Palace of Toil

Dear Patient,

Lao Gong is a very cool acupuncture point on the Pericardium channel, located in the center of your palm.

The name means “Palace of Toil,” a nod to the toiling our hands do in daily life, and also to the essential function of the Pericardium in Traditional East Asian Medicine. The Pericardium is the protector of the Heart, the seat of our emotions, whom we call the Monarch.

Try rubbing your hands together vigorously for one minute to warm them up, then hold your hands a few inches apart, palms facing each other. See if you can feel anything happening in the center of your palms: maybe they feel warm and tingly, or connected by an invisible thread. That’s Lao Gong getting activated. 

You can use this point whenever some part of you needs extra care. Direct your focus to Lao Gong, then gently press your palm somewhere—try it on an achy joint, or your tired eyes. Try concentrating energy through this point when touching another. Feel the love from your Heart, the Monarch, flowing into all parts of you, flowing through all of humanity and creation, through the Palace of Toil.

Love and gratitude,
Your Acupuncturist