Qihai (CV6): The Point Below the Navel for a Cold, Aching Lower Belly and Low Energy

Where Qihai Sits

This point sits on the midline of the lower belly, about two finger-widths below the navel.

The line this point belongs to runs up the centre of the front of the body. It starts low, between the legs, rises over the top of the pubic bone, climbs through the lower belly and the navel, passes up over the upper belly and the breastbone, and ends in the dip below the lower lip. Vietnamese and Chinese texts call it the Conception Vessel. This is its sixth stop, the first one you meet going up from the pubic bone that sits close under the navel.

The landmarks are the navel and the top of the pubic bone, the firm ridge low in the belly above the genitals. The old texts divide the distance between them into five equal units. This point is one and a half units below the navel, a little under a third of the way down. The Vietnamese handbook describes it the same way: on the line from the navel to the top of the pubic bone, at the mark one and a half parts from the top and three and a half from the bottom. A quicker way, used in Vietnamese practice, is to lay your index and middle fingers flat side by side below the navel. Together they measure about one and a half units on most people, so the point sits under the lower edge of the middle finger.

Underneath lies the strip of tough tissue that runs down the centre of the belly, where the two long belly muscles meet. Behind that are the loops of the small bowel and, when it is full, the top of the bladder. That is why it helps to empty the bladder first. The skin is served by nerves from around the eleventh level of the spine in the middle of the back, the same level that wraps around the side of the trunk to the lower belly. Shared nerve supply is one reason an ache from the lower back and an ache in the lower belly can feel connected.

Why This Spot

On the anatomical side, the lower belly is soft, has no bone to press against, and is easy to reach lying in bed. It is where many people instinctively rest a hand when the belly cramps or feels cold, and where a hot water bottle has been laid for generations. The tissue here often feels tender in people whose bowels are slow or irregular, or whose lower back has been aching for a long time.

In this tradition the area below the navel is described as the body's store of energy, the place where it pools and is kept. This point sits in the middle of that store. It became one of the main points for a worn-out, depleted feeling, for coldness in the belly and lower back, and for complaints of the bowels and bladder that come with that kind of tiredness. Teachers often work it gently and for a long time, with warmth, rather than with force.

The name says it plainly. Qi is the moving energy of the body in this tradition; hai is the sea. The Sea of Qi is where it is said to gather. Its Vietnamese name, Khí Hải, carries the same two ideas.

What the Old Texts Say About Qihai

The first chapter of the Lingshu, the Spiritual Pivot, a Han-dynasty text, lists a small number of source points, places where the body's essential flow is said to come to the surface. One of them is a place below the navel, given an old name that later commentators identified with this point. That gave it a standing in the tradition from the very beginning: not one point among many on the belly, but one of the places where the body's reserves are said to rise.

The proportional units that place points on the trunk come from the same body of Han-dynasty writing. The World Health Organization's 2008 standard for point locations places this point on the front midline, one and a half units below the centre of the navel. The standard counts five units from the navel to the top of the pubic bone, the same division the old books used.

The Vietnamese handbook of points and channels by Ngo Trung Trieu, published by Hong Duc, lists it for belly pain, loose stools at dawn, lower back pain, bedwetting, and a range of women's complaints, including irregular and painful periods. It also lists light-headedness after childbirth and collapse after a sudden illness, which shows how highly the old teachers rated it as a point for depleted strength.

Notice the pattern. The list mixes the bowels, the bladder, the lower back and plain exhaustion. In the old view they all draw on the same store below the navel. That reputation comes from long use rather than proof. It tells you that many hands, over many generations, rested on this spot when the body felt run down.

Points That Work With Qihai

The first partner is below the knee, on the front of the shin. From the dip at the outer lower edge of the kneecap, measure four fingers down and move one finger out from the shin's sharp edge. In this tradition it is commonly paired with this one for tiredness and a weak digestion, one point on the belly and one on the leg.

The second sits higher on the same centre line, halfway between the navel and the lower end of the breastbone. It is used with this one when bloating and fullness in the upper belly come with a cold, aching lower belly.

The third pair sits level with the navel, three finger-widths out to each side. It is used with this one when the bowels are slow or loose and the whole belly feels unsettled.

How to Find and Press Qihai

Getting Into Position

Empty your bladder first. Lie on your back on a bed or a mat, with a pillow under your head and your knees bent, feet flat. Bent knees let the belly go soft. Rest your elbows on the bed. Make sure at least two hours have passed since a full meal.

How to Find It

Find your navel. Lay your index and middle fingers flat below it, side by side, the upper edge of the index finger touching the lower edge of the navel. The area to work is on the midline under the lower edge of your middle finger. If you have a large belly, or the navel sits low, check against the other method: the point is a little less than a third of the way from the navel down to the top of the pubic bone.

Probe the area gently with a rounded-tip pressing tool, or the tip of your thumb with the nail cut short. Let the tip sink in slowly as you breathe out. Move in small steps up and down the midline. Most of the area will feel soft. One spot will sting: a small, sharp, pinpoint tenderness. That spot is the point. If you feel a strong pulse, ease off and move a little lower.

How to Press It

Keep the tip on the stinging spot and rub in small, light circles, about the size of a fingernail, roughly one each second. Aim straight down toward the spine. Breathe slowly so the lower belly rises against your hand and falls away. Keep the tip in place; do not drag the skin. When you finish, many people like to rest a warm palm flat over the area for a minute.

How Much Pressure

Light. There is no bone here, and the bowels and bladder beneath do not need force. Sharp under the tool is right; the sting should fade within moments of lifting off. If the pain stays after you lift, if it spreads, or if you feel a cramp or an urge to pass urine, stop and leave it for several days. If your belly muscles tighten against your hand or you are holding your breath, you are pressing too hard.

How Long

Work for one to three minutes. In the first sessions keep to about one minute. As the days go on, add a little time, up to three minutes. Once or twice a day is plenty. More does not add benefit; it can leave the belly sore.

When to Do It

Morning, after you have emptied your bladder and before breakfast, suits low energy and loose stools on waking. Before bed works well too, as part of winding down, if supper was early. Never press on a full stomach or a full bladder. Do not press in the middle of the night. If a cramp or the bladder wakes you, pressing then tends to wake you further. Keep the pressing for the day and the evening.

What This Won't Do

It will not restore energy that is being drained by something else. Tiredness in your sixties and seventies has many plain causes: poor sleep, low iron, a slow thyroid, low mood, pain that never lets up, medicines, or not eating enough. Loose stools and an aching lower belly have their own causes, from food to infection to the bowel itself. A point below the navel cannot change any of them. Pressing works best alongside the plain things: regular meals, gentle walking, daylight, enough fluid early in the day and less in the evening, and blood tests if your doctor thinks you need them.

It will not replace a diagnosis either. Sudden, severe pain in the belly needs urgent help, as does pain with a fever, a hard, swollen belly or repeated vomiting. Blood in the stools, black stools, a change in bowel habit that lasts more than a few weeks, weight loss you cannot explain, or tiredness that keeps getting worse all belong with a doctor. So does pain or burning when passing urine, blood in the urine, or getting up many times a night to pass it.

Safety First

If you are pregnant, skip this one. Points on the lower belly are traditionally left alone throughout pregnancy. Do not press within two hours of a full meal, with a full bladder, over a recent scar or after surgery on the belly or pelvis, over a bulge near the navel or in the groin, or over skin that is broken, bruised or rashy. Leave it alone if you have belly pain you cannot explain or a fever. If you take blood thinners, bruise easily, have a bleeding disorder or reduced feeling in the belly, keep pressure very light and talk to your doctor first.

Stop at once if the pain stays after you lift off, spreads, or if you feel sick, faint or crampy. Nothing here requires you to push through pain. For the full list of cautions and the situations where pressing on yourself is not appropriate, read the full safety guide before you begin.

Questions People Ask

Where is the Qihai (CV6) pressure point? Qihai (CV6) sits on the midline of the lower belly, about two finger-widths below the navel. Lying on your back, lay your index and middle fingers flat side by side below the navel; the point is under the lower edge of the middle finger. Probe there until one spot stings. In English it is called the Sea of Qi; in Vietnamese, Khí Hải.

How long should I press Qihai? One to three minutes, once. Keep the first sessions to about a minute, then add a little as the days go on. Once or twice a day is enough. Empty your bladder first and wait at least two hours after a full meal.

Is it safe in pregnancy? No. Points on the lower belly are traditionally left alone throughout pregnancy. If you are pregnant, skip this one, and ask your midwife or doctor before doing any pressure work at all.

What does Sea of Qi mean? In this tradition qi is the word for the body's moving energy, and the area below the navel is described as the place where it pools, like water in a sea. Qihai (CV6) sits in the middle of that area, so it became a point for a worn-out, low-energy feeling. That is a traditional idea, not a measured one.

Can it help me stop getting up to pass urine at night? We cannot promise that. The old Vietnamese handbook lists Qihai (CV6) for some bladder complaints, but waking to pass urine has many causes, from the prostate to medicines to drinking late in the evening. Tell your doctor if you get up more than once or twice a night.

Should I use a warm hand or a hot pack with it? Many people like to rest a warm palm over the area for a minute after pressing, and that is fine. Do not put a hot pack directly on the skin, and never fall asleep on one, especially if feeling in your belly is reduced.

Other Points in This Library

Each of these sits within reach of the same hand. They are often worked in the same sitting.

This page shares general information about a traditional practice. It is not medical advice and does not replace what your doctor has given you. If you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or unsure whether this applies to you, check with your doctor first.

The whole inner edge of the foot, laid out on one page with photographs, is in The Foot Map — the free book. For every point in this library, see the full pressure point index.

(Point shown: CV6 · Qihai · Sea of Qi · Khí Hải.)