“Heart–Kidney Communication” Method One: “Sounding the Heavenly Drum”
The first heart–kidney communication method is called sounding the heavenly drum. The back of the head is called the heavenly drum. Sounding the heavenly drum uses two acupoints, the Tingwen point and the Laogong point. The Laogong point is the hardest-working point in the body; it is a fire point. When our stomach hurts, for example, we instinctively cover it with our hand at once—that is how hard it works.
The specific way to sound the heavenly drum is this: first press the centers of your palms—that is, the Laogong points—over the ear openings, with the whole hand resting on the back of the head. Place the index finger on top of the middle finger, then flick it down to produce a striking force. In this way, press the Tingwen point firmly and flick the back of the skull; after several flicks, press tight again, then suddenly release, and the ears will feel especially clear and fresh. Doing this often is of great benefit to the health of the ears.
“Heart–Kidney Communication” Method Two: Massaging the “Tingwen Point”
The second method is called massaging the Tingwen point. How can one massage the Tingwen point inside the ear? In fact, this too uses the heart–kidney communication method.
The tip of the middle finger is the jing-well point of the Pericardium meridian, which belongs to the heart; the ears and eyes belong to the kidneys.
First, with the palm facing backward, insert the middle finger into the ear opening. Once it is in, turn the finger 180 degrees inside so that the palm faces forward, then let the finger wriggle gently inside. Take care not to jab hard; just wriggle gently, as if a little worm were moving softly inside. After massaging for twenty or thirty seconds, suddenly pull the finger out sharply, forward and outward—ideally with an audible pop. This is the complete method of massaging the Tingwen point. If, after inserting your finger into the ear, you feel a stickiness or suction at the fingertip, this is a sign of excessive dampness; after the massage, simply pull the finger out sharply.
A reminder here: in every movement, the principle is to avoid injury. The movements should be light, soft, and slow, done gently; the nails must be trimmed very clean, and the fingertip should gently massage the Tingwen point inside the ear. Be sure not to hurt the ear.
“Heart–Kidney Communication” Method Three: Rubbing the Soles with the Palms to Replenish Kidney Water
If essence is severely depleted, the heart–kidney communication exercise to use is rubbing the soles with the palms. Do not underestimate this method; it embodies profound principles of Chinese medicine.
On the sole of the foot there is a point of the Kidney meridian called Yongquan, and on the hand there is the Laogong point. In our spare time we can sit on the bed, cross the left and right hands, and rub the soles with the centers of the palms, or pat the soles with the palms. This helps the kidneys perform their function of storing, leading qi downward and pulling the deficiency fire above down, so that qi does not congest in the upper body, and the illness naturally gets better.
As we said earlier, if a person flies into a great rage and the qi is all pent up above, it may cause deafness and tinnitus. Rubbing the soles with the palms helps clear the body's qi dynamic; when the qi dynamic runs smoothly and the meridians are open, ear ailments naturally improve. This also helps improve sleep and is very good for people with high blood pressure.
“Heart–Kidney Communication” Method Four: Covering and Rubbing the Ears
Cover the ears with your palms, then rub the backs of the ears with the heels of the palms. Note, however, that you are not rubbing the skin on the back of the ear, but rubbing the ear canal through the back of the ear. As you rub, imagine that you are reaching through the back of the ear right into the ear canal.
After two or three minutes of rubbing, when the inside of the ear canal begins to itch, it shows that qi and blood have arrived in the ear. Rub like this over a long period, and problems of tinnitus and deafness will be resolved.
Also, be sure to close your eyes while rubbing, because the seven apertures are all connected. When you open your eyes after rubbing, you will find that they have become very bright.