The Chong Mai –The Central Pillar
At the very core of our body, at the depths of both our physical and our energetic bodies, lies our central channel known as the Chong Mai. In Chinese medical theory we roughly translate this as the thrusting or penetrating vessel but it also goes by many other names. In the Chinese martial arts it is referred to as the Taiji Pole and in Tantric and Yogic traditions it’s known as the Sushumna Nadi. In some Western esoteric traditions it is often equated to the Pillar of light (!) and it is even recognised and utilised as the centre-line in the sport of boxing.
Whilst it may be known by very many different names, the pathway of this channel is largely agreed upon. It runs from the perineum, (Ren 1 in acupuncture) straight up through the middle of the body and up to the crown at top of the head, (Du 20) and even beyond. Along its pathway within the Chinese model sit the three Dan Tian energy centres. These are like energetic transistors which we can work with to transform our inner energetic environment. It is via the Chong Mai that this transformation and transmutation takes place.
Within Chinese medicine the Chong Mai is one of the eight extraordinary vessels. These are the congenital meridians that sit at a deeper level than the regular twelve organ meridians and the Chong Mai is the deepest of the lot. It is therefore regarded with the utmost of importance. It is known as the first channel that comes in to existence at the moment of conception and as such brings with it the genetic blueprint from our parents, along with any generational traits and traumas.
As it is the meridian at the innermost core of our being it is not one that is that easily accessible. The shallower organ meridians are much easier to detect sensation along but to get to the Chong Mai you have to go deeper, both physically and metaphorically. Long-term meditators or practitioners of Taiji may feel it begin to open and eventually it can become like a pole which the rest of the body can hang off of. At this stage the practices become a lot less physically demanding as you no longer need to use the muscles to hold you up.
Within acupuncture we can access the Chong Mai through the use of the points Spleen 4 and Pericardium 6. Another term for the Chong Mai is the Sea of Blood, as it is also seen as a store house for the blood’s energy. If someone has a weakened blood energy, the type you might find in an anaemic vegetarian, then using these points can have dramatic effect on revitalising the blood and therefore the whole of the body. It also runs through the uterus and its location, along with its blood tonification properties, means that opening up the Chong Mai can be very useful for assisting fertility.
Further investigation of the Chong Mai reveals that the central pillar is only just one pathway of its entirety. It also has side branches and off shoots that run down the centre of the arms and legs and up through the spine, so that there is barely any part of the body that it doesn’t reach. Hence one of its translations being the penetrating vessel.
But it doesn’t just stop there. The Chong Mai is not necessarily confined to the boundaries of the physical body. Being our direct connection to the Yin of the Earth and the Yang of the Heavens, it has the capacity to extend outwards both up and down and linking us to the wider cosmos. And for those who have the energy, skill and dedication to work with opening up the Chong Mai fully, then it’s even possible create a kind of spiritual antennae that can receive divine information from the Dao itself.