Assessing and Working
with Meridians
Learning to work with meridians begins with studying the centered, balanced, and healthy expression of each channel. From there it progresses to learning to discern the continuum of presentations that can express themselves when an imbalance is settling into place. For instance, the Lung channel governs our experience of gain and loss and the many complex expressions of grief. If the Lung is balanced, we may find that we can take things in stride and roll with life’s gains and losses with authenticity, proper concern, and alacrity. But if the Lung is compromised in any way we can blow things off, deny the pain, and move on without having ever really dealt with it, or on the opposite end of the spectrum could get lost in our pool of grief and find that it renders us dysfunctional for an extended period. All the channels can demonstrate these wide swings, and learning to assess our energy at any given point in our lives is key to maintaining or restoring healthy functionality. In this chapter we’ll investigate the basic tools for assessing a systemic state of balance.
Harmonizing Qi Energy
To harmonize life energy in the whole being, it is vital to have an appreciation for patterns of harmony and disharmony. The Three Treasures as the body’s fundamental substances can be perceived qualitatively and quantitatively. When in balance they together express harmony, whereas a predominance of one over the others or various deficiencies can lead to disharmony. A primary tool for identifying such patterns is the ability to read signs and feel for the presence of excess or deficiency in the body’s qi. The late Master Masunaga, a twentieth-century Japanese shiatsu therapist who became famous for his method, Zen Shiatsu, had an elegant way of describing excess and deficiency. In the touch therapy world of Asian bodywork therapy, it became known as the kyo jitsu theory.
For fifteen years, I trained and taught at the Ohashi Institute where the Masunaga kyo jitsu theory was at the core of our healing touch training. I have taught this model to thousands and use it effectively and regularly in my own clinical practice. When working with the pathways of qi, it is a powerful ally in working to harmonize qi in the body, heartmind, and spirit. Presented here is the foundation to understanding kyo jitsu so this profound approach can deepen your own practice and experience.
Kyo and jitsu describe two states of energy expression found in an overall pattern of energy distortion. Distorted or imbalanced energy states are called jyaki, literally “distorted ki.” (Ki is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese qi.) Within the distortion are two distinct aspects, the deficiency and the excess. Kyo is the term describing the deficient condition; jitsu describes any excess.
In true yin/yang fashion, kyo and jitsu do not exist one without the other and always manifest in relationship to one another. In Western terms we call this a compensatory system. When one aspect of any system goes into deficiency, another will go into overdrive in order to compensate.
To bring this squarely into our discussion, kyo and jitsu describe qi as it manifests in the meridian pathways. As one example of a disharmonious pattern, think of someone who has a massive appetite but not much emotional sensitivity. Such a person would be manifesting what we would call a Stomach jitsu with a Heart kyo. You can see how this could lead to misfortune and suffering if it were to go on for too long. And while the appetite for food and stimulation might be served, the deeper need for tender loving care could be long unmet and lead to serious problems.
According to Masuanaga’s clinical observations kyo is the cause and jitsu the result. Another way of saying that would be kyo as the need and jitsu as the action to fill the need. Kyo is often difficult to see but jitsu shows up because it is action oriented. You may not be able to see that a person is hungry, but the way in which they go about looking for food or preparing and eating the food will be the action that tips you off to the underlying hunger as the motivating factor. To continue with this example, you could also see that a massive appetite (Stomach jitsu) is a compensation for the true need—love and connection (Heart kyo).
It is important to note that identifying kyo and jitsu is not about finding out what is wrong with you; rather it is seeking to discover what is right with you. It is natural to have needs and take action to fulfill them; this is true on the level of the entire organism as a whole as well as for each individual organ system in its own domain. For instance the Stomach has a need to feed the body and will compel the body into action to fulfill that need. Thank God! If you are hungry, you need to eat. The hope is that you will have access to good, nutritious food to truly fulfill your body’s need for fuel. So too does the Heart have a need for order, safety, intimacy, and love. When those things are lacking, promptings toward actions that could lead to fulfillment will happen.
A properly identified need leads to an appropriate action to find fulfillment when things proceed in a balanced manner. Yet as we know from life, it is often easier said than done. All too often we have misidentified our needs and taken actions that could likely be wildly off the mark. Such actions fail to fill the true need and also create a whole set of conditions that create new needs. Take for instance our example of Stomach jitsu and Heart kyo. If the true need is for love, affection, and a sense of belonging and the only thing you have at hand is a box of cookies, your need for love will likely be mitigated for the time being but the true need will still exist. Here we find ourselves heading down the path to jyaki—distorted, imbalanced qi. Too many nights assuaging your need for love with the cookie jar will lead to a serious state of imbalance.
To properly restore balance, we have several possible approaches. The first and foremost understanding is that if we can properly identify the need and properly meet it with right action, the need will be fulfilled and balance restored. Doing so helps us be in good balance the next time a need arises and a new right action is undertaken to fulfill it. When kyo is fulfilled or satisfied, we call this tonification. Tonification is considered the ultimate cure for imbalance, because once a true deficiency has been satisfied, all the mistaken jitsu actions that were attempting to fulfill that need cease.
What I’ve just described of course is a perfect world. More realistically, our jitsu actions continue sometimes out of force of habit and continually conspire to throw the system out of balance and create new needs for re-correction. In such a case it can become necessary to rein in misguided jitsu actions through a method known as sedation. Sedation is generally considered a more aggressive intervention and is therefore somewhat dangerous, but generally it leads to a quick cessation of the immediate offending influence.
Let’s explore an example of this so you can have a more complete picture. Consider an “empty marriage,” where a husband has an insatiable sexual appetite and the wife is estranged. The husband engages in extramarital affairs while away on business trips. Though estranged, the wife is understandably and justifiably hurt by her husband’s breaking of their vows when she finds out about the affairs. Imagine that the wife responds by having a romantic affair of her own with a colleague in her professional life. Sadly, in her attempt to get back at her errant husband, she nearly destroys her own career. Clearly the need to connect and achieve true satisfying intimacy within their marital commitment is shattered.
Now here is where sophisticated intervention on the part of someone skilled in reading the excess and deficiency patterns truly helps. As long as the damage isn’t beyond repair and there is a sincere commitment on the part of the husband and wife to mend their marriage, skillful intervention to identify the true need and apply a compassionate approach with commitments on both sides through a series of trust building assignments could well help this couple overcome over their struggles and build a deeply satisfying relationship.
In this case a combination of sedation and tonification is necessary. Both husband and wife need to constrain their jitsu actions. They need to begin to talk honestly and rebuild trust in one another; tonifying their true needs, in short. If they succeed in rebuilding the lost relationship, they ultimately satisfy their true deep need for intimacy and contact.
Perhaps this can best be summarized in Leon Hammer’s words: “We all need contact. Enough contact to remain intact. In the absence of positive contact, negative contact will do. And in the worst case scenario, negative contact becomes a way of life.”2 Our job then in healing this pattern is to conspire to create and maintain positive contact in all our relationships with humans and nature. This can be arduous work but in the end it is the only work worth doing.
Learning to use the kyo jistu model with its proper applications of tonification and sedation can bring about deeply positive and lasting change in our lives. The garden of life can flourish and become abundantly productive. Properly identify your needs and the needs of each organ system and you will make choices for action in the world that fulfill your highest good and the highest good for everyone with whom you are in contact.
Rather than simply perpetuating your old ways of doing things out of habit and misguided thinking, cultivate compassion and see all your actions as a cry for help, a call to note your deeper needs, and a chance to realize true fulfillment one need at a time. This is not to say that all your needs will ever be met or completely satisfied; on the contrary, need is ever present. One could even say that need is everything. Indeed it is the driving force that makes life itself unfold. Our goal is not to eradicate need but to embrace it. When we can embrace our needs, we can take appropriate action to fulfill them, and in their fulfillment find ourselves stronger and more confident to meet all our needs as they arise.
When applying the kyo jitsu model to the meridian system, through inquiry and touch, you can read the quality of the qi energy within each meridian channel. Then you can treat the kyo and jitsu qualities at the energetic level, tonifying the deficiency and sedating the excess to restore balance within the system. The art of this method is based on the realization that imbalance shows up early in the body on subtle levels; once you’ve learned to read those subtle energetic signs, you can apply proper corrections at an early stage in the development of any pattern of imbalance, thus preventing it from manifesting in a more serious fashion.
There are many methods employed in the work of establishing and maintaining equilibrium within the meridian system. Exercise, meditation, and proper diet are the first order of business in self-care. Following that, the external supports of counseling and coaching through skilled therapeutic touch, exercise physiology, and psychological and spiritual counseling. If further need exists, we have the entire tool kit of the modern healing arts practitioner ranging from the needles, herbs, and supplements of the acupuncture doctor to the pharmaceutical and surgical interventions of the Western medical professional. In the latter, we face the problem that most Western-trained physicians are either unaware of, unconvinced of the presence and validity of the meridian system. With training and understanding, these physicians can learn to be sensitive to the signs and clues of the body’s energy system and thus improve the quality of their care with a whole new set of tools for assessment and treatment.
On the topic of interventions, we must recognize that this too is an action to meet a need. The proper identification of the need and the appropriate application of effort to meet it still remain at the core of the journey. Doctors can be misguided in their interventions just as an individual might be in attempts at self-correction. Though through a well-informed and educated position we can all hone our interventions to a higher level. We must proceed with utmost care and compassion, equipping ourselves with the best of knowledge and understanding, and only then can we proceed down the road to establishing, supporting, and maintaining harmony and balance in our lives and the lives of those we serve.
Looking at Assessment and Treatment Strategies
If you have a desire to work with your meridian energy or even become a therapist and use your knowledge of meridians to help others, you must develop skillful ways of assessment and treatment. In this work I will explore touch therapy (this chapter), exercise ( Chapter 10), and meditation (Chapter 9) as the primary method of treatment, but there are a wide range of treatment strategies and likely some combination of approaches will be important for healing in most cases. The ancient Chinese texts mention regions of the kingdom where methods of treatment arose. In the east they became wise in the use of food; in the south, herbal remedies were developed; in the west, exercise was central to maintaining good health; in the north they discovered acupuncture; and in the center of the land, touch therapy was developed. Each and every one of these approaches is efficacious and should have a place in your tool kit.
As we explore assessment and treatment strategies it is of utmost importance to remember that assessment is treatment and treatment is assessment. While you are in the process of observing and assessing a situation’s energetic balance, you are also affecting that situation. While you are treating and intentionally affecting the energetic system, you must assess as you go along to read the quality of your intervention, and track progress of changes toward balance and harmony. I will explore assessment in this light, and then enter into a discussion of treatment strategies based on ongoing awareness of assessment principles.
In assessment methods our first exploration must be philosophical, to understand the agreements one must hold in the work of helping yourself and another. What’s essential here is to see that we progress in a practical way, not simply dogmatically or because the book said so. Our efforts must, as Sun Bear was known to say, “grow corn.” This is not some philosophy for erudite scholars in some out-of-this-world location—it is practical, day-to-day material that improves our lives.
The Four Methods of Assessment
To begin, let’s explore what are known as the four methods of assessment: observation, inquiry, listening, and touching. Simple in their practical nature, these methods ask us to improve our ability to be aware and perceive in some detail whatever we are presented. A certain ability to read signs and symptoms is required and from those observations to extrapolate suppositions as to what the signs and symptoms portend.
Observation is the first method. In observation it is essential that we come from a neutral place. In other words, we must not actively scan in such a way as to be overly specific in our efforts. Rather it is suggested that you even allow your gaze to become a bit fuzzy, step back, and take in the general picture first. When you are looking at yourself, this can be rather tricky. Honest self-evaluation can be elusive, and the lack of an objective viewpoint not only makes your vision a bit fuzzy, but downright obscured. In this case you may want to enlist the help of trusted friends and confidants for some honest reflection. When doing this work it is of utmost importance to not fall into shame and blame, or making anything out to be wrong, but rather always to look with an eye to supporting and giving service in the name of growth and greater awareness. When observing another person you also don’t want to go about making the person uncomfortable, or self-conscious to the idea that they are being scrutinized. Instead, look by not looking, observe without making a point of observing. Simply open your awareness to what is being revealed to you.
By allowing yourself to become fully present and receptive to whatever shows up, you remove any pre-supposed ideas that could actually cloud your ability to see what is really going on. You also place whomever you’re observing at ease, so that they will be more likely to show up truthfully and honestly. Remember, in the end it is not what is wrong with you, but what is right with you, that we are seeking. And an honest open attentiveness to whatever shows up is the correct and most productive attitude to cultivate.
Inquiry is a vast and far-reaching art. Your ability to ask a question is key in revealing the most important aspect of any situation. To ask in the proper frame of mind is to ask with complete curiosity about the answer. Presumptions limit the quality of an inquiry tremendously. Make your questions honest and clear, and let them arise from your clear desire to get to know the situation without judgment. There is a level of questioning that can be free of judgment and also lead you down a specific path, following up on hunches you may have received from your observations or the answers to previous questions.
In her seminal work, All Sickness is Homesickness (1994), author Dianne Connely suggests learning to ask the “home run question,” the question that brings us all home.3 If we are sick, it is a sign of an estrangement from our true nature. What has led us astray may be that which ultimately will point the way home. We go off in pursuit of something each time we take a step. Do you know where you are going and what you are looking for?
Take a step back and ask yourself a compassionate question: Can you see in the undertaking of all of your actions in the world (jitsu) your sincere intent to meet your needs (kyo)? Even though your action may not be skillful or miss the mark, can you see that your choices can reveal more and more information to you about your deeper needs you are working to fulfill? When helping a friend or a client, can you take a path of inquiry that tracks their experiences and choices to the source of their motivation? Perhaps an underlying belief is running the show, but that belief is false or at least no longer valid. If you see someone behaving badly to get attention, can you get past the bad behavior and help reveal the true need for attention underneath that behavior? If you can do that, it’s possible to solve the problem of the bad behavior by simply asking the right question. And asking the right question can lead you to true answers that will bring forth great healing.
Listening is the third method, related to inquiry. Listening is the art of hearing not just the words that are spoken but also the tone of voice and whatever else is not stated explicitly. Some call it reading between the lines, but it is in no way meant to present yourself as superior or knowing better; simply, you open yourself up to messages that come in the silence between the words. A good assessment is based on careful listening. It’s often when someone realizes they are actually being listened to with care and interest that they will in turn open themselves up to share more honestly and completely than ever in their lives. Become a good listener and you will become excellent at assessment. Don’t listen for what you want to hear, listen to what is being said and how.
Touch is the final confirmation of what you have been observing, inquiring after, and listening for. Touching is an expression of contact that yields in-depth and immediate information. More information actually comes in than you might ever actually be able to be conscious of. In touch, it’s as if all the other methods are rolled into one. You observe, ask, and listen at each point of contact. Ask: “What does the body tissue have to say to me? How does it respond to my touch? Does it yearn for deeper pressure, or lighter pressure, or longer or shorter contact?” Ask these questions aloud as you touch; listen for the tissue to respond. Is it uptight or relaxed? Is the person liking what you are doing or recoiling or flinching? Does it feel like you are invited to stay longer, or is it hoped you’ll go away soon? Is it weak or strong? Here we begin to feel the actual qualities of kyo and jitsu—the deplete and the replete, the empty, needy cold, or the full saturated, hot. Open your perception with touch and you will find a nearly instinctive ability to read the response of the person to your contact. Perception will guide you to offering the best service possible, tailored to meet the needs of the person just as you find them.
As you grow with these four methods and you marry them to a deepening understanding of the qi energy matrix of the body, heartmind, and spirit, your observations, inquiry, listening, and touching will come alive with information and fascination. You will have entered the realm of true human contact at the very deepest level and open the doorway to deep and lasting healing. These four methods will lead you to the channels most crying out for help and guide your treatment strategy to meet the emergent needs of the person with whom you are in contact.
When we use touch to assess the quality of qi in any given point or pathway, there are certain cues to identifying kyo/deficient and jitsu/excess conditions. Once you have gained proficiency at identifying these, you will have a good idea of whether to proceed with tonification or sedation methods. Remember, tonification is used to support and reenergize a deficiency, while sedation or dispersal is used to reduce an excess condition. If the basic understanding of kyo and jitsu is unclear, go back and review the foundation material in the earlier section, “Harmonizing Qi Energy.” The rest of this discussion builds upon the understanding established there.
First we think of kyo as the need and jitsu as the action to fill the need. We also see kyo as emptiness and jitsu as fullness. Since the two words are used to describe the quality of qi energy in a given meridian channel, it would stand to reason that the actual tissue along the pathway of the meridian will feel one way when it is kyo and another way when it is jitsu. The question then becomes, what does needy, empty feel like, and how does that compare to active, fullness? One of the key factors that shows up at the tissue layer is what we call resiliency. Does the tissue bounce back when you press it, or is it non-responsive, either flaccid or taut?
Healthy tissue is resilient, having a natural give and take, and it is appropriately responsive to the quality of touch given. Kyo tissue will tend to be flat in response and not fight back at all. In fact, it tends to give way, like you’re falling in to a deep chasm. Jitsu tissue on the other hand will be taut like piano wire or a flat board; it will seem to fight and not let you in at all.
There are many ways to describe the feel of kyo and jitsu. One of the more sensitive guiding questions in touch therapy is “Does it call you in or push you away?” The answer to this question sometimes has little to do with actual tissue resiliency and much to do with a sense of inner knowing that you develop over time. It is at least in part innate. When someone is open to your touch, it is made clear to you in many ways; when a person is not open to it, there is just as clear an indication that this is the case. As you develop your sensitivity, you will learn to validate your felt sense of responsiveness at this level. It is fascinating to explore and respond to this information.
Interpreting the Body’s Messages
What’s important to understand here is that the human body energetically is both a transmitter and receiver. As a transmitter it is constantly putting out signals to the world that broadcast the content of its programming. As a receiver it is sensitive to picking up the signals from other beings and listening to what they are putting out over the airwaves. When you learn to tune into the frequency of another human being or to the different aspects of your own being, you are cultivating your assessment abilities. You can learn to know when some part is crying out for help or when it is manifesting dissonance. At the same time, you can learn to read when it is in a state of harmony and ease. As you attune your sensitivity, you will begin to identify the clues which point toward kyo conditions which are asking for tonification, as compared to jitsu conditions which call for restraint or dispersal.
Pain as Signal
Everyone has a certain relationship with pain. We all feel it from time to time, sometimes intensely, sometimes mildly. One Chinese system differentiates between fifty kinds of pain, suggesting that it is in the proper identification of the pain signal that one can hit upon the correct treatment strategy. One kind of pain calls for intensification, taking the pain sensation even more deeply in order to release it. Another calls for backing off and breathing gently and deeply. Some pain would best be treated with encouraging you to scream and cry and pound your fists into a pillow. Still others are greeted with silence and introspection. This is a deep art that’s highly individualized, so it is important not to overgeneralize or try on a one-size-fits-all model. For many of us, our own intuitive understanding about how to work with our pain is generally the correct one. Sometimes the most effective approach may prove counterintuitive, in which case there is nothing that can replace the assistance of a skilled practitioner. Until you can find such skilled support the general rule of thumb is to try an approach, see how it works, and keep going if it yields beneficial results. If it seems to lead nowhere or makes things significantly worse, stop and try something else.
To fully teach the intricacies of intuitive pain treatment is simply beyond the scope of this book; only individualized in-person treatment will do. But it is important here to understand that pain and all bodily sensations come in many forms and levels—one would do well not to think in overly simplistic terms about pain signals we receive. To simply reach for the aspirin or Tylenol or some stronger medication when feeling an uncomfortable sensation is a short-sighted strategy. Even putting pain on a scale of one to ten is only just a start. Rather, begin to understand that pain is a signal, the body is crying out for attention. We must not seek to mask it or make it wrong, but rather open up to it, listen to it, and see if we can figure out what it is trying to tell us. To that end, let’s explore a few different variations and strategies for using pain signals as an interpretive tool.
Redefining Pain as Specific Sensations
First I wish to engage the idea of redefining and even eliminating the use of the word pain. As a word, pain is not very descriptive. Really, it’s a negative judgment about a sensation and not the feeling itself. Pain is such a general idea that its meaning may be diluted to the point of uselessness. In general, we could say that pain is all those feelings that we don’t particularly like. And pain exists in contrast to pleasure, all those sensations that we do like. As such, it is a useful term only for determining the rough category of our reaction to what we are feeling.
One other possibility for seeing the place of pain is that it can generally be used as an indication that something is out of balance in the system, kind of like a warning light in an automobile. But we need to be careful here; we often fall into the trap that if we feel pain there must be something wrong with us. Remember the overriding philosophy of our inquiry must be the question “What is right with me?” not “What is wrong with me?” Whether painful or pleasurable, sensations coming from our body all carry a message to us about the nature of our experience in the body at this time. The work is to open up to the sensation so we can listen to the message.
To do so, we must reorient ourselves to get past the idea that something is painful and instead enter the realm of describing the exact nature of the sensation we are interpreting as pain. In order to understand the feeling that we are having, we must get beyond the judgmental mind that says “I feel good” or “I feel bad” and describe what exactly it is that we are feeling. We will probably find that there are not only fifty kinds of pain (or pleasure, for that matter), but an infinite variety of sensations all of differing quality.
Here is a list of sensations and feelings that could serve as a starting place for this inquiry. The idea here is that if I am describing my sensations, anyone listening can have a direct appreciation with little interpretation about what it is I’m feeling.
Warm, cold, hot, tingling, pins and needles, achy, sore, dull, sharp, stuck, soft, weak, hard, tight, strong, searing, shooting, throbbing, undulating, buzzing, heavy, light, weird, normal, itchy, hungry, full, numb, empty, dark, dry, wet, juicy, rigid, flaccid, limp, sleepy, twitchy, quiet, loud, fixed, moving, alive, dead, open, closed, big, vast, small, tiny.
This list is in no way exhaustive, but it should give you an idea of some useful terminology to begin to enter into a description of the actual sensations you are feeling in your body. The list also exposes the indicators or the kyo and jitsu aspect of our dialogue with our bodily sensations, giving us an idea of the vocabulary necessary for interpreting the message of our bodily signals. Our dialogue is guided by a recognition of opposites. Hot or cold? Tight or loose? Weird or normal? Awake or sleepy? Moving or stuck? These oppositions are a basic indicator of yang and yin, jitsu and kyo, bringing us back to the understanding of where we are in the ongoing natural cycle of change from yin to yang and yang to yin.
As you begin to practice this method of perceiving the sensations in your body, you will find that they change and shift sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically. Take your time, slow down, and be receptive. Reduce your reactivity and the fear that something is wrong—just listen. In listening, you may receive a message and discover what your body wisdom is telling you. In working with others, you can slow them down and guide them to the practice of describing their sensations. You’ll gain valuable insight into the exact nature of just what they are going through, and you can respond appropriately.
A simple inquiry into the quality of so-called pain or the sensation of discomfort and its response to touch is valuable here. Some “pains” will be relieved when touched, others will intensify upon contact. If the sensation is saying, “Ooh, yes, please rub there, please go deeper,” this is generally considered an indication of a kyo condition. It is calling you in. If the response is “Ouch! Stop it! That hurts!” this is an indication of a jitsu condition. It is pushing you away. Together we call them the “hurt so good, hurt so bad” clues to kyo and jitsu.
So in these ways, we can begin to shape our understanding of pain or discomfort, and beyond that all our sensations as indicators of kyo and jitsu conditions of the energy field. Ultimately, the determination of kyo or jitsu is a process of developing your felt sense and trusting your inner knowingness. There is nothing you can do to force the feelings; you simply need to open up, get out of your head, and become openly attentive to whatever arises.
From Assessment to Treatment
From assessment to treatment we engage in an interesting journey. Remember that ultimately, in these arts, assessment is treatment, treatment is assessment. You cannot look, ask, listen, and touch without also effecting some change in the body, heartmind, and spirit. Likewise, as you are effecting change, you must be “assessing” the nature of that change as you go along. This all sounds pretty heady, but ultimately it is not an intellectual exercise. Remember, there is no separation between feelings and the intellect. Just be aware that there really is no objective reality. We are all engaged in the deep interactive process of movement and change called living. Jump in with both feet and hands, and have some fun.
Once we have all these clues into the nature of kyo and jitsu as well as a knowledge of the meridian locations, points, and functions, we can begin the process of pattern distinction or recognition. The inquiry becomes directed toward the questions: “Where in the body, heartmind. and spirit are the kyo and jistu conditions most clear?” “Which meridian function is most calling out for help?” In establishing a baseline of understanding about where the system is in its cycle of changes you can make a call as to what would be the most effective intervention to assist the optimal functioning. To this end develop your understanding of functions and characteristics of the channels as a guide to assisting in the maintenance of balance in the system.
The methods of treatment grow out of the methods of assessment. Once you have established your recognition of the kyo and jitsu aspects, you respond to these with tonification and sedation. Tonification is the process of building the kyo, nurturing and meeting the true need. Sedation is the process of dispersing, dissipating, or restraining an excess condition. In using touch therapy, tonification is generally a slow, gentle, deeply nurturing contact, whereas sedation is a stronger, quicker more agitating contact.
For a deeper exploration of therapeutic touch approaches, there are many training manuals that guide you through the shiatsu and other compatible touch therapies like massage or acupressure that may use the meridian channels to increase the treatment’s effectiveness. I personally conduct and ultimately recommend live training in any touch therapy, as it is the only way to receive adequate training in any craft. In the meantime, get started with the exercises taught here, and see to what end you can make positive change as you follow these instructions. There are many ways in which you can practice tonification and sedation on your own through brushing and tapping, meditation, and qigong exercises. And you may also find skilled nutritionists and herbalists who can lead you in the proper use of tonifying and dispersing herbs and foods. In addition, psychotherapy, spiritual counseling, acupuncture, and in some cases pharmaceutical and surgical interventions can also be employed to promote the return to balance when your systems have veered off course.
Other interventions such as diet and herbs, acupuncture, and Western medicine are all excellent tools and beyond the scope of this work. If you find you would like to pursue those avenues, I encourage you to seek out professional assistance. If you happen to be an herbalist, acupuncturist, or nutritionist, I encourage you to practice the arts of exercise, meditation, and touch therapy appearing in this book. I believe you will discover a powerful set of tools for enhanced healing understanding.
Practice with Touch Therapy
Touch therapy making use of the pathways of qi takes many forms, from self-administered tapping, brushing, and palpating techniques to a wide range of Asian bodywork therapy methods. The main common methods include various schools of shiatsu from Japan and styles of tuina from China. Basically, any manipulative therapy that works with the meridian channels in a specific and focused way can be considered Asian bodywork therapy. Western massage therapy based on muscles and the physical systems of the body does not qualify as Asian bodywork therapy in that the standard Western massage therapy profession has little if any training in working with qi as it expresses itself in meridian organ network and elemental energy patterns.
When applying the touch techniques taught here, you are developing the fundamental skill sets required of a fully trained Asian bodywork therapist. This style of working the body is closer to physical therapy or chiropracty than it is to massage therapy and involves an education in channel energetics shared with the acupuncture profession. To learn a full hands-on therapeutic application of this healing method, live training with a qualified instructor is essential. For self-care as well as theoretical foundations, books and video are effective learning tools. The brushing and tapping routine offered below is an awesome personal cultivation tool and may be practiced safely and effectively. Give it a try and see for yourself the powerful benefits that can be discovered through activating the pathways of qi.
Brushing and Tapping—A Self-Care Routine
An excellent way to stimulate the qi in your body is through the simple practice of brushing and tapping. Brushing and tapping has the benefit of moving the channel toward equilibrium whether it is excess or deficient. The actual ability to assess states of deficiency and excess is a subtle skill that develops over time and usually with trained supervision. However, it is not necessary to be proficient at assessment prior to getting started. In fact, one could say that it is necessary to get started in order to become proficient. This is a very much a “learn by doing” system. As you gain experience, the ability to discern varying patterns and changes in your body, heartmind, and spirit will become easier.
Life is by its nature always predisposed toward balance. Just as spring faithfully follows winter each year and night and day consistently trade positions, so too our own natural state freely and easily alternates between yin and yang states of being as the movements of life demand. With brushing and tapping, we are becoming more deeply acquainted with the flow of the qi in the channels. In the process you learn and internalize the varying locations of each channel and the major points along the way. As you tap and brush, you feel the quality of the sensation at all given points and note that experience.
You may find some points are very sore, but with a slight change in rhythm or intensity of your brushing or tapping, the soreness will ease and the point will feel free and clear. After completing the entire sequence of brushing and tapping, you will have an overall sense of buzzing well-being. Enjoy the process of making yourself healthier and happier through encouraging your life energy to flow within your entire being.
Brushing the Channels
Brushing is generally performed before tapping; though it can be made to specifically follow each individual channel, it is often best to simply brush more generally over the yin and yang aspects of the body. Use your whole broad palm to accomplish the brushing and make gentle contact and off-the-body sweeping gestures over the surface. Begin with the yin aspect of one arm moving outward from chest to hand, brushing from the pectoralis, out toward the bicep and forearm to the open palm. Then turn your palm over and brush up the back of the forearm over the point of the elbow, up the tricep into the shoulder and up the side of the neck and ear to the face. Repeat on the other arm.
Once you’ve brushed to the face on the second arm, use both hands to brush over the top and sides of the head down to the neck and shoulders. Sweep down with your hands to the side ribs and allow your hands to spread wide so that they reach as far to the back as you can and also sweeps down the side of your torso. Sweep over the fullness of your buttocks and down the sides and backs of your thighs and legs. For this you will bend over to sweep down to the ankles, promoting flexibility through the forward bend.
Once at the feet, sweep your hands over to the bottoms of the feet and the inner ankle and sweep back up the inside of your leg and thigh to the groin area, the abdomen, and then into the chest. Begin again and sweep the entire body once more, shifting your hands slightly to get at any areas that may have been missed on the first pass. Repeat the entire sequence as many times as feels good and right to you.
The point of this brushing exercise is to gently sweep through your energy channels following the traditional direction of energy flow, invigorating and soothing your entire being. Practice differentiating the yin from the yang surfaces of the body, and internalize the classical direction of the energy flow. This is exactly as we learned the direction of energy in our journey through the one meridian flow. The yin arm channels flow from the torso out to your palms. The yang arm channels flow in from your hands to your face. The yang leg channels begin in the face and flow down and out through the feet, and the yin leg channels flow up from the bottoms of the feet to the torso.
As you become familiar with this flow, it will become second nature, and you will see that true to the yin and yang principles, the yin is of the earth and rises up from the bottoms of the feet to the torso and then from the torso moves up and out through the hands. The yang is of the heavens and it descends down through the finger tips and the top of the head to travel down the back and sides of the body to the feet. With this simple, elegant map, you can come to appreciate the exquisite position of being between the heavens and the earth. And you can begin to sense the balance involved in the joining of those powerful energies to create the body in which you live.
Tapping the Meridians and Points
The tapping routine is more vigorous than brushing. A certain attention should be paid to its invigorating nature. Where brushing is very gentle, tapping can sometimes be very strong. Be sensitive to your body’s needs and don’t overdo it just to prove something unless it is your nature to do so. If that’s the case for you, note that and honor it, and be ready to deal with the consequences, whatever they may prove to be. Tapping is also more specific to channels and even points. To perform a Tapping routine, follow the one meridian flow outlined in Chapter 1. Begin with Lung 1 and follow the sequence all the way through to Liver 14. Use the images of meridian and point locations and function covered in Chapters 2 through Chapter 7 to deepen your overall practice.
Tapping the entire circuit of the body will take about five to ten minutes or more. Be sure to allow adequate time to complete the entire sequence. If you should get distracted in the middle, don’t worry, you won’t do any damage with this method. Simply take note of where you left off, or at what point you became distracted. Then pick up from where you left off, or simply restart from the beginning. If you find that over the course of a week’s practice you continue to get distracted at the same point, then it is likely that you are getting a message about that particular channel being neglected or avoided.
As you tap through the sequence, allow yourself to give particular attention to points near the joints and to any point that calls attention to itself through sensitivity either pleasurable or uncomfortable. The points at the joints are all major points in the system and as such have a certain efficacy and preeminence in our work. Points that demonstrate peculiar reactions to the contact are communicating something of note. As particular points stand out among all the rest as having significantly different response to the contact, you can consult the list of major points to get some clue about which function may be asking for more attention.
Of course, knowing which channel a sensation is on is a starting place for interpreting the messages your body is sending you. Next would be the actual specific point itself. There is a great wealth of information here in this book, and in the vast literature available on Chinese medicine you can find information on the working functions of each and every point on the body. However, I encourage you not to simply take the information in the charts and books as gospel. Make sure to apply your own personal experience and consideration as the last word. There are many possible interpretations of what sensitivity at any given point could mean. And the most important interpretation is the one you derive from your own personal experience. You, after all, have lived in your body your entire life, and you are the only one in possession of the most intimate and detailed information on what your body might be telling you with any given sensation.
That said, the primary method for tapping is to form your fingers into what is known as the crane’s beak. This is a hand position in which the thumb and four fingers are all drawn together. You then proceed to tap in a rhythmic fashion on your body, following the pathways of the energy channels and taking time at each point along the way. Trust your intuitive sense of how long and how hard to tap on each point. It is not important that the crane’s beak be held tightly together, in fact a loose wrist action and loose fingers produces the best result. On various points in some sections of the body, you’ll want to change from the crane’s beak to the karate chop or the light fist. Experiment with these various hand positions for the tapping hand.
Start at Lung on one side; it doesn’t matter which. Tap the channel from Lung 1 to 11. Turn the arm being tapped and start on the Large Intestine, tapping from 1 to 20. As you tap into the face, be particularly light with your finger tapping. After completing Large Intestine on the first side, move to Lung on the second side and then Large Intestine as well. End at Large Intestine 20 in the face.
Next move to Stomach meridian in the face, lightly tapping with both hands on both sides at the same time. Tap from 1 to 8, and then drop down to tap 9 in the neck and on down through the torso to 30 at the pubic bone. Lighten up over the breast tissue, and remember the channels narrows to two inches off centerline as you move down the abdomen. After Stomach 30, tap across the inguinal ligaments out to Stomach 31 at the top of the vastus lateralis muscle in the thigh. Here switch to a light fist and give the muscle a good pounding as you follow the channel all the way down the thigh across the knee and along the tibialis anterior, the shin muscle. Switch back to crane’s beak in the top of the foot, ending with Stomach 45 in the second toe.
After completing Stomach switch over with crane’s beak finger taps to follow the Spleen channel up from Spleen 1 in the big toe to Spleen 9 at the knee. In the thigh, switch back to a light fist and continue up to the inguinal ligaments. Here you’ll want to switch back to the crane’s beak as you cross the sensitive inguinal triangle and follow the channel up through the abdomen to the breast tissue, tailing down to its completion at Spleen 21. It’s tricky to tap Spleen 21 on both sides at the same time. You may want to try crossing your hands over to tap with the crane’s beak from the opposite side of the body, and do one side at a time. Spleen 21 is a very influential point and you’ll want to make sure to give it a good tapping out.
Next we are back at the arms and we move on through the one meridian flow to Heart and Small Intestine. Again you’ll need to do one side at a time. You’ll find that crane’s beak works well for Heart, but Small Intestine is a little tricky. Try using karate chop, or even Large Intestine 4 as the contact point for tapping out Small Intestine from 1 through 9. For Small Intestine 10 and 11 in the shoulder blade, use an open fingered slapping action to get down into the area of the infraspinous fossa. You’ll revert to crane’s beak for Small Intestine 12 through in the top of the shoulder and neck to 18 and 19 in the face.
After tapping Heart and Small Intestine on one side, switch over and tap out the same lines and points on the other side. Completing at Small Intestine 19, shift over to tapping both sides simultaneously again as you pick up Bladder 1 through 4 in the forehead with crane’s beak. Switch to the knuckles of a loose fist as you tap over the top of the head from 4 to 10. Use fingertips for 11, and reach back as far as you can between your shoulder blades to try and reach Bladder 12 and maybe 13. There’s an area in your back between the shoulder blades that you’ll probably need to accept that you just can’t reach unless you have extremely flexible shoulders. Once you’ve reached down as far as you can from above, switch your arms around and use the back of your fist as high up the back as you can reach, and then continue to tap on down the rest of the Bladder channel down to the sacrum and buttocks.
Now turn your tapping hands and use the front of the loose fist for the sacrum, buttocks, and thigh and calf points, switching to crane’s beak for the points of the ankle and foot. End up with a nice tapping along the outer edge of the foot to Bladder 67.
To tap out the Kidney meridian, you have to contort your body somewhat into a wide-legged squat position, but not too wide and not too deep. You’ll find just the right position for yourself as you practice. Invert the foot, rolling up on to the outer edges and exposing points Kidney 1 and 2 to your finger tips. As you shift into the inner ankle points Kidney 3 through 6, relax the inversion of your feet but keep the feet turned out, so that you can directly tap on Kidney 6 through 10 in the inner calf. Continue the turn out as you tap up the channel from the knee to the groin, and crossing the groin gently arrive at the pubic bone and tap with your crane’s beak up the Kidney channel just a half-inch off centerline in the abdomen and two inches off centerline in the chest, all the way to Kidney 27. It may be tender through the chest points, so modulate your intensity as needed. At the same time, realize this is an essential vital energy boosting technique, so don’t be shy.
Pericardium channel is next and as you return to the arms, you’ll again have to do one side at a time. Choose either side to start, it makes no difference. Crane’s beak works best for the Pericardium from just outside the nipple and moving up the anterior deltoid and out into the bicep. After the bicep, try a loose fist in the forearm. That can be deeply invigorating. Gage your own level of need and find the quality of stimulation that is most effective for you.
As you cross over the palm and then turn the arm to present Triple Warmer, you may find that you naturally are drawn to using a loose fist to tap out the Triple Warmer meridian back up the arm, over the shoulder and into the neck. The shoulder points of Triple Warmer often present as particularly appreciative of a good solid pounding. Go ahead, drop the weight of the world from your shoulders and let them have it! Continuing when you are ready, the crane’s beak once more works well for the Triple Warmer points around the ear. As you cross the temple, however, shift to using gentle finger tapping once more. Repeat Pericardium and Triple Warmer on the second arm.
After completing the second arm, tap Triple Warmer 23 on both sides at the same time with gentle finger tapping. Drop a half-inch down to Gall Bladder 1 and follow the channel to tap each of the points 1 through 14. As you tap 15 through 20, switch to the knuckles of the light fist once more. The side of the skull can really respond to this knocking. I always get the image of knocking some sense into my head. But remember, in gentleness there is great strength, so don’t overdo it.
Gall Bladder 20 through 29 respond really well to crane’s beak and various modifications of a loose finger tapping. Be sure to circuit back and forth along the channel and stimulate each and every point along the way. Use the images from Chapter 1 as a guide until you commit the pathways to memory. Once you arrive at GB 30 in the buttocks, make a light fist again and tap down the channel along the side of the leg from 30 to 40 at the ankle. In the foot, use crane’s beak to finish the flow into the fourth toe.
Continue to use finger tips as you pick up Liver in the big toe and tap it up to the ankle. Try light knuckles on the lower shin Liver 5 and 6, and then karate chop on the calf and inner thigh to stimulate Liver 7 through 11. Finger tap once more across the inguinal ligaments and into the abdominals out to the tip of the eleventh floating rib where you find Liver 13. Finally, tap up to Liver 14, the Gate of the Cycle in the sixth intercostal space just below the breast tissue. Complete by re-connecting to Lung 1 once more, and then relax.
Congratulations! You’ve just completed a full tapping out of the channel system. Take a moment to appreciate all the many sensations of circulation and life energy stimulation that result from this delicious exercise. Breath a few deep breaths and shower your body with infinite love and gratitude. You have just honored your body as the vessel of your being. Hold on to the preciousness of who you are.
As you practice this exercise over time and become more proficient in your knowledge of channel and point location, you can add in awareness of the functions of each channel and even individual points along the way as you tap through the body. This is truly a powerful and effective tool for enhancing whole body health and awareness. Take it to the next level. Enjoy your life and your body—it’s the only one you’ve got.
If you find that you really want to up the ante on bringing this routine effectively into your daily life, take a moment to write down a few thoughts about which points and lines were most sensitive. Track this quality of sensation day by day and watch it change.
Deepen your practice by studying the meridian channels and point names, and commit them to memory. Begin to see how the sensitivities you find in various points correlates to the functions of the meridian channels described in Chapters 2 through Chapter 7. In this way you can begin to truly come to know yourself and your energy flows in a deeply profound and useful way.
Remember to keep studying. In the next chapters, we’re going to dive deeper into the study of life and self that presents itself to us through the pathways of qi.