Reiki and Chakras

There is much confusion about Reiki and Chakras. Most Reiki Masters / Teachers will teach students about the Chakra system. However, Chakra is a Sanskrit term and as we all know, Reiki is a Japanese system.

chakra |ˈtʃʌkrə|

noun
(in Indian thought) each of the centers of spiritual power in the human body, usually considered to be seven in number.
ORIGIN from Sanskrit cakra ‘wheel or circle,’ from an Indo-European base meaning ‘turn,’ shared by wheel.

For those who are not familiar with the Meridian System I would like to introduce* you to the most important Acupuncture / Acupressure energy points relevant to Reiki. If you are familiar with the Charka system you will see how these overlap and why some people prefer to just use / teach the Chakra System.

* In this blog entry I’m just going to focus on where some of the most important energy points are located on the body.

Before we start, a quick note about the measurement system used when working with the energy points.

In Acupuncture, Acupressure and Shiatsu the body is measured not in absolute units, but in the relative, proportional units of a given person. The distances are determined by anatomical-topographical landmarks. The basic unit of measurement is the cun (寸 cùn). The measurements are obtained from the measurements of the thumb and fingers of the person/patient.

Cun

1 cun = The width of the thumb at the level of the interphalangeal joint.
1.5 cun = The width of the index and middle fingers at the level of the interphalangeal joint.
3 cun = The width of the four fingers held together at the level of the proximal interphalangeal joint of the longer fingers.

The two main Meridian Lines are Ren Mai (Conception Vessel — front of the body) and Du Mai (Governing Vessel — back of the body).

Ren Mai

Ren Mai

RN1 (會陰 huì yīn – Meeting of Yin) energy point, located on the midline, at the midpoint between the anus and the dorsal commissure of the major labia, or the posterior border of the scrotum.

[Men] RN3 (中極 zhōng jí – Middle Pole) energy point, located on the ventral midline, 4 cun below the umbilicus, 1 cun above the superior border of the pubic bone.

[Women] RN4 (關元 guān yuán – Gate of Origin) energy point, located on the veneral midline, 3 cun below the umbilicus, 2 cun above the superior border of the pubic bone.

RN6 (氣海 qì hǎi – Sea of Ki) energy point, located on the ventral midline, 1.5 cun below the umbilicus.

RN8 (神闕 shén quē – Spirit Gateway) energy point, located in the umbilicus.

RN12 (中脘 zhōng guǎn – Middle Cavity) energy point, located on the ventral midline, 4 cun above the umbilicus.

RN17 (羶中 shān zhōng – Chest Centre) energy point, located on the ventral midline, at the level of the fourth intercostal rib, at the midpoint between the nipples.

RN21 (璿璣 xuán jī – Jade Pivot) energy point, located on the ventral midline, 1 cun below the suprasternal notch.

RN22 (天突 tiān tū – Heavenly Prominence) energy point, located in the middle of the suprasternal fossa.

Du Mai

Du Mai

DU1 (長強 cháng qiáng – Long Strong (Sacrum Pump)) energy point, located on the midline, in the centre between the tip of the coccyx and the anus.

DU3 (腰陽關 yāo yáng guān – Lumbar Yang Gate) energy point, located on the dorsal midline, in the depression below the fourth lumbar vetebra (L4).

DU4 (命門 mìng mén – Gate of Life) energy point, located on the dorsal midline, in the depression below the second lumbar vertebra (L2).

DU6 (脊中 jí zhōng – Centre of the Spine) energy point, located on the dorsal midline in the depression below the eleventh thoracic vertebra (T11).

DU11 (神道 shén dào – Spirit Pathway) energy point, located on the dorsal midling, in the depression below the fifth thoracic vertebra (T5).

DU14 (大椎 dà zhuī – Great Vertebra) energy point, located on the dorsal midline, in the depression below the seventh cervical vertebra (C7).

DU17 (腦戶 nǎo hù – Brain’s Door) energy point, located on the dorsal midline, 2.5 cun within the midpoint of the posterior hairline, in the depression a the superior border of the external occipital protuberance.

DU18 (強間 qiáng jiān – Unyielding Space) energy point, located on the dorsal midline, 4 cun within the midpoint of the posterior hairline, 1.5 cun cranial to Du17.

DU20 (百會 bǎi huì – Hundred Meetings) energy point, located on the dorsal midline, 5 cun within the midpoint of the ideal anterior hairline at the midpoint between the two auricular apices.

Kidney Line

KI1 (涌泉 yǒng quán – Gushing Spring) energy points located in the depression formed in the anterior part of the sole, approximately one third of the distance from the anterior and posterior aspect of the sole.

Face points Side of Head Back of head

Extra Head and Neck Points

EX-HN3 (印堂 yìn táng – Hall of Impression) energy point, located on the ventral midline, between the eyebrows.

EX-HN4 (魚腰 yú yāo – Fish Waist) energy points, located directly above the pupil, in the eyebrow.

EX-HN5 (太陽 tài yáng – Supreme Yang) energy points located in the depression approximately one middle finger width dorsal to the midpoint between the lateral border of the eyebrow and the outer canthus of the eye.

Bladder Line

BL1 (睛明 jīng míng – Bright Eyes) energy points, located in the depression 0.1 cun medial and superior to the inner canthus of your eyes.

BL2 (攢竹 cuán zhú – Gathered Bamboo) energy points, located at the medial end of the eyebrow in the incisura frontalis.

BL9 (玉枕 yù zhěn – Jade Pillow) energy points, located 2.5 cun within the ideal posterior hairline, at the level of the upper ridge of the external occipital protuberance, 1.5 cun lateral to the midline.

BL10 (天柱 tiān zhù – Celestial Pillar) energy points, located 0.5 cun within the ideal anterior hairline, 1.3 cun lateral to the midline in the depression at the lateral edge of the trapezius muscle.

BL40 (委中 wěi zhōng – Middle of the Crook) energy points, located in the middle of the popliteal crease.

San Jiao line

SJ17 (翳風 yì fēng – Wind Screen) energy points located dorsal to the earlobe, in the depression between the mastoid process and the lower jaw.

SJ23 (絲竹空 sī zhú kōng – Silken Bamboo Hollow) energy points, located on the posterior border were the temple meets the hairline, ventral to the anterior border of the root of the ear muscle, dorsal to the superficial temporal vein.

Gallbladder line

GB1 (瞳子髎 tóng zǐ liáo – Pupil Cervice) energy points, located 0.5 cun lateral to the outer canthus of the eye, in the depression at the lateral end of the orbit.

Stomach line

ST1 (承泣 chéng qì – Container of Tears) energy points, located directly below the pupil, between the eyeball and inferior infraorbital foramen.

Large Intestine line

LI20 (迎香 yíng xiāng – Welcome Fragrance) energy points, located in the naso-labial groove, near the midpoint of the lateral border of the ala nasi (wing of the nose).

Extra Leg and Foot line

EX-LF2 (鶴頂 hè dǐng – Crane’s Summit) energy points, located in the depression in the middle of the superior border of the patella.