K-1 or "Bubbling Spring" is an acupuncture point that’s highly effective at treating a common pattern in today’s society – that of excess energy rising. Symptoms of this pattern include headaches, insomnia, anxiety, agitation, and hot flashes. We commonly experience this pattern under conditions of prolonged stress or overwork and fatigue.
In Chinese Medicine, the Kidney energetic system (Kidneys with a capital “K”) helps ground and root our energy. The Kidney energetic system encompasses much more than the kidney organs themselves. It’s responsible for overall longevity, the health of our constitution, and how well we can fight off disease. It’s like a battery and provides energy for our body. It’s the basis for all the fluids in our body. The robustness of this system is determined by our genetics. The Kidney energy naturally declines with age. It’s also compromised by working too much, fear, or stress. It helps provide our root - for physical, mental, and emotional stability.
When the Kidney energy diminishes, it isn’t able to restrain the Yang energy of the body. The Yang is heat, which rises up to the head. It can lead to symptoms like anxiety, agitation, restlessness, frustration, headaches and migraines, dizziness, epilepsy, high blood pressure, neck and shoulder tension, hot flashes, and rosacea. These are conditions of too much heat in the head, often due to the energy not being grounded adequately. This pattern is described as an excess above and deficiency below.
A great point to treat this pattern is K-1 “Bubbling Spring”. This point is located on the soles of the feet, in the depression where the two balls of the feet come together. This point has the action of reducing blood pressure and calming the spirit. It helps the Yang (heat) energy descend down and helps the Yin (water) energy go up. It has the ability to root and ground our energy.
This point can be stimulated by rubbing it in small circles for 1-2 minutes. You can also tap on it with the unfurled end of a paperclip for 1-2 minutes. It’s also helpful to stimulate this point with heat. For insomnia, do a hot foot bath and massage this point before bed. You can hold this point on children who are overactive or have insomnia.
A useful Qi Gong exercise is to inhale and exhale through the K-1/Bubbling Spring point. Stand in a relaxed position, feet shoulder width apart. Visualize inhaling earth energy up through K-1 to the low abdomen and exhaling excess heat and stagnant energy down through K-1 into the earth. Do this for several minutes. Taking deep slow diaphragmatic breaths while doing this visualization will deepen the calming effect of the exercise. Feel your energy root into the ground. The name of the point, Bubbling Spring, refers to the tingling sensation we get when we focus on moving energy through the point.
