Atlas of Acupuncture

4.5 The Heart Channel System – Hand shaoyin(shou shao yin jing luo)

Location

With the arm abducted, in the centre of the axilla, medial to the

axillary artery.

How to find

With the arm abducted, palpate along the thoracic wall in a

superior direction towards the centre of the axilla until you reach

the highest point.

Needling

Palpate for the artery before needling! 0.5–1 cun vertically in the

direction of ➞G.B.-21(border of the trapezius, middle of the

shoulder). Caution: Axillary plexus and artery. Needling in a

medial direction may puncture the lung!

Actions/Indications

● Unbinds the chest

● Opens the channel

● Nourishes the Heart Yin

Special features

Entry point. Important point in Qigong practice: During practice

(and in everyday life), the axillary region should always be slightly

open to allow for the free circulation of Qi and Blood to and

from the upper extremity.

Summit Spring JIQUAN HE-1

HE-1

LU-2

HE-1

P-1

HE-2

HE-3

LU-4

LU-3

LU-1

1 1 2 3 4 5

2

3

4

5

cun

7

8

9

6

LU-5

P-2

P-3

1/2

G.B.-21

T.B.-15

Spinous process C7

Ch04.5-F10028.qxd 2/22/08 4:37 PM Page 207