits into two! it creates a polarity. A polarity! by
de&nition! is composed of two
oppositional aspects that are in relation to each other. $t is this nature of
polarity that indicates that
even thouh there is the distinction of yin and yang! they are always part
of one interated whole!
that there is somethin that simultaneous connects and separates the
polar aspects.2 Aust as
humanity is found between heaven and earth! li#ewise! the chong mai is
found between the ren and
du mai. ;urther support of this concept is also seen in textboo#s of Tibetan
medicine and accordin
to some Baoists! who discuss a branch of the chong mai /sometimes
referred to as the pre5heaven
chong mai1 that runs straiht throuh the center of the body! from Rn 1
/huiyin 0 7eetin of Cin1 to
Bu 20 /baihui 0 3undred 7eetins1! connectin the three dantian and
anterior /ren1 and posterior
/du1 heaven.4
$t is from this ,uiescent state! this oriinal division of the oneness into yin!
yang and the
connectionDinteractionDinteration between these two /the chong mai1 that
all of the other
extraordinary vessels are created! and it is from the eiht extraordinary
vessels that the zangfu and
primary channels are created.9 Thus -i "hi ?hen stated that *The
extraordinary vessels are the root
of the Great Avenue of Pre-Heaven the Governing !irecting and
Penetrating "essels #!u-$en-
%hong &ai' are the (ource of %reation.+6
;iure 1@ The ,uiescent state
2010 Thomas Richardson
www.extraordinarychinesemedicine.com
The Second Half of the Horary Cycle: Movement Manifestation
and Inte!ration
As we return to followin the ying qi throuh its horary cycle! it enters the
Erinary Bladder channel
and the second six primary channels /correspondin to the time period
from 4pm to 4am1. Alon
the Erinary Bladder channel we come to EB F2 /shenmai 0 Gxtendin
Hessel1! the confuent point
of the yang qiao mai! the Can 7otility vessel. $n this model! this
represents the beinnin of the
second order! movin from the ,uiescent state into the dynamic state of
movement and
manifestation. $n the master5couple system! EB F2 is coupled with "$ 4!
confuent point of the du
mai! the "ea of Can. This demonstrates that the mobili'ation of yang! the
dynamic yang! arises out
of the ,uiescent yang. Thus the yang qiao mai may be seen as arisin
from the du mai.F $n a sense!
the du mai can be seen as the yin within yang of these two coupled
channels! pertainin to the deep!
interior! ,uiescent state of yang! with the yang qiao mai representin the
yang within yang!
pertainin to the relatively more exterior! active state of yang within the
body.
This! in turn! is ,uic#ly followed by openin the yin qiao mai /the Cin
7otility vessel1 when the
ying qi fows into the >idney channel and reaches > F /zhaohai 0 "hinin
"ea1. > F is paired with
-u .! confuent point of the ren maiIthus the dynamicDmovin yin may be
seen as arisin out of
the ,uiescent yin. 3ere aain! the ren mai would pertain to the yin within
yin of these two coupled
channels /pertainin to the deep! interior! ,uiescent state of yin1! and the
yin qiao mai to the yang
within yin /pertainin to the relatively more exterior! dynamic state of yin1.
After beinnin in the lower dantian with the ren! chong! and du mai! we
have now mobili'ed the
fundamental yin and yang of the body with the yin and yang qiao mai. This
is also seen in the basic
2hinese physioloyIin order for the essence to nourish and sustain the
function and structure of
the human bein! it must &rst transform into yin and yang! which! once
mobili'ed! o out to become
the basis of the yin and yang for the entire body. $n the daily evolutionary
cycle of the
extraordinary vessels! this mobili'ation of yin and yang corresponds to the
openin of the qiao mai..
At this point in the cycle! yin and yang are movin! circulatin! and
manifestin throuhout the
body! creatin the eneretic polarity of body and spirit /jing and shen1 as it
dynamically moves and
weaves throuh the body.
2ontinuin alon the horary cycle! the ying qi fows throuh the rest of the
>idney channel and into
the 8ericardium channel. 3ere it accesses the next confuent point! 8 F
/neiguan 0 $nner :ate1!
which is the confuent point of the yin )ei mai! the CinD$nterior -in#in
vessel. This point is
coupled with "p 9! confuent point of the chong mai. Aust as we saw above
that the yang qiao mai
and yin qiao mai arise from the ,uiescent yang and yin of the du and ren
mai! respectively! and thus
their confuent points are coupled toether! so too does the yin )ei mai
appear to share a similar
relationship to the chong mai. Aust as the chong mai is the eneretic
polarity of the ,uiescent yin
and yang of the ren and du mai! the yin )ei mai appears to be the
eneretic polarity of the mobili'ed
yin and yang of the yin and yang qiao mai. $n activatin the Cin -in#in
vessel! the dynamic
polarity of the yin and yang qiao mai is interated! thereby renderin the
interior an interated
whole. $t may be at this point of the evolutionary cycle that one is able to
experience selfreali'ation
as the yin )ei mai enenders interation within oneself.
2010 Thomas Richardson
www.extraordinarychinesemedicine.com
;iure 2@ 7anifestation and self5reali'ation
After activatin the yin )ei mai and interatin the interior! the ying qi
fows into the "an Aiao
channel. Reachin "A 6 /)aiguan 0 )uter 8ass1! it accesses the yang )ei
mai! the CanDGxterior
-in#in vessel. The yang )ei mai may be seen as the eneretic matrix of
oneJs external enery
&eldIno matter whether it extends one inch o= the body or thirty feet
away. This suests that it
is only after the internal interation that one is able to connect to the
exterior! thereby interatin
the inside and the outside and connectin with everythin else in
existence at the level of 3umanity.
This is a connectin of the yang! a weavin toether of the external
eneretic matrix! that is rooted
in and arises from the yin! the internal interation of body and spirit within
the microcosm of the
human body. As noted by 2laude -arre and Glisabeth Rochat de la HallKe!
in referencin the wor#
of ?han ?icon! *This commentator also said that as the qi of yin and
yang qiao are %oined
toether! the exterior and interior are in an exchane and relationship and
penetrate each other.+L
This may be read as suestin that it is only after the %oininDinteration
of the qiao mai /which! in
this model! relates to the activation and function of the yin )ei mai1 that
the yang )ei mai opens to
the exterior and the )ei mai are able to connect with each other and allow
interpenetration of the
inside and the outside. -arre and Rochat also ma#e a comparison between
the qiao and )ei mai@
*(ith the qiao the main idea was puttin in motion! and risin up from the
earth! with a community
of qi within the yin and yang qiao mai! a perpetual compenetration. 3ere
with the )ei mai we have
rather the way to maintain the order because the yin and yang! and all
#inds of yin and all #inds of
yang in the body are maintained in a ood proportion in order to compose
an harmonious unity.+M
2010 Thomas Richardson
www.extraordinarychinesemedicine.com
The "eturn to Quiescence
Returnin to the ying qi cycle! we near the end of our %ourney as the qi
fows into and down throuh
the :all Bladder channel to :B 91 /zulinqi 0 ;oot :overnor of Tears1!
confuent point of the dai
mai! or the BeltD:irdlin Hessel. Activatin the dai mai! one reaches a state
of wholeness. $n this
model! the dai mai acts to brin us full circle! completin the cycle and
brinin one bac# to the
,uiescent state. $t accomplishes this throuh its actions of bindin all of
the meridians and the
external enery &eld! thus astrinin the exterior and holdin everythin
toether at this plane! and
uidin the qi bac# to the "ource.10
$f the yang )ei mai is seen as the eneretic matrix of the enery &eld that
can fex and expand in
relation to oneself and oneJs environment! the dai mai may be seen as
reulatin how much it
expands or contracts.11 The dai mai also binds the ren! chong! and du mai
/aain! at the level of the
lower dantian1 and thus brins us full circle@ bac# to the beinnin of
undi=erentiated oneness that
is refected by the essence before it divides into the primordial yin and
yang! roundin one bac# in
the "ource. As noted by Ae=rey Cuen! the *N!ai &ai is often referred to as
the 7eridian that
maintains the interity of the ;irst Ancestries! that returns the interity@
the %hong in the middle! the
$en in the front! and the !u in the bac#.+12
Thus the dai mai renders the yin and yang aspects of bein /Above and
Below! $nside and )utside1
into a uni&ed whole and allows one to start the cycle aain the next day.
;rom this perspective it is
interestin to note that! in Oeoclassical 8ulse Bianosis! there is a
dominant tendency for
individuals to have a dai mai pulse /which occurs when both middle
positions are the larest1 andDor
a yang )ei mai pulse /when there are ulnar displacements of the proximal
positions with radial
displacements of the distal positions1 accordin to the eiht extraordinary
vessels system! as well as
a tendency for a -iver to -un bloc#ae alon the ying qi cycle.14 These
three pulse patterns
correspond to the end of the ying qi cycle! when one is %ust on the vere of
transitionin bac# to the
interior and pre5heaven state. $n modern society! the individualJs enery is
often *exteriori'ed+ and
drawn outward! and there is diPculty in uidin the qi bac# to the "ource
and returnin to the
,uiescent stateIthus it ma#es sense that many individuals would have
stanations alon these
patterns.
The dai mai! althouh activated at the end of the horary cycle! relates to
the beinninIthus within
the extraordinary vessels there are four nuclear vessels /ren! chong! du!
and dai mai1 that relate to
the ,uiescent state! and they are paired with four peripheral vessels /the
qiao and )ei mai1 that
relate to the activeDmanifest state and expansion from the source
outwards. This perspective also
lends itself to seein how the chong and dai mai ma#e a perfect yin5yang
pair. The chong mai
connects anterior and posterior heaven /ren and du mai1! as it is the
polarity between the two!
whereas the dai mai wraps around the outside and contains them. Aust as
the chong mai! as the
polarity between the ren and the du mai! becomes the lin# between the
,uiescent state and the
dynamic state /movin from pre5heaven to post5heaven1! so too does the
dai mai relate to
movement from the dynamic state bac# to the ,uiescent state! movin
from post5heaven bac# to
pre5heaven.
2010 Thomas Richardson
www.extraordinarychinesemedicine.com
;iure 4@ 2onnectin the interior and exterior and returnin to the "ource
Conclusion
To recap! the ying qi cycle starts by accessin the extraordinary vessels
that have their oriin in the
lower dantianIthe ren! chong! and du maiIand may be said to
correspond to the ,uiescent state.
This is followed by the mobili'ation of the dynamic yin and yang! which
occurs when the qiao mai
are accessed. Thereafter! the interior is lin#ed! consolidated! and
interated by the yin )ei mai!
which then allows one to extend and connect within and without as
represented by the openin of
the yang )ei mai. ;inally! everythin is consolidated! brouht toether!
and reulated by the dai
mai! which also facilitates the return to the "ource! allowin one to start
the cycle aain the next
day.
This cycle of the extraordinary vessels is a refection of the evolution of
consciousness! whereby
everythin oriinates with the "ource and thereafter divides into the
polarity of yin and yang. $t is
this fundamental polarity of yin and yang that ives birth to the 10!000
thins present at the level of
3umanity. After yin and yang arise and bein circulatin and interweavin!
manifestin all of
creation! then they bein to interate and connect with each otherI&rst
interatin Body and "pirit
within oneself! allowin one to be whole in oneself! and thereafter
connectin with everythin else
2010 Thomas Richardson
www.extraordinarychinesemedicine.com
in manifestation. This is the process of vertical and hori'ontal interation!
and corresponds to the
dynamic fow of qi at the level of 3umanity. Throuh this proression! one
eventually returns to a
state of oneness.
As the ying qi fows throuh the horary cycle every 29 hours! the body is
harmoni'ed with the cycle
of the sun and the surroundin universe. The body is a microcosmI%ust as
every day can be
li#ened to a new birth and every niht a death! similarly! as the ying qi
fows throuh the twelve
channels! activatin the extraordinary vessels in this order! so too are we
born each day and formed
from the "ource! connected within ourselves and connected to the
surroundin environment in a
dynamic balance. And thus! in the natural state! the ying qi cycle allows
one to continuously
achieve a reater deree of connection to "ource! interation within
oneself! and connection to the
surroundin environment.
Ac#nowledments
$ would li#e to than# (ill 7orris! 8hB! BA)7! -Ac! and Boan >y! 7Ac)7!
AcA! for their
incredible support! uidance! and editorial assistance! and 7ichael 2orner!
for creatin the
wonderful raphics found within the article.
1 >ii#o 7atsumoto and "tephen Birch. Gxtraordinary Hessels. Broo#line@ 8aradim
8ublications! 1MLF. 8ae 1F.
Also see -onny Aarrett@ #Oote that chongmaiN! one of the eiht extra meridians!
possesses the function of blendin the
infuences of heaven and earth! and yin and yang! as they are mediated by the
conception and overnor vessels!
respectively.+ Oourishin Bestiny@ The $nner Tradition of 2hinese 7edicine. "toc#bride@
"pirit 8ath 8ress! 2009.
8ae L.
2 Alon these lines! it is of note that *taiji+ is sometimes translated as *"upreme 8olarity.+
4 Ae=rey 2. Cuen. 2hannel "ystems of 2hinese 7edicine@ The Giht Gxtraordinary Hessels.
12514 April 2004. Oew
Gnland "chool of Acupuncture! 2ontinuin Gducation Bepartment! 2006. Gdited by
"tephen 3oward. "ee also@ Ben
7in5Bao. "cholar (arrior@ An introduction to the Tao in everyday life. Oew Cor#@
3arper2ollins! 1MM0. $t should be
noted that in other Baoist traditions and Qion practices this is called the zhong mai! or
2entral 7eridian.
9 $t is perhaps for this reason that the chong mai is called the "ea of Blood! the "ea of the
12 channels! and the "ea of the
zangfu. The chong mai is a manifestation of the interplay of the deepest yin and yang!
and it is this fundamental polarity
of yin and yang that ives rise to everythin throuhout the body! %ust as it is the polarity
of 3eaven and Garth in the
macrocosm of the universe that ives rise to the 10!000 thins.
6 As cited in@ :iovanni 7aciocia. ;oundations of 2hinese 7edicine@ A comprehensive text
for acupuncturists and
herbalists. 2nd ed. -ondon@ 2hurchill -ivinstone! 2006. 8ae L21.
F *Nthe qiao mai follow the same pattern as the du mai and ren maiNThey are %ust a
development of the du mai and
ren mai+ 2laude -arre and Glisabeth Rochat de la HallKe. The Giht Gxtraordinary
7eridians. 2ambride@ 7on#ey
8ress! 1MM.. Transcribed and edited by "andra 3ill. 8. 209.
. The relation of the qiao mai to this transformation may also be inferred from the
literature@ *The commentators of the
Oan Ain and other texts suest that the zang and the innermost are irriated by the yin
qiao mai! and the fu are watered
by the yang qiao mai. This is %ust another way to show the total imprenation in the risin
up movement of the yin and
yang of the body.+ $bid. 8. 1.9.
L $bid. 8ae 1L2.
M $bid. 8ae 212.
10 ;or further exploration of these concepts! see@ Thomas Richardson. The Bai 7ai@
Bynamic "tructural "tability and
"pherical $nteration. The American Acupuncturist. Holume 9L. "ummer 200M@ 2L541.
11 *!ai mai is not only a circle but the expression of the volume of the bodyNThe dai mai
comes from within! and
expands! ivin an expansion of volume! and also a limit to this expansion.+ -arre and
Rochat de la HallKe. 8. 169.
12 Ae=rey 2. Cuen. 2hannel "ystems of 2hinese 7edicine@ The Giht Gxtraordinary Hessels.
12514 April 2004. Oew
Gnland "chool of Acupuncture! 2ontinuin Gducation Bepartment! 2006. Gdited by
"tephen 3oward. 8ae 9F.
14 "ee (illiam 7orris. *Giht Gxtra Hessel 8ulse Bianosis@ A 8ath to G=ective Treatment.+
2009. Available at@
http@DDwww.pulsedianosis.comDGihtGxtraordinary8ulseBianosis"ystemof(an"huhe.ht
m.