In Chinese, the Triple Burner is known as San Jiao, which is often translated as “three burning spaces”. It is also known as the Triple Warmer, Triple Energizer, or the Triple Heater. The Triple Burner is not actually a physical organ (which confuses Westerners). Even scholars and/or experts have argued about Triple Burner’s true nature. This “non-organ” is believed to consist of several vital body functions. One of its major functions is to regulate the movement of water within the body.
Functions of the Triple Burner
You may have heard the Triple Burner referred to as the thermostat of the body, meaning it controls the central heating system. Simple put: the Triple Burner affects the distribution of both body fluids and Qi. Therefore, any dysfunction or blockage is one or more Burners means neither will flow smoothly.
What happens when there is disharmony in any one of the burners?
Upper Burner - Cold symptoms, such as: sneezing, temperature, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, fatigue. Can also present with an earache, pain around the outer eye, pain behind the ear, swelling in the cheek, etc.
Middle Burner - Usual symptoms, such as: bloating, nausea, heartburn, belching excessively.
Lower Burner - Usual symptoms involved retention of water and/or urination, such as: frequent or burning urination, retention of urine, loss of bladder control. and possibly lower leg swelling.
On the other hand, a healthy Triple Burners provides smooth communication and coordination of all Three Burners. This ensures that fluids and Qi are released and move in a balanced fashion and harmony.
The Triple Burner is considered a Yang Fire organ even though, as stated above, it is not physically an organ. The Triple Burner is responsible for receiving and generating all body fluids, as well as transforming and “transporting and excreting wastes” like other Yang organs. All our body fluids (urine, saliva, sweat, tears, blood, etc.) come from the food and drink that we consume, which is then transformed and separated by the spleen into two different fluids: clean or dirty fluid. Clean fluids go to the skin and lungs and dirty fluids go the the small intestine and kidneys to be excreted.
According to classic Chinese Medical text (“Simple Questions”, Chapter 8), the Triple Burner is in “charge of irrigation” and controls water passages throughout the body. The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine states the following functions of the Triple Burner:
“The upper burner acts like a mist. The middle burner acts like foam. The lower burner acts like a swamp.”
The Triple Burner also helps in transporting Yuan Qi (primordial Qi - the Qi you are born with) from between the kidneys to all the other organs. In order to practice the Shaolin Arts correctly, Qi must be in the right place, “at the right time and in the right amount”. This enables the body to become and remain healthy, in harmony, and agile.
And let’s not forget that the Triple Burner Meridian controls our “fight, flight, or freeze” response. According to Donna Eden, author of Energy Medicine, the Triple Burner has a direct impact on our immune system and our ability to manage stress which puts the body on “high alert”.
A Kaplan Center blog states that when you trace the Triple Burner meridian backward, it can calm the flight/fight response and even sedate! There are a couple of interesting YouTube videos on techniques to calm the Triple Burner/Warmer meridians. You may like one better than the other but they are definitely worth checking out!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c68Nj5CBRks&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJIjx4Wu9RQ
So where is the Triple Burner Channel?
Here is one explanation, although I am sure there are others! The Triple Burner Channel starts at the tip of the ring finger and moves backward between the 4th and 5th fingers (metacarpal bones) then moves up the side of the arm, between from your wrist to your elbow (radius and ulna). The channel then moves up the back of the arm to the shoulder and the area of the neck just above the clavicle (the internal branch of the supraclavicular fossa) before it descends into the chest (just behind the diaphragm) to the abdomen. The channel then rises along the side of the neck to the back of the ear. From there, it dips to the cheek and ends in the infra-orbitial region. For simplicity let’s just say below the eye and on the side of the nose just above the roots of the “canine teeth”.
The Triple Burner is very important in Tai Chi and/or Qigong. If it’s healthy, it plays an important part in your health. It also helps communication and coordination between all the organs in your body.
There are three burners (obviously):
The Upper Burner - located above the diaphragm and includes both the heart and lungs. This burner disperses fluid throughout the body in the form of vapor or mist.
The Middle Burner - located below the diaphragm and above the naval and includes the stomach and spleen. This burner is responsible for digestion and nutrient distribution throughout the body.
The Lower Burner - located below the naval and includes the liver, large and small intestines, the kidneys, and the bladder. It is responsible for separating waste from food and fluids. The useful fluids are absorbed, while the rest is sent to the bladder.
One of my favorite Qigong exercises is part of the Ba Duan Jin (Eight Brocades or Eight Section Brocades) called Palms Raised to Heaven or Two Hands Hold Up the Heavens. This is my “go to” Qigong when time is short and I don’t have time to do all eight or have a specific need. I find it extremely relaxing.
I would encourage you to try some of the techniques and exercises available! Who can’t use more balance and harmony in their bodies?
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