The Conception Channel (Vessel) is one of the eight extraordinary vessels. These are meridian pathways store and facilitate the flow of energy throughout the body, especially to areas where there is an injury, stagnant energy flow, or deficient organs. Even though Channel and Vessel are often used interchangeably, for continuity, I will use Channel.
The Conception Channel is also known as Ren Mai, the ‘Sea of Yin’ Channel, or ‘Directing‘ vessel. As with Yin and Yang, there are two Channel sides. In the case of the Conception Channel, the Governing Channel is the other side (or half). Let’s be clear on one thing, the Conception Channel does not make Yin energy. It nourishes and helps keep Yin in balance. Yin energy always comes from or with Yang energy. Each depends on the other and actions to increase one, will always affect the other.
Yang energy warms, moves, and protects, while Yin energy nourishes, moistens, feeds and is involved in growth. As you see, the Conception Channel involves working with and integrating the vital Yin organs and body fluid. Yin energy is nourishing, moistening, feeding and growth-orientated.It is believed that the Conception Channel’s 24 points connect to major meridians in the body in order to balance energy.
The Conception Channel actually starts in the womb (women) and lower abdomen (men). It then rises up the anterior center line in the front of the body, to the mouth. At the mouth, it meets the Governoring channel (Du mai) and then terminates under the eyes. The organs immediately behind the Conception Channel are the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, heart, aorta, plus the womb, bladder, and sexual organs.
The Conception Channel influences more than just reproduction. It affects issues related to puberty, menstrual irregularities, birth, and menopause, to name just a few. With this in mind, it is easy to see that the Conception Channel has an impact on:
genital problems
womb issues , including infertility
male sexual problems, including impotency, as well as hernia and genito-urinary dysfunction
bladder, kidney, stomach, liver, spleen, and intestinal problems in both sexes
fascia, connective tissues or membrane problems
abdominal masses caused by stagnation of Qi energy
problems involving the mouth, esophagus, throat, and digestive tract.
problems or illness involving the heart, aorta, and lungs.
The Conception Channel starts at point between your sits bone or perineum. This is a very important point for relaxing our pelvis and posture during Tai Chi, Qigong, standing mediation, and Yoga.
Conception Channel Yin energy can also be directed towards personal development, changing or creating something new, or even pursuing creative pursuits. When the energy in the Channel is flowing freely, we’re happy and can make changes necessary to stay or become that way. When the Channel is weak, stagnant, or blocked, life becomes mundane, change is difficult, and there is an overall sense of dissatisfaction.
It is believed that we open up or expose the Conception Channel only when we feel confident and/or we like the people we are with or even if it’s warm. If attacked, this is the area we protect or hide. If it’s cold, we roll into a ball (fetal position) to protect the front. If neither hiding or protecting is an option, we tighten or tense our muscles (either voluntarily or involuntarily). When of if we feel attacked, we turn our back (our Yang side) on our attackers, either literally or symbolically. At times, we run away. However, the stress and muscle tightness that was generated doesn’t always decrease or loosen.
Because the Conception Channel is so important to our health and well being, both mental and physical, in the next blog we will talk about ways to get and keep the Yin energy flowing.
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