The Sea Bottom Must Open: Unveiling the Secrets of the Huiyin Point

The Huiyin point, a vital acupoint on the body's Conception Vessel, is also known by the names Cuan, Xiaji, and Pingyi. Huiyin, as its name suggests, is the place where the qi of the yin meridians converges. This point lies in a straight line with the Baihui point at the crown of the head, forming a channel for the body's essence, qi, and spirit — and is regarded as a key acupoint for longevity. Huiyin, as the name again implies, is where the yin meridians' qi gathers. The point aligns vertically with Baihui at the crown, serving as the passageway through which the body's essence, qi, and spirit flow. Baihui connects upward to receive the qi of heaven; Huiyin connects downward to gather the qi of earth. The two depend on one another and answer each other, governing the orderly circulation of true qi along the Conception and Governor Vessels and maintaining the body's inner balance of yin, yang, qi, and blood. It is a vital hub for the activities of life itself.

This point is also called the Sea-Bottom point, Yin Qiao point, Life-and-Death Aperture, and Root Chakra. Anatomically, it sits at the center of the bulbospongiosus muscle, with the superficial and deep transverse perineal muscles on either side; internally it contains branches of the perineal arteries and veins and is served by branches of the pudendal nerve. Beyond what anatomy reveals, the Root Chakra (Huiyin point) holds many further mysteries of the human body and has long been esteemed by both Esoteric Buddhist and Daoist traditions. Chinese medicine teaches: when the sea bottom remains closed, the Conception and Governor Vessels cannot flow freely. Li Shizhen said: "Once this vessel moves, all hundred vessels open." Open the sea bottom, and every acupoint opens; clear the central channel, and all hundred vessels open.

On the Huiyin Point (Root Chakra)

——The Source of the Body's Heat Energy

According to the principles of qigong acupoint therapy, regularly pressing and kneading the Huiyin point can clear blockages in the body's channels, encourage the meeting and circulation of yin and yang qi, and exert a unique effect on regulating physiological and reproductive functions. Massaging the Huiyin point can also help with conditions such as impotence, premature ejaculation, hemorrhoids, bloody stool, constipation, gynecological disorders, frequent urination, and suffocation from drowning.

Pairings: Huiyin with Shenmen treats mania and epilepsy; with Shuigou (Renzhong) treats drowning-related suffocation; with the Shixuan points for emergency revival of the unconscious; with Ligou treats genital itching and pain (damp-heat pouring downward); with Guilai and Baihui treats prolapse (sinking of middle qi); with Chengshan treats hemorrhoids and rectal prolapse; with Zhigou and Shangjuxu treats constipation; with Zhongji treats enuresis and urinary dysfunction; with Guanyuan treats seminal emission.

Self-care methods. First, the acupoint-pressing method: before sleep, recline in a half-lying, half-sitting posture. Place the index finger on top of the middle finger and use the tip of the middle finger to tap and press the Huiyin point 108 times, working up to a feeling of soreness. Second, the mind-focusing method: any posture will do. Relax the whole body and concentrate the mind on the Huiyin point, holding your attention there for about fifteen minutes. With sustained practice, a surge of true qi will arise at the point, along with a sensation of the body becoming light, hollow, and at ease — supremely comfortable. Third, the kidney-lifting and orifice-contracting method: stand with the whole body relaxed. As you inhale, draw the lower abdomen inward and lift the anus upward (as if restraining a bowel movement); the Huiyin lifts and draws inward with it. As you exhale, let the abdomen expand and release the Huiyin and anus. Do thirty-six breath cycles in total.

Esoteric tradition holds that within the Huiyin point (Root Chakra) of the human body sleeps a serpent of tremendous power, coiled in three and a half loops with its head hanging downward. Once awakened, this serpent releases a powerful surge of "spiritual heat" (also known as tummo or psychic force), granting the practitioner robust health, extraordinary energy, and wondrous, seemingly superhuman abilities.

Hence the saying from yoga: "Only one who has grasped the secret of this fire can truly be called an awakened one."

Internal cultivation allows this energy to grow and strengthen. Until it awakens, internal practice depends entirely on each individual's effort and will, so progress is inevitably difficult. But once awakened, internal practice transforms; the cultivation itself is then fueled by an inexhaustible inner source. From this we see that the Root Chakra (Huiyin point) is the foundational chakra — the source from which the body's heat energy is supplied. It is closely connected with the gonads and with kidney function.

The Strategic Pass for Opening the Body's Channels

The Daoists, too, have explored the sea bottom extensively. Zhang Ziyang particularly emphasized the efficacy of this point. In his Classic of the Eight Vessels, he wrote: "The Yin Qiao vessel appears in elixir literature under many names… it ascends to the Mud Pill Palace (the upper dantian) and passes down through the Yongquan point. The gathering and dispersing of true qi all revolve around this gateway; the tailbone channel circulates through the whole body in unbroken flow. When harmonious qi rises upward, yang waxes and yin wanes; fire blazes within the water, flowers open amid the snow. Roaming freely between the Heavenly Root and the Lunar Cavern, all thirty-six palaces fill with spring. Whoever attains this enjoys a healthy, robust body and a youthful countenance. It lies in front of the tailbone at the earthly region, behind the bladder, beneath the small intestine, above the spirit turtle. This is the root of the daily vital qi born of heaven and earth — the place where lead (primordial yang) is generated." In Life and Destiny Methods Clearly Pointed Out, written by Zhao Bichen (the Qianfeng elder) of the Daoist Longmen school, ten detailed steps for opening the Eight Extraordinary Vessels are laid out. Each step revolves around the Huiyin point (Root Chakra), driving qi to circulate up and down, and front to back, through the eight vessels. Hence the Huiyin point (Root Chakra) is called the common root of the eight vessels. For more, follow the Xiuxingquan public account.

The Daoists further maintain that the Huiyin point (sea bottom) is like an iron gate that nine arrows cannot pierce. Once the sea bottom opens, opening the other orifices and gates becomes easy. The method: gather spirit into the qi cavity; let the radiance of spirit shine down upon the sea bottom; forget form and self, so that every breath returns to the root. At a certain stage, there is union without intercourse, connection without contact — a communion of qi arising naturally and of its own accord.

The sea bottom is an effective acupoint for relaxing the body. Countless methods of relaxation have been devised across the ages, but to relax at the Root Chakra works like pulling a single thread to move the whole body. When the Huiyin (Root Chakra) relaxes, the whole body relaxes. Liu Hanwen, a transmitter of the Chanmi Gong lineage, once said: "Relaxation lies at the Huiyin. The ancients called this 'body softening' — keeping a slight 'sensate quality' in the perineal region. Once this is achieved, it guides all the muscles and joints of the body to loosen, and leads to ease of spirit, making it easy to settle into stillness and to breathe naturally. ……

With the Function of Preventing Leakage and Correcting Deviation

Nocturnal emission has long been regarded by elixir practitioners as a major taboo, termed "leaking the elixir." When the ancient adepts "gathered the great medicine," they used a bun-shaped wooden seat pressed against the lower pass to prevent leakage. Such forced means, being unnatural, can hardly be called skillful. Yet if one focuses attention on the sea-bottom point for a while, the member naturally subsides — how then can the elixir leak? …

When One Point Opens, All Points Open

After years of practicing Daoist health-cultivation methods, I deepened my focus on the sea bottom and central channel, undertaking the practice of awakening the serpent. In the early stages, the sea-bottom point produced a breeze-like current of qi flowing down along the thighs. As practice progressed, the point gradually developed a rhythmic opening-and-closing sensation — tightening and loosening. When tightening, the point drew inward; when loosening, qi streamed downward, accompanied by a pleasant feeling. This opening-and-closing at the sea-bottom point is the harbinger of the serpent's waking.

During one session, the sea-bottom point generated an intense rhythm of internal drawing — cramping — release, accompanied by rising temperature, like a blazing fire within. When the heat grew almost unbearable, suddenly a fierce surge of heat burst forth from the point, spiraling upward along the central channel and crashing into the Baihui point at the crown of the head. In an instant, my head felt ready to split, the skull made sharp cracking sounds, golden light shot from my eyes, my whole body trembled and twisted — a force as though heaven and earth were being rent apart! The sleeping serpent had finally awakened; this tremendous energy came from the Root Chakra! Once the heat broke through the central channel and reached Baihui, it traveled back down along the Conception Vessel, passed the sea bottom, then surged upward again, breaking through the "Three Barriers" with irresistible force, circling naturally several times along the Conception and Governor Vessels — what the Daoists call the "Small Heavenly Circuit" — after which it flowed out to the limbs and the whole body, completing the "Great Heavenly Circuit."

If the sea-bottom point (Huiyin) stays closed, the Conception and Governor Vessels cannot flow. Li Shizhen said: "Once this vessel moves, all hundred vessels open."

Open the sea bottom, and every acupoint opens; clear the central channel, and all hundred vessels open. Grasping the opening of the sea-bottom point is undoubtedly a shortcut to ascending one's level of practice — achieving twice the result with half the effort.

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