Take Your Health Into Your Own Hands
True health begins with understanding how to bring balance to your body, mind, and spirit; especially as your needs shift from day to day. This starts with developing self-awareness by noticing how your daily habits, thoughts, and choices affect the quality of your life. With the right food, gentle movement, and simple natural self-care practices, you can begin to literally take your health into your own hands.
One powerful tool for natural healing is the ancient wellness art of Jin Shin Jyutsu®, a gentle, time-honored practice that activates your body’s innate ability to heal.
What Is Jin Shin Jyutsu®?
Jin Shin Jyutsu® is an ancient Japanese healing art rooted in similar principles as acupuncture and other traditional energy-based healing systems. It works by harmonizing the flow of energy which is sometimes called “life force” through specific pathways in the body. When this energy flows freely, we feel healthy, calm, and balanced. When it’s blocked, we may experience pain, fatigue, dis-ease or emotional distress.
The body has energy pathways that have been mapped for thousands of years by the traditional Asian healing arts. These flows supply vital energy to every cell, muscle, bone, and organ. By using our hands, what Jin Shin Jyutsu® calls “jumper cables”, we can gently influence these pathways and support the body’s natural healing ability.
Jin Shin Jyutsu® Natural Self Care
The Finger Holds
One of the simplest ways to practice Jin Shin Jyutsu® is by gently holding your fingers individually.
Each finger corresponds to specific emotions, physical functions, and energy pathways. By lightly holding a finger for a few minutes, you can help release tension and restore balance to over 14,000 bodily functions. This practice is safe, non-invasive, and can be done anytime, anywhere, whether you’re sitting in traffic, watching TV, at your desk or winding down before bed. It can also be used as a stand alone body centered meditation.
This gentle daily practice can be a calming and deeply restorative or an energizing part of your wellness routine depending on what your body-mind needs at the time since this is a harmonizing art.
By simply holding a finger and breathing quietly for a few minutes, you can help release tension and bring ease to both your body and mind.
What Each Finger Helps With
Each finger corresponds with specific organ flows, physical functions, and emotional attitudes. By simply holding a finger and breathing quietly for a few minutes, you can help release tension and bring ease to both your body and mind. Below is a simple sampling of what each finger can help harmonize:
THUMB:
Organ Flows: Spleen & Stomach
Supports:
- Fatigue
- Skin surface vitality
- Nervous system
- Digestion support (especially acidity)
- Nausea
Attitudes Harmonized: Worry · Rumination · Depression
INDEX FINGER:
Organ Flows: Bladder & Kidney
Supports:
- Back
- Teeth and gums (great to hold during dental procedures)
- Elimination
- Muscular system
- Fluid circulation
Attitudes Harmonized: Fear · Self-criticism · Perfectionism
MIDDLE FINGER:
Organ Flows: Liver & Gall Bladder
Supports:
- Eyes
- Frontal headaches
- Blood function
- Tendons and ligaments
- Interpersonal relationships
- Calms the central nervous system
Note: This finger is a general harmonizer for both the emotions and all body functions.
Attitudes Harmonized: Anger · Frustration · Irritability · Indecision
RING FINGER:
Organ Flows: Lung & Large Intestine
Supports:
- Respiratory function
- Skin and mucous membranes
- Ears
- Large intestine balance/elmination
Attitudes Harmonized: Sadness · Grief · Negativity · Letting go
LITTLE FINGER:
Organ Flows: Heart & Small Intestine
Supports:
- Heart and circulatory system
- Central nervous system
- Skeletal system
- Fluid retention
Attitudes Harmonized: Pretending · Denial · Judgment · Striving · “Pushing the flow of life”
The Palm Center: – Calming the Whole Being
Placing the fingers of one hand over the center of the opposite palm can help bring deep relaxation and overall harmony. It’s a wonderful way to settle the nervous system and feel more centered. Holding the center of the palm is a powerful one-step “quickie” version of the Main Central Vertical Flow. The palm harmonizes all functions of body and mind and connects us to our Source of Life
How to Practice
- You can do this simple practice anytime. Many people like to do the finger holds at bedtime and when they wake up in the morning.
- Sit quietly and bring your attention to your breath.
- Gently hold one finger at a time with the opposite hand. Stay with each finger for a few minutes or until you feel a subtle pulse, warmth, or a sense of relief. If you haven’t yet developed the sensitivity to feel energy flow through your hands, you can simply take 1–3 full breaths per hold or just hold each finger for as long as it feels good.
- Breathe naturally and simply observe any shifts in how you feel.
Even a few minutes a day can help restore a sense of balance and ease with no tools, special positions, or experience needed.
Main Central Vertical Flow (Quick Version)
This foundational flow realigns you with the Source of Life and supports every function in the body. Practicing this in the morning and evening is a form of “daily energy hygiene”, like brushing your energetic teeth.
STEP 1
Place your right fingertips or hand on the top center of your head and place your left fingertips between your eyebrows. In some spiritual traditions the location between your eyebrows is referred to as the Third Eye, which opens intuition.
Hold until you feel either a rhythmic pulsation or a sense of deep relaxation.
If you haven’t yet developed the sensitivity to feel energy flow through your hands, you can simply take 1–3 full breaths per hold, or just hold each step for as long as it feels good.
Tip: Some people enjoy doing this flow while lying down or supported by pillows, especially under the right arm for comfort.
STEP 2
Keep your right hand on the top of your head and move your left hand to your pubic bone.
Breathe naturally and hold until you feel the energy pulse or sense of ease.
STEP 3
Keep your left hand on your pubic bone and move your right hand to your tailbone.
Hold until you feel either a rhythmic pulsation or a sense of deep relaxation.
I feel the MCV is a vital foundation for energy maintenance. Just as we brush our teeth twice a day, I find the MCV energizes and centers me in the morning and helps me unwind and release tension at night.
Recommended Reading:
The following resources provide deeper guidance in Jin Shin Jyutsu® self-care:
- Jin Shin Jyutsu® Self-Help Books 1, 2, & 3 by Mary Burmeister
- The Touch of Healing by Alice Burmeister – I consider this the Jin Shin Jyutsu® self-care Bible
All books are available at www.JSJinc.net or by calling (480) 998-9331. “The Touch of Healing” is also available through Amazon.
A list of certified Jin Shin Jyutsu® practitioners worldwide is available on JSJinc.net.
The above content was compiled from my understanding of Jin Shin Jyutsu® Self-Help Books 1, 2, and 3 by Mary Burmeister, as well as from the 5-Day Basic Seminar and various self-help classes I’ve taken.
Jin Shin Jyutsu® is a registered trademark of Jin Shin Jyutsu®, Inc. This material has been reviewed and approved by Jin Shin Jyutsu®, Inc.
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