The Chinese symbol of Ming Men (aka Mingmen) is 命門. Ming (命) means “life, fate” and Men (門) means “gate, door”.
Ming Men is a point in the body that translates to “Gate of Life” or “Gate of Destiny”. It’s also known as: "roots of the navel", Centre of Vitality, or even Gate of Power. This energetic center is located at the lower border of the second lumbar vertebrae (between the kidneys, behind the Dantian). Together the Ming Men and the Dantian form “the Sea of Qi”.
In “The Way of Qigong” by Keneth S. Cohen calls the Ming Men the “Rear Dan Tian” and states that it “improves kidney function, tonifies both the jing (developmental, sexual energies) and qi, and stimulates the body’s ability to absorb original qi from the universe.”
The Ming Men is considered the "site of the development of mechanisms of reproduction and sexuality", in addition to "the place of the conjunction of the original yin and yang." The Ming Men is the area where your kidneys blend Yin and Yang energy.
The Ming Men plays an important role in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Yuan Qi (aka Original Qi) is provided by and stored in the Ming Men.
As you might imagine, the Ming Men has many roles and functions in the body:
It is considered the strongest point in the body and is responsible for strengthening the overall body.
The Ming Men is considered essential for the development of internal power and execution.
It also balances and supplies the entire body with energy to maintain and correct the organ functions.
The energy in the Ming Men is essential for strengthening your body, balancing your mind, developing good health and longevity, and improving your internal martial arts practice.
Stimulating the Ming Men can reduce your stress, calm you down (especially Monkey Mind or a emotional disturbance), and leave you feeling refreshed and energetic.
The Ming Men helps to build energy in order to heal, balance, and ground ourselves.
We use Qigong to cultivate energy in the Ming Men indirectly. However, there are different methods of doing so.
Interestingly, when you cultivate energy in the Dantian (lower), you actually strengthen the Ming Men. Excess or abundant energy in the Dantian will flow to the Ming Men and nourish it.
Focusing on the Ming Men will also help keep your back soft instead of “locked up”. A soft back will aid your Qigong and Tai Chi practice. This is especially beneficial when practicing martial arts.
There are different methods of activating the Ming Men. One simple, but effective method is to breath deeply into your abdomen. As you inhale, focus on expanding the breath towards the lower back. You may even use the abdominal muscles to push the air towards the Mind Men.
You can also try doing the following when you are stressed, late for work or an appointment, encounter traffic or construction: think about pushing each breath you take down to your lower back. You will be shocked how quickly your stress decreases and how much better you feel. This also works when you encounter Monkey Mind or insomnia.
An interesting exercise (certainly worth trying), is to sit on a chair in a quiet area (if you can find one). Using one or both palms, gently rub your lower back (lumbar region). When it feels quite warm, but not uncomfortable, rest your hand(s) in your lap. Let them touch each other and focus on your lower abdomen (Dantian area). Rest quietly and peacefully. Repeat the exercise two more times. Remember that stillness can never be forced, and it isn’t always easy to attain. Best to just relax and observe.
Bottom line: Focusing on the Ming Men will improve your Qigong and Tai Chi (whether martial or not), as well as your health and life. And who doesn’t want to improve their practice, reduce stress, attain better health and healing, and develop more Qi energy??
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Note: It is beyond the scope of this blog to provide a comprehensive list of methods of cultivation and activation. More information can be found by clicking on one or more of my links or by an internet or publication search.