Located on both the front and back of the body, the twenty-six Safety Energy Locations are the fundamental touchstones of the Art of Jin Shin.
Now that we have mapped the energetic potential of the hands, it’s time to dive deeper into the Art of Jin Shin and get to know the energetic gateways located throughout the rest of the body. The twenty-six Safety Energy Locations (SELs) are vital to our practice. Located on the right and left sides of the body (with twenty-six per side) and dispersed along the front and back planes, these three-inch locations, used along with the fingers and vertebrae on the spine and main center line of the body, are the primary sites for a Jin Shin treatment plan.
For a Jin Shin practitioner, the SELs are used in combination with the pulses at the wrist. We begin each session by “listening” to the pulses, gathering valuable information about which energy needs to be harmonized. Then, we use our hands to apply treatment to the SELs and other vital points in the body, gathering feedback as we work. Listening to the energy spiraling to the core of the body and back to the relevant SELs, we leave our hands in place until we feel the energy harmonize. The pulses will slow, quicken, and/or steady as the client’s energy comes into alignment, and other energetic cues such as excessive heat, cold, swelling and congestion, or discoloring may dissipate. You may have some difficulty discerning these signals as you begin your Jin Shin self-care journey. Slow down and breathe, and with a little practice, you will soon be able to “hear” the energy’s pulsation through your SELs.
Each of the Safety Energy Locations has its own story to tell. Giving us friendly warning signs about our energetic status, they ask for attention and respond quickly when they receive it. While listening to pulses at the wrist is a complex art, treating the SELs is something each of us can learn to do.
Located on both the front and back of the body, the twenty-six Safety Energy Locations are the fundamental touchstones of the Art of Jin Shin.
In the sections that follow we’ll be learning holds and flows that combine SELs. Holding the specific SELs in combination or specific sequence with other locations will allow stuck energy to release, enabling it to flow harmoniously once again. This is the core of Jin Shin, both as applied by a professional practitioner and as a tool for self-care.
An introduction to the uses and meanings of the individual SELs, the following section is intended to help you familiarize yourself with your body’s energetic map as it is understood within the Art of Jin Shin. Primarily a reference tool, it will allow you to refresh your memory about the location and uses of the SELs as you practice the flows starting on page 41. There is no need to hold each of the individual SELs or to commit their uses to memory in order to apply self-help. If you’re curious or a particular SEL speaks to you, go right ahead! (And if you find yourself unconsciously returning to one of your SELs in your daily life, now you’ll know why.)
Along with its physical properties, each of the locations has a “universal meaning”—a spiritual and emotional function that is unlocked when the energy is flowing harmoniously. When you know the universal meaning of the SELs, you can understand exactly where you are in your life spiritually, emotionally, and physically—the SELs always tell the truth. These are some of the most beautiful properties of the Safety Energy Locations. Three of the SELs appear in dual locations, higher or lower than the main SEL; these “high” or “low” variations work within the same qualities and with similar functions, on a different level of energetic density.
Located on the inside of the knee, where the thigh and shinbone connect.
Universal meaning: Creating movement on both the physical and emotional planes.
Physical expressions: digestion, headaches, breathing.
Note: This area appears in two iterations, as SEL 1 and SEL High 1.
Located at the crest of the hip, in the lower back area.
Universal meaning: Unlocking the wisdom and illuminating intelligence with which we come into the world.
Physical expressions: back pain, tension and stress in legs, breathing, elimination.
Located at the top of the shoulder blade.
Universal meaning: Unloading and receiving—the swinging door to the inhale and exhale.
Physical expressions: breathing, colds, fever, sore throat, shoulder pain.
Located at the base of the head, at the occipital ridge.
Universal meaning: Bringing formless into form, unconsciousness into consciousness, spirit into matter.
Physical expressions: head pain, eyes, throat, dizziness.
Located just beneath the anklebone at the inner ankle, under the lower extremity of the fibula.
Universal meaning: Freedom from fear and mental bondage, allowing for the expression of our truest selves.
Physical expressions: chest congestion, digestive discomforts, hearing disorders, back and hip tensions, reproductive organs.
Located on the sole of the foot.
Universal meaning: Bringing balance and harmony by rooting us to the earth.
Physical expressions: back, breathing, feet.
Located on the pad of the big toe.
Universal meaning: Connecting us from head to toe (the point at the tip of the toe, where the exhale becomes the inhale and there is a moment of complete stillness) and allowing for a fresh cycle of renewal.
Physical expressions: clears the mind and head, headaches, convulsions, digestive problems.
Located at the back of the knee, on the lateral side (outside).
Universal meaning: As above, so below. Connecting our upper and lower bodies.
Physical expressions: assimilation, elimination and reproductive functions, hips, back, and muscular tension.
Note: This area appears in two iterations, as SEL 8 and SEL Low 8.
Located level with the bottom of the shoulder blade, between the blade and spine.
Universal meaning: Every end is the seed of a new beginning.
Physical expressions: chest congestion, feet, opposite hip.
Located between the shoulder blade and spine, midway down the blade.
Universal meaning: Receiving abundance and allowing the new cycle to arrive.
Physical expressions: chest congestion, blood pressure, heart, throat and voice, shoulders, knees.
Located at the top of the shoulder, where the neck curves into the shoulder.
Universal meaning: Letting go of stress, toxins, and ancestral and lifestyle patterns.
Physical expressions: shoulder and neck tension, arms, hands.
Located midway down the neck, between the base of the head and shoulders.
Universal meaning: Surrendering to a higher power, trusting in something bigger than the individual self.
Physical expressions: neck, head, hips, arms.
Located on the middle of the chest, at the third rib.
Universal meaning: Creation and love, moving through our emotions with grace.
Physical expressions: breathing, appetite, reproductive functions, tension in shoulders and neck.
Located at the bottom of the rib cage.
Universal meaning: The key to the waistline and our sense of being, bringing sustenance and equilibrium into our lives.
Physical expressions: brain, digestion, breathing, maintaining equilibrium above and below the waist.
Located in the groin area at the top of the thigh.
Universal meaning: Healing broken hearts and broken bones and harmonizing each of the emotions, with a special emphasis on happiness and fun.
Physical expressions: circulation, heart, legs, bloating.
Located below the outer anklebone.
Universal meaning: Breaking down the old and bringing in the new.
Physical expressions: elimination, reproductive system, head and neck tension, muscle tone.
Located on the outside of the wrist, on the little finger side.
Universal meaning: Clearing the way for our intuition to shine through, calming the mind and nerves so that we can tune into our gut feelings.
Physical expressions: balances the nervous and reproductive system, ankles, wrists.
Located on the palm side of the hand, at the base of the thumb.
Universal meaning: Individuality and calming of the mind. At night, it brings profound relaxation and peaceful sleep; by day, it lets individual personality shine like a light.
Physical expressions: sleep, breathing, head.
Located in the crease of the elbow, on the thumb side.
Universal meaning: Leadership and authority internally and in the outside world, putting us in command of our lives.
Physical expressions: breathing, digestion, arms.
Note: This point appears in two iterations, as SEL 19 and SEL High 19.
Located on the forehead, just above the eyebrow.
Universal meaning: Eternity and the all-seeing eye—the key to memory and clarity of thought.
Physical expressions: chest, heart, head, ears, eyes, equilibrium.
Located on the underside of the cheekbone.
Universal meaning: Security, building our self-esteem to create peace of mind.
Physical expressions: equilibrium, dizziness, mental stress, weight balance.
Located underneath the collarbone.
Universal meaning: Creating contentment and adaptability, allowing us to let go.
Physical expressions: mental, emotional, digestive, and physical balance; tension and stress.
Located on the middle of the back.
Universal meaning: Controller of human destiny, banisher of fear.
Physical expressions: circulation, adrenal function, fatigue, anxiety.
Located at the top of the outer foot, about midway between the little toe and the ring toe.
Universal meaning: Dissipating chaotic emotions in order to bring peace.
Physical expressions: ankles, feet, skeletal system.
Located on the sit bone (ischium).
Universal meaning: Rejuvenation and regeneration.
Physical expressions: alertness, digestion, back.
Located at the outer edge of the shoulder blade, near the armpit.
Universal meaning: The final SEL, bringing a sense of completion and life force.
Physical expressions: life force, arm numbness, circulation, fatigue.