West on the Wheel is the place of the deepest within. The animal representing the West is Bear. Bear enters into hibernation and rests until spring when the cycles of the seasons continue and bear reemerges.

For our own health we require the Essence of West on the Wheel, the place of our deepest within. Like Bear, we enter the silence of our own Sacred Space. We digest and integrate all we have experienced. We discern what is the personal truth of our own nature. We reemerge into our lives with renewed inner strength, clarity of goals, and powerful heart connection.

In the Chinese Tradition, the Five Elements — Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth — are the dynamic qualities of nature in life. Each element is ever-present and basic to life.

The Elements are our deepest connection to Nature, our most embodied state of nature that we experience. Each Element governs a cycle of seasons, a time of day, and an energy pathway within the body.

It is a law of nature that out of water arises wood, that spring will follow winter, and that out of our depths will flow who we are. By staying connected with the flow of nature we will naturally become all that we can be.

There are points called command points on each of the twelve meridians (pathways) of the body.

These specific points hold the essences of the elements within them. Holding these points helps to move energy in a supportive flow within the bodymindspirit.

When the elements interplay in the creative cycle we are in a state of health. Supporting this creative cycle is the foundation of acupressure.