CV 6 – Sea of Qi (气海, Qì Hǎi)

CV 6 – Sea of Qi (气海, Qì Hǎi)

The Vitality Booster

📍 Location: On the anterior midline, 1.5 cun (~2 finger-widths) below the center of the navel. This is the 6th point on the Conception Vessel (Ren Mài), the body’s primary Yin channel that nourishes all organs.

Name story:

“Sea” = a vast reservoir
“Qi” = life energy
→ “Sea of Qi” = the body’s central power-bank where original energy is stored and replenished.

🎯 Benefits

  • Recharges overall vitality; eases chronic fatigue & low immunity
  • Warms the center: alleviates cold limbs, abdominal chill, and weak digestion
  • Supports healthy digestion: bloating, loose stools, poor appetite
  • Regulates menstruation & fertility; relieves cold-type cramps
  • Firms the lower abdomen: mild prolapse, urinary leakage, postpartum weakness
  • Calms anxiety from deficiency by anchoring breath in the dāntián

🔥 Energetic Power of CV 6

  • Governs Original Qi & Kidney-Yang → fuels every organ, like the main battery
  • Close to the Water element (Kidneys) → warms when weak, cools when balanced
  • Ren channel harmonizes Yin & Yang → CV 6 becomes a grand traffic hub where energies meet and redistribute
  • Strengthens the Lower Dāntián → foundation for Qigong, Taiji, martial arts stability

✋ How to Use

  1. Lie or sit comfortably; place two–three fingers on the point.
  2. Press gently but firmly while breathing into the lower belly for 30 s – 1 min.
  3. Feel a warm, expanding sensation; repeat 2-3 × daily.
  4. Moxa option: hover a mild moxa stick 2-3 cm above the point for 5 min to enhance warmth.

❗ Cautions

  • Pregnancy: use only very light touch; avoid strong needling or deep pressure.
  • Skip during high fever or acute heat conditions.
  • Wait 30 min after a big meal or empty a full bladder first.

💡 Tips & Pairings

  • Pair CV 6 with ST 36 (“Leg Three Miles”) to super-charge energy & immunity.
  • Combine with CV 4 (“Gate of Origin”) for chronic yang or fertility weakness.
  • Try slow belly breathing: imagine drawing fresh Qi into a glowing pearl behind CV 6 to settle the mind and stabilize posture.

🔍 Fun Fact:

Internal-arts practitioners call this point the “front gate” of the Lower Dāntián. Training to keep awareness here lowers your center of gravity—great for martial balance and graceful movement.