Unwinding the Gathering Sinew

by Owl

This essay has been written to complement the Crystal in Uranus article.  Whereas the focus of "Crystal in Uranus" is to decongest the prostate and the lower Dan Tian from the inside out, this essay is written for exploring and decongesting the prostate and other structures around the pelvis from the outside in.

The area I consistently find most juicy is the triangular area framed by the inguinal grooves, the top of the pubic bone and the semi-circular groove where the penis meets the torso.

At the top of the pubic bone is where the fascia of the rectus abdominis inserts into the crest of the pubic bone and where the pectineus and adductor longus originates and fan into the thighs.  So the triangular area frames this important transition.  At the top of the pubic bone is where we find Ren-2 (470kb pdf file) on the midline and St-30 (500kb pdf file) about 2 thumb-widths bilaterally.  Ren-2 is the meeting pointing between Ren and Liver channel, where as St-30 is where the chong mai surface from its deep reservoir in the lower Dan Tian.  Interestingly enough the spermatic cords also surface from the deep peritoneal space around this area.  Coincidence?

Ren-2 and St-30 can feel very congested and massaging them tend to release tensions and sometimes tremendous pleasure.  I usually search for congested/pleasurable spots slightly above/below the superior border of the pubic bone.

Another very potent area is the the groove where the base of the penis meets the body.  If you slowly and gently sink your fingers into the groove, you will realize that the continuity between the torso and the penis is literally only skin-deep.  In fact you are already right below the pubic bone and if you search around a little you can actually touch the urogenital diaphragm from the Outside In!  So there we have it, by combining the technique described here with those in the "Crystal Wand" essay you can go from:

fingers -> base of penis -> UG diaphragm -> anterior surface of prostate -> prostate <- posterior surface of prostate <- rectum <- crystal wand

This is what I called the "inside-out outside-in dual completion Jing Chamber massage of the Magical Owl"!

Also worth mentioning is that according to Chinese medicine, the triangular area that I have just described is considered the area of the "Gathering Sinew", i.e. all the sinew channels in the body converge in this region.  In addition, the Liver channel winds around the penis and the scrotum.  Given these important relationships, it follows that gentle massages performed on structures here can have tremendous physical and psycho-emotional impact on the entire body.

Sometimes, a very gentle circular caress/tugging round the rim of the navel can be felt all the way down in the urogenital diaphragm and prostate too.  Perhaps the sinew channel of the stomach or the fascial continuity of the rectus with the suspensory ligament of penis is playing a role here?

Happy unwinding!

NOTES:

  This essay has been contributed by Owl.  (Thank you!, Owl.)

  The two acupoint pdf's linked to this article are excerpts from the e-version of "A Manual of Acupuncture".  (There is also a hardback version, and flash-cards, available.)  This is currently the English language reference for acupoints, and is the standard acupoint textbook for Chinese medical schools throughout the western world.