OM CLINICAL MEDICINE
The Ying Qi Cycle and the Diurnal Evolutionary
Unfoldment of the Extraordinary Vessels
By Thomas Richardson
This article examines the relationship of
the ying qi cycle to the extraordinary vessels.
The ying qi cycle reveals the relationship of
the extraordinary vessels to the evolution of
consciousness, ß-om the source, breaking into yin
and yang. and creating the rest of manifesta-
tion. The ying qi cycle allows us to deepen our
connection to the source and achieve greater
integration within ourselves and with every-
thing else manifest at the level of humanity.
T he ying qi cycle begins by accessing the
extraordinary vessels that originate in the
lower dantian—the ren, chong, and du mai—
which correspond to the quiescent state, the
deep, interior reservoir from which all life
springs forth). The dynamic yin and yang are
mobilized when the qiao mai are accessed.
The yin wei mai integrate the interior,
allowing us to extend and connect within and
without, as represented by the opening of the
yang wei mai. Finally, everything is brought
together and regulated by the dai mai, which
facilitates the return to the source to start
the cycle again the next day. This cycle of qi
through the extraordinary vessels reflects the
evolution of consciousness—everything origi-
nates with the source and then divides into
yin and yang, which give birth to the 10,000
things present at the level of humanity,
eventually returning to a state of oneness.
The ying qi flows through the horary cycle
every 24 hours, harmonizing the body with
the cycle of the sun and the surrounding
universe. The body is a microcosm—just as
every day is a new birth, and every night a
death, the ying qi flows through the twelve
channels, activating the extraordinary vessels
in a particular order. We are born each day,
formed from the source, integrated within
ourselves, and connected to the surrounding
environment in a dynamic balance. The ying
qi cycle allows us to continuously achieve
a greater connection to source, integration
within ourselves, and connection to our
environment.
The YingQl Flow
The ying qi flows through the twelve primary
channels, corresponding with the horary
clock and the cycles of day and night. As ying first six primary channels corresponding
qi flows through the channels, it follows the
cycle of birth, transformation, and death, as
the sun is bom each morning and dies each
night. As ying qi flows through the chan-
nels, it activates the points it flows through,
gradually opening the body and allowing for
the integration of body and spirit, enhancing
awareness, self-realization, and connection
between above and below, and inside and
outside.
When I first began learning the channels
and points, I practiced feeling the flow of
qi through the channels as it activated each
point and opened the channel. One night,
out on a run, I began to run through the
channels again, something I had not done
in quite awhile. As I traveled down the Lung
channel, I reached LU-7 (lieque, Broken
Sequence). Thinking to myself, "Confluent
point of the ren," suddenly I felt the ren mai
light up. I began to wonder how and in
what order the extraordinary vessels would
open as I continued to flow through the
channels. I found that the order in which
the confluent points of the extraordinary
vessels are accessed suggests an underlying
coherency and structure in the nature of the
vessels themselves, and in their relation to
the primary channels and the evolution of
consciousness
The Quiescent State
We begin our journey through the channels
with the Lung Channel of Hand Taiyin. The
Lung meridian begins the cycle of ying qi
through the twelve channels and corresponds
to 3-5am, the pre-dawn of a new day.
Starting in the middle ¡iao and emerging at
LU-1 {zhongfu. Middle Palace), the qi flows
through the meridian and reaches LU-7, the
confluent point of the ren mai. Continuing,
the qi travels up the Large Intestine channel
to the nose, then moves into the Stomach
channel and flows all the way down to the
feet, crossing over into the Spleen channel.
As it starts flowing up the Spleen channel,
we come to SP-4 (^ongsun, Grandfather
Grandson), confluent point of the chong mai.
From the Spleen channel the qi flows into
the Heart channel until reaching the Small
Intestine channel and the confluent point
of the du mai, SI-3 (houxi. Back Stream),
completing the first half of the cycle—the
to the horary cycle from 3am to 3pm, and
V O L U M E ¿0 N O
the opening of the first three extraordinary
vessels—the ren, chong, and du mal. These
three vessels are all said to start in the lower
dantion, and to be three branches of one
vessel. Thus, they correspond to the source,
the undifferentiated oneness, as it begins to
form into yin and yang in the microcosm of
the human body. These three vessels may be
referred to as the quiescent state, the interior
reservoir from which all life springs forth.
The ren and du mai correspond to the
polarity of yin and yang in the channel
system, with the chong mai connecting them.
As noted by Kiiko Matsumoto and Stephen
Birch, Li Shi Zhen stated: 'The ren mai and
du mai make contact together at the chong
mai." Matsumoto and Birch go on to say, "He
explains this statement by noting that the ren
mai and du mai are the fundamental divisions
of yin and yang in the body. The chong mai
insures the inseparability of oneness of the ren
and du mai, the yin and yang functions."'
When the oneness splits into two, it creates
a polarity. But even though there is a distinc-
tion between yin and yang, they are always
part of one integrated whole—something
simultaneously connects and separates them.'
)ust as humanity is found between heaven and
earth, the chong mai is found between the ren
and du mai. Tibetan medicine and Daoist texts
discuss a branch of the chong mai (sometimes
referred to as the pre-heaven chong mai) that
runs straight through the center of the body,
from REN-1 (huiyin. Meeting of Yin) to DU-20
(baihui. Hundred Meetings), connecting the
three dantian and anterior/posterior, heaven.'
All the other extraordinary vessels are
created from this original division of the
oneness into yin and yang, and the chong
mo/connection between them.'* Li Shi Zhen
wrote, "The extraordinary vessels are the
root of the Great Avenue of Pre-Heaven,
the Governing, Directing
and Penetrating Vessels
[Du-Ren-Chong Mai\
are the Source of
Creation."^
Figure l:The
quiescent
state
2 • FALL'WINTtR 2009 23
 The Second Half of the Horary Cycle:
Movement, Manifestation, and
Integration
In the second half of the cycle, the ying qi
enters the Urinary Bladder channel and the
second six primary channels, corresponding
to the time period from 3pm to 3am. Along
the Urinary Bladder channel, we come to
BL-62 (shenntai. Extending Vessel), the
confluent point of the yang qiao mai, the
Yang Motility vessel, and move from the
quiescent state into the dynamic phase
of movement and manifestation. BL-62 is
coupled with SI-3, confluent point of the
du mai, the Sea of Yang. The dynamic yang
arises out of the quiescent yang. The yang
qiao mai arises from the du mai.^ The du mai
is the yin within yang of the two channels,
pertaining to the deep, interior, quiescent
state of yong, and the yang qiao mai is
the yang within yang, pertaining to the
relatively more exterior, active state of yang
within the body.
The ying qi then flows into the Kidney
channel and reaches KID-6 {zhaohal.
Shining Sea), the confluent point of the
yin qiao mai, or Yin Motility vessel. KID-6 is
paired with LU-7, the confluent point of the
ren mai. The dynamic yir\ arises from the
quiescent yin. The ren mai pertains to the
yin within yin of the two coupled channels,
the interior, quiescent state of yin, and the
yin qiao mai pertains to the yang within yin,
the relatively more exterior, dynamic state
of yin.
In basic Chinese physiology, essence
must first transform into yin and yang
to nourish and sustain the function and
structure of the human being. In the daily
cycle of the extraordinary vessels, this
mobilization of yin and yang corresponds to
the opening of the qiao mai. At this point
in the cycle, yin and yang are moving,
circulating, and manifesting, creating the
energetic polarity of body and spirit (jing
and shen) throughout the body.
The ying qi flows through the rest of the
Kidney channel and into the Pericardium
channel, to the yin ive/mo/confluent point,
P-6 (neiguan. Inner Cate). P-6 is coupled
with SP-4, confluent point of the chong
mai. lust as the yin and yang qiao mai arise
from the quiescent yang and yin of the
du and ren mai, the yin wei mai appears to
arise from the chong mai. It is the polarity
between the yin and yang qiao mai mirrors
the chong mai polarity between the ren
and du mai. In activating the Yin Linking
vessel, the dynamic polarity of the yin and
24 CALIFORNIA JOURNAL OF ORIENTAL
yang qiao mai are integrated, integrating
the interior. It may be at this point of
the evolutionary cycle that one is able to
experience self-realization as the yin wei mai
engenders integration within oneself.
Figure 2: Manifestation and
self-realization
After activating the yin wei mai and
integrating the interior, the ying qi flows
into the San )iao channel to S| 5 (waiguan.
Outer Pass), where it accesses the yang
wei mai, the Vang/Exterior Unking vessel.
The yang wei mai may be seen as the
energetic matrix of the body's external
energy field, suggesting that only after
intemal integration can we connect to
the exterior, integrate the inside and the
outside, and connect with everything else.
This connecting of the yang, a weaving
together of the external energetic matrix,
is rooted in and arises from the yin, the
internal integration of body and spirit
within the microcosm of the human body.
As noted by Claude Larre and Elisabeth
Rochat de la Vallée, referencing the work
of Zhang Zicong, "This commentator also
said that as the qi of yin and yang qiao are
joined together, the exterior and interior
are in an exchange and relationship and
penetrate each other." This may be read
as suggesting that only after the joining
and integration of the qiao mai (which, in
this model, relates to the activation and
function of the yin wei mai) does the yang
wei mai opens to the exterior and the wei
MEDICINE
mai are able to connect with each other and
allow interpénétration of the inside and the
outside. Comparing the qiao and wei mai,
Larre and Rochat write, "With the qiao the
main idea was putting in motion, and rising
up from the earth, with a community of qi
within the yin and yang qiao mai, a perpetual
compenetration. Here with the wei mai we
have rather the way to maintain the order
because the yin and yang, and all kinds of
yin and al! kinds of yang in the body are
maintained in a good proportion in order to
compose an harmonious unity."'
The Return to Quiescence
As we near the end of our journey, the qi
flows into the Call Bladder channel to CB-41
(zulinqi. Foot Covernor of Tears), confluent
point of the dai mal, or Belt/Girdling Vessel.
Activating the dai mai, one reaches a state of
wholeness. The dai mai brings us full circle,
completing the cycle and bringing us back to
the quiescent state. The dai mai binds all the
meridians and the external energy field, and
guides the qi back to the source.'"
If the yang wei mai is the energetic matrix
of the energy field that can flex and expand
in relation to oneself and one's environment,
the da; mai may be seen as regulating how
much it expands or contracts." The dai mai
binds the ren, chong, and du mai at the level
of the lower dantian and brings us full circle,
back to the beginning. As noted by Jeffrey
Yuen, the "...Dai Mai is often referred to as
the Meridian that maintains the integrity of
the First Ancestries, that returns the integrity;
the Chong in the middle, the Ren in the front,
and the Du in the back.'"''
The dai mai, although activated at the end
of the horary cycle, relates to the beginning.
The four nuclear extraordinary vessels—
ren, chong, du, and dai ma/—relate to the
quiescent state, and they are paired with
the four peripheral extraordinary vessels, the
qiao and wei mai, which relate to activity and
expansion from the source outwards. The
chong and dai mai make a perfect yin-yang
pair—the chong mai connects anterior and
posterior heaven (ren and du mal), while
the dai mai wraps around the outside and
contains them. The chong mai. as the
polarity between the ren and the du mai,
links the quiescent and dynamic state, while
the dai mai links the dynamic state back to
the quiescent state. The dai mai renders the
yin and yang aspects of being (above and
below, inside and outside) into a unified
whole and allows one to start the cycle again
the next day.
Comtnued on page 27
 o M CLINICAL

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V O L U M E 20 N O . 2 • F A L t / W l N T E R 2009 25

ling Qi Cycle continued from page 24
Figure 3: Connecting the interior and
exterior and returning to the source
Yang Wei
Thomas Richardson lives in Austin, Texas,
when he studies Oriental medicine and
Westem herbalism. For the last three years,
he has studied pulse diagnosis under Will
Morris, PhD, DAOM. LAc. Thomas is
available to teach seminars on Neoclassical
Pulse Diagnosis and Extraordinary Chinese
Medicine, and can be contacted at tomas-
richardson<ë^hotmail. com.
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Modem TCM Treatments for
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Neuroiogicai Conditions
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the deepest yin and yang, and It is this fundamental polarity the Acupuncture Department, YueYang
ol yin and yang that gives rise to everything throughout the Hospital in Shanghai, China
body, just as it is the polarily of Heaven and Earth in
the macrocosm of Ihe universe that gives rise to Ihe Dates: January 30-31, 2010
10,000 things. Time: 9 am - 5:30 pm
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Treating Infertiiity
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the TCM OB/CYN Department, YueYang
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jlng and other lents suggest thai Ihe zang and Ihe innermost
are irrigated by the yin qiao mai, and the tu are watered by
Time: 9 am - 5:30 pm
the yang qiao moi. This is just another way to show the total CEUs: 15 (pending)
Impregnation in the rising up movement ol the yin and yang
of Ihe body." Ibid., p. 174. Effective Weight Loss Strategies for
8./twd., p. 182.
Your Ciients
9. iWd., p. 212.
with lim Cross, ND, LAc
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dynamic structural stability and spherical integralion. The Date: TBA
American AcupuncHinsl. 2009; 48:28-31,
Time: 9 am - 5:30pm
11. "Doi mai is not only a circle but the expression of the
votumeofthebody.. The doi mai comes Irom within, and CEUs: 7.5 (pending)
expands, giving an expansion of volume, and alio a limit to
To Register: Visit our website
this expansion." Larre, op. cit., p. 154.
12. Yuen \. Channel Systems ol Chinese Medicine: The light www.ACTCM.edu,
Extraordinary Vessels. Watertown, ^ M : New England Schock of caii (415) 282 7600x23,
Acupuncture; 2003:46.
or emaii us at CEU@actcm.edu
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