According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, a person’s vitality depends on the subtle energy which flows through the body’s energy pathways. These pathways are called meridians. The meridians are classified in two groups:
- First, the twelve regular meridians, which are associated with the functions of different internal organs. These channels flow to and from the hands and feet.
- Second, the eight special meridians, which are not connected with any particular organ function.
Overtime, master healers learned that pressure on specific points on the body’s energy pathways would relieve certain symptoms. The next major discovery was that certain combinations of the acupressure points could also heal disorders that were caused by a malfunction in a certain organ.
By studying the relationship between the functions of the body and the acupressure points a system was formulated describing the energy pathways that flow through and connect the specific points.
It is easy to understand the network of meridians and acupuncture points if you imagine your body as representing land. The meridians are your body’s main highways while the acupressure points are the gas stations.
Just as people travel around the country by way of the highway and stop to refuel or get stuck in traffic or worse, run out of gas, your body can supply vital life energy to your internal organs and transform your emotional health by way of the meridians.
The body’s subtle energy, known as Ki in Japanese, concentrates within the meridians. The twelve regular meridians, mentioned earlier, run vertically along the body.
Each of the meridians are named after a physical organ, for example the Heart meridian, and is identified as either yin or yang.
Additionally, two of the eight special meridians are particularly important because they monitor the twelve regular meridians and have many important pressure points. In shiatsu, these two meridians are called: the Conception Vessel and the Governing Vessel and they run through the vertical midline in the front and back of the body.
The Six Pairs of Meridians and their Yin/Yang Associations are:
YIN YANG
Lung (LU) Large Intestine (LI)
Spleen (SP) Stomach (ST)
Heart (HT)———– Small Intestine (SI)
Kidney (KI)———– Urinary Bladder (UB)
Pericardium (PC)—- Triple Heater (TH)
Liver (LV)———— Gall Bladder (GB)
It’s important to understand that the properties of the meridians are founded on the functions of the organs and not the organs themselves.
Besides the yin and yang divisions, qualities of appearance are further subdivided into five transformational phases. These phases flow into one another just like the changing of the seasons, they are known as the five-elements: Earth, Metal, Water, Wood, and Fire.
As stated earlier, each meridian along the body is identified as being either yin or yang and is then associated with one of the five-elemental transformations.
The Meridians and Their Elements:
Lung and Large Intestine — Metal
Spleen and Stomach — Earth
Heart and Small Intestine —Fire
Kidney and Urinary Bladder — Water
Pericardium and Triple Heater — Fire
Liver and Gall Bladder — Wood
Despite the actual definition of the word meridian, which means longitudinal lines circling the planet, the original Chinese concept of the body’s energetic pathways means to have the quality of a flowing river or stream.
Shiatsu and Energetic Healing aim to balance the flow of Ki throughout the meridians and to relieve any blockages.
Filed under: Holistic Health, Shiatsu | Tagged: acupressure points, Balance, Body's Energy Pathways, Cara Michelle Miller, Chinese Medicine Theory, Learn Shiatsu Healing, Meridian Theory, Meridians, pressure points, Pressure points relieve symptoms | Leave a comment »
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