Answers to Questions on Contemplative Practice of the Four Foundations of Mindfulness 16

Answer: This is because the qi in your body is blocked in the triangular area of your lower buttocks—that is, at the Baliao points (BL31–34)—with stagnation around the hip bones, so the qi and blood cannot pass through. Generally, it is cold-damp qi and waste matter causing the blockage. You may try the following methods to address it:

1. Ocean-swaying exercise. When sitting in full lotus, do the ocean-swaying movement: first sway forward, then backward, doing both clockwise and counterclockwise directions, pressing and releasing alternately. This can open the channels of qi and blood and expel the stagnation.

2. Use acupuncture needles on the blocked points to open up the obstructed areas, combined with methods such as ocean-swaying and standing meditation (zhan zhuang). Relatively speaking, acupuncture works rather quickly.

3. Massage. In the triangular area of the lower back and at the Baliao points, massage repeatedly with mugwort essential oil ointment.

4. At the Weizhong points (BL40) behind both knees, use a small, not-too-hard stick to apply pressing and kneading massage to promote the smooth circulation of qi and blood. The lower back, legs, and hip bones all have stagnation and all need massage. You can also tap your legs with a loose fist; both the gallbladder meridian and the liver meridian along the inner and outer sides of the thighs should be tapped and massaged, so that the qi and blood can pass through more easily.

5. Apply moxibustion appropriately on the key points to dispel the cold-damp qi, and the meridians will become unobstructed.

6. Another method is bigu (grain avoidance/fasting), letting the body regulate itself. The cold-damp stagnation will all be eliminated, the lower back and legs will become supple, and sitting cross-legged will no longer be strenuous. It is suggested that after a while, when the temperature is not too hot, you can do bigu again to regulate the body. Doing bigu two or three times a year will bring the body to a very well-conditioned state.