The neck is often a focal point for people and their well-being. Keeping the neck flexible and allowing proper circulation is important to overall health as well as connecting the neck and body. There are many acupressure points in the neck and one of my favourites is Gall Bladder 20, which is also within the Safety Energy Lock 4. These two work on different levels and together bring balance in different ways. Gall bladder 20 and SEL 4, due to their location, are also easy to reach and so, easy for us to work with.
Feng Chi, Wind Pool, Gall Bladder 20
Gall Bladder 20 is called Feng Chi (translated to Wind Pool) . It’s also known as “Wind Pathogens“, a factor for colds, etc. This is why TCM practitioners and Asian moms like mine remind us to cover up our necks with scarfs.
This acupuncture point is located where the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles meet and within the sub-occipital muscles near the base of the skull. You can find GB 20 in the small indents on both sides of the vertebrae in the neck. GB20 regulates energy flow, disperses wind, and promotes equilibrium and mental clarity.
GB20 is known for helping with tension, headaches, neck stiffness, vertigo, common cold, runny nose, allergies, blurry vision, sinus obstruction, and insomnia. It also relaxes the nervous system and relieves stress.
Gently massaging GB20 and then moving below to Bladder 10 is suggested for relieving neck pain.
safety Energy Lock 4
Jin Shin Jyutsu is a system of 26 Safety Energy Locks in the body. Each one is a three-dimensional sphere of energy the size of the person’s paw or the animal’s paw, hoof, etc. Located at the base of the skull on the occipital bones, Safety Energy Lock 4 is called “The Window”. This is where the light and air enter the body and the bridge between the non-physical and physical.
Other names for SEL4 are: Weaving Princess and the Measuring Intelligence.
SEL4 is also called General Manager. it supports the lung, heart, throat, sinus, eyes, vision, and bilateral harmonization. The left 4 helps with the right eye. It also clears the body, from head to toe and toe to head. Exhale begins at this Safety Energy lock, moves over the head, down the back of the body, and out at Safety Energy Lock 7, at the bottom of the big toe.
You can work with SEL4 in these ways (and switch to the other side):
- place your fingers on the occipital bones (right hand on right 4 and left hand on left 4)
- place your left fingers on the right 4, palm on the back of the neck, and your right fingers on right 21, which is beneath the cheek) – this placement helps with the eyes
- hold the ring finger which corresponds to SEL4
- place your right fingers on left 4 and left fingers on the left side of the chest
Sometimes I massage my GB20 and sometimes I open my Safety Energy Lock 4. Oftentimes I do the Self Help for the Gall Bladder Adjustment Flow. While SEL4 is not one of the steps, it is on the pathway of organ function. After learning the technical side, it’s about exploring by following our intuition and listening to our body. Because the mind and body are connected, balancing anywhere in the body has effects on the whole. Perhaps it’s a starting point that leads to further investigation. Perhaps it’s where you stay for a while.
