Within the Art of Jin Shin, energy is considered the foundation for all of life. The energy in our bodies corresponds to the energy that fuels the stars and the sun—and the same energy creates all plants, animals, and living matter, on earth and beyond. When energy denses down into matter in the body, it eventually creates our organs, bones, skin cells, muscles, and hair follicles in a continual process of regeneration and creation, a progression that is vividly epitomized by what are referred to as the “Organ Flows.” These twelve energetic pathways follow intricate patterns that eventually find their nexus in the specific organ for which they are named—Lung, Large Intestine, Stomach, Spleen, Heart, Small Intestine, Bladder, Kidney, Diaphragm, Umbilicus, Gallbladder, and Liver.
Following an internal circadian rhythm, the Organ Flows peak at specific times during the day, enabling us to map our daily ups and downs with a particular flow.
When the Organ Flows are in balance, the body achieves perfect harmony—the ideal state of a body in tune with the universal energy from which it was originally formed. Harmony may be disturbed by daily eating and work habits, hereditary predispositions, lifestyle, environmental conditions (toxins in the water or air, extremes in temperature or weather), mental and emotional anxieties, or physical trauma. Over extended periods of time, these stressors are absorbed into the system, causing one or more of the twelve Organ Flows to speed up, slow down, deviate, or become congested. Jin Shin to the rescue!
I’ll be giving you some easy shortcuts in the following section for determining which of the Organ Flows to harmonize. First, let’s take a look at the full flows and learn what body and mind systems they affect. You can practice each of the Organ Flows and see how you feel, or check the traditional uses for a symptom you may be struggling with. You can also use the illustrations in the following pages to see if any discomfort or issues you experience correspond to the pathway of a particular Organ Flow. Pain in the thumb relates to the Lung Flow seen below, for instance, while pain on the outside of the leg may relate to the Gallbladder Flow pictured on page 78.
If you’re unsure about the location of a SEL described in the instructions, check the Safety Energy Location numbers listed here against the illustrations on page 30. And as with most of the flows in the book, you can reverse the instructions to apply the opposite side of the flow.
End point: thumbnail and index fingernail
Emotional attitude: sadness and grief
Traditionally used for: lung projects, coughing, chest congestion, night sweats, tennis elbow
1
Place right hand at bottom of left collarbone (SEL 22), left hand at base of left ribs (SEL 14). The left hand remains at SEL 14 for the entire flow.
2
Move right hand to left upper arm (SEL High 19).
3
Move right hand to left base of thumb (SEL 18).
5
Move right hand to bottom of right collarbone (SEL 22).
6
Move right hand to right middle of chest, above breast (SEL 13).
Starting point: tip of index finger
End point: opposite cheekbone
Emotional attitude: sadness and grief
Traditionally used for: swelling of cheeks, toothache, nosebleeds, throat numbing, stiff index finger, upper arm pain
1
Place right hand on left index finger, left hand on right shoulder (SEL 11). The left hand remains at right SEL 11 for the entire flow.
3
Move right hand to base of right ribs (SEL 14).
4
Move right hand to base of left cheekbone (SEL 21).
5
Move right hand to bottom of right collarbone (SEL 22).
Starting point: cheekbone
End point: middle toe and big toe
Emotional attitude: worry
Traditionally used for: depression, skin surface, chapped lips, dry mouth, weight balance, red blood cell count, obsessive-compulsive behavior; pain in kneecap, ankle, instep
Place right hand at base of left cheekbone (SEL 21). The right hand remains at SEL 21 for the entire flow. Place left hand at bottom of left collarbone (SEL 22).
2
Move left hand to base of right ribs (SEL 14).
3
Move left hand to right middle of back (SEL 23).
4
Move left hand to base of left ribs (SEL 14).
6
Move left hand to right outside lower knee (SEL Low 8).
7
Move left hand to right middle toe.
Starting point: big toe
End point: center of the chest
Emotional attitude: worry
Traditionally used for: tongue discomfort, acute stomach pain, yawning, body feeling heavy, inner thigh swelling or discomfort, white blood cell count, immune system
2
Right hand remains on tailbone, move left hand to base of right ribs (SEL 14). The left hand remains here for the rest of the flow.
3
Move right hand to left middle of chest (SEL 13).
4
Move right hand to bottom of right collarbone (SEL 22).
Starting point: heart
End point: little fingernail
Emotional attitude: “trying to” or pretense
Traditionally used for: yellowish eyes, inside upper arm and elbow pain, earaches, palms of hands feverish, thinning hair
Place right hand on base of left wristbone (SEL 17), left hand on left shoulder (SEL 11). The left hand remains at SEL 11 for the entire flow.
2
Move right hand to bottom of right collarbone (SEL 22).
3
Move right hand to base of right ribs (SEL 14).
4
Move right hand to top of right thigh, groin area (SEL 15).
6
Move right hand below left inside anklebone (SEL 5).
7
Move right hand to pad of left big toe (SEL 7).
