Flows for Life » Jin Shin Jyutsu exercises

Jin Shin Jyutsu is the Getting to KNOW (Help) Myself

By FlowsforLife on Sunday, April 24th, 2011 | Comments Off

When we start to work with the energy of the body, we realise that the physical follows the energy. We can read the body, by knowing what the energy is doing.

Case in point. Maria is 75 and she has a very hunched back. She can’t stand up straight anymore. One would say that this is something that ‘happens’ in ‘old age’. However, another story unfolds when we add an understanding of the energy body to the equation.

The main energy (main central) moves down our front (exhale) and up our back (inhale).

Let’s say that when Maria was younger (years younger), something frightened her and she stopped breathing properly. She became afraid of letting go, of exhaling the dirt, dust, grease and grime.

As she became afraid of exhaling, the energy down the front of her body became tenser and started ‘pulling her down’, at the same time creating a safe, protective space for her chest and her heart.

‘The body is the demonstration of your thinking’. – Postures of the body give the state of the heart and the mind.

The Ancient Healing Art of Jin Shin Jyutsu allows us to: 1. move through our disharmonies at the point when they HAVE NOT YET TAKEN HOLD IN THE PHYSICAL, 2. REPAIR THE BODY when disharmonies have taken hold in the physical and 3. Effect LIFESTYLE CHANGES by harmonising attitudes like Worry, Fear, Anger, Grief and Trying Tos that created the disharmonies in the first place.

All this through the process of GETTING TO KNOW (HELP) MYSELF.

What is the role of the Pulse in Jin Shin Jyutsu?

By FlowsforLife on Friday, March 4th, 2011 | Comments Off

As a Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner, I spend the whole hour of a treatment LISTENING to the pulsation that emanates from the energy sites I hold (either on myself or on someone else). The breath, and this pulse are the only expressions of life in the physical world, and the pulse is a manifestation of how the energy circulates through the body – the pulse has a variety of different textures, tones and rhythms. This tells the practitioner everything about what is going on in the body, how the body accepts life and what the relationship is with its environment. Where it is out of balance, where the cause of the project (problem) is and where is its effect.

And therein lies the lifelong study of this Ancient Art, which is interpreting all these messages encoded in the pulses.

Of course, you don’t need to be an expert in the pulses to get working on yourself. The benefits of Jin Shin Jyutsu Self Help can be quite fast and dramatic without having any knowledge as to what the pulses are saying.

As Mary Burmeister once said, Jin Shin Jyutsu is ‘complicatedly simple’. As easy as that.

More on Stress Relief: How to Main Central

By FlowsforLife on Wednesday, June 30th, 2010 | Comments Off

In the previous post I talked about using the Main Central Source of Life exercise for stress relief. Because it helps everything on every level, it grounds us, calms us, balances us and most importantly: releases tensions on every level.

Many people who are new to all this energy work ask me: ‘So how do I best do these exercises?’ So here goes:

When I do the Main Central exercise, I like to lie down and prop my arms up with pillows (especially the right arm because the right hand is going to remain on top of the head for a while). I also like to put on a chill out CD so that I don’t have to look at the clock every time I need to move on to the next position. Every time the track changes, I move to the next position.

You might fall asleep in one position. Don’t worry about it. Enjoy it. Sometimes I get ‘stuck’ in position 1 or 2 or 3 for a whole hour because it FEELS SO GOOD! So be it. That’s what you need at the time.

Sometimes, there will be involuntary jerking movements as the energy gets moving. Don’t worry about it. That’s normal. Sometimes there can be a shooting pain when you hold a position. That’s also normal – as long as it dissipates pretty quickly. If it doesn’t, stop what you’re doing and concentrate on some deep breathing for a few minutes.

Many times, the stomach will make rumbling sounds when the energy gets moving. For me, those sounds are music to my ears. There’s a great release of tension when that happens.

So please have fun with this powerful exercise. 40 minutes to an hour every day would be ideal, especially if there are any special stress projects.

The main thing is to experiment and ENJOY this wonderful exercise for STRESS RELIEF.

Jin Shin Jyutsu: Your Innate Right

By FlowsforLife on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 | Comments Off

I often see people in a perfect Jin Shin Jyutsu self help position, even though they have probably never heard of this ancient healing art before in their lives. How can this be?

Jin Shin Jyutsu is an innate wisdom that we all tap into unkowingly and intuitively when we hear the body’s message: please help me!

By introducing Jin Shin Jyutsu, one awakens to the conscious application of the art, and therefore is empowered to do something about the discomfort, the pain, and the every day sufferings that we humans ‘endure’.

I say let’s not endure any more! Let’s not exist and be victims to all the slings and arrows that come our way, but let’s actively and consciously live a happier, healthier life. Jin Shin Jyutsu helps us do this, by knowing where to put our hands on the body.

Letter: The Miracle of Horses and Jin Shin Jyutsu

By FlowsforLife on Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 | Comments Off

Original Artwork by Astrid (c)

Note: I received this lovely letter about Jin Shin Jyutsu a while back and have published it with Helen’s permission..

Hello Astrid

I have been studying and using JSJ off and on for the past few years and I just wanted to tell you about one of my most amazing experiences.

I have or have had (?) an ongoing problem with my spine. One of the discs in my mid to lower back used to become displaced through damage and wear. At its worst I could not straighten, used to cry out in pain getting in and out of a car, and could not walk, sit or lie down without constant pain. I had chiropractic treatment, Bowen, osteopathy and consulted a sports injury specialist. I used to go to a therapist to have poisonous fluid drained and the disc put back, every 3 months or so. The more fluid, the more pain. This particular therapist told me the area was very delicate and worn and would only get worse. He said that I would need to have this treatment or something similar probably for the rest of my life to try to manage it as best we could.

Aged 51 after discovering horses for the first time in my life 12 months earlier, I went to Portugal and was chosen by my Lusitano Tui. A then young 5 year old stallion, largely unhandled, he had only just begun his training as a riding horse. I had no experience of handling horses and only a small amount of riding experience during the 12 months prior to buying him, and each time I would endure excruciating pain in my right hip and my back. Yet I was driven to become involved with horses and brought him home as a gelding.

One day whilst walking my dogs in the woods behind my house, I was accidently knocked to the ground by one of them. After struggling back to my feet, I found I couldn’t straighten, could hardly walk and the pain was really bad. I knew from all my past experiences that the disc has been displaced.

I don’t know how I managed to get back home and I then went through 48 hours of terrible pain. I was determined this time to sort it out for myself and began by giving myself Reiki (I am a Reiki Master). It was comforting but that’s all and by this time I was high from pain and lack of sleep. I tried to manipulate appropriate acupressure points but it was too painful. Then I remembered JSJ. I looked through my book The Touch of Healing and decided that the Main Central was the movement to try.

I worked with this move all through the night. In the early hours of the morning I found that I was shaking all over, had the worst headache ever and a high fever; it felt like I had a good dose of the flu. I knew it had worked though and that this was my healing crisis. After having some blessed sleep, I woke to no pain!

That was almost 4 years ago. I have not been back to my therapist and my horse and I enjoy riding bareback and bitless down the country roads and lanes where I live. I do not have any problem with hips, neck, hands feet or back after riding or handling my wonderful horse and I walk on average 2 to 3 miles a day either with my dogs or horse or both!

It remains to be seen whether my disc has actually mended itself. My therapist certainly believed that the disc was worn and damaged and was not something that would improve. And, he was genuinely horrified when I bought my horse! He is skilled therapist and a lovely, caring man and he helped me alot and for this I am truly grateful.

However, I am even more grateful to my Higher Self for guiding me to horses and JSJ!

Thank you for your wonderful website!

Kind regards
Helen

See the link to the Main Central Source of Life Exercise

Q&A: ‘Missing Step’ Main Central

By FlowsforLife on Saturday, April 18th, 2009 | 2 Comments

Question: Hello, The Alice Burmeister book shows fewer points for the main central. [Touch of Healing]i am interested to find out why.Thank you, js

Answer: Hello, JS. Thanks for your question and well spotted! My honest answer is that I don’t know exactly why one step that appears on the Main Central Exercise on my blog does NOT appear in the book The Touch of Healing. The step is number L6 which places the left fingers above the belly button. Now, I can tell you from experience, that the previous step – placing left fingers at the bottom of the sternum (xiphoid process) has a deeply harmonising effect for the whole of the abdominal area, so in most cases the following step would be ‘superfluous’. However, I have also had the experience that working with the right hand at the top of the head and the left fingers above the belly button has helped me tremendously to harmonise any stomach, digestive discomfort or cramping. The thing is – there is no ultimate right or wrong, and as Mary used to say: ‘Be your own testimony’. Have FUN! Astrid

PS Afterthought on this. It is possible that the diagram also attempts to follow the chakras – the ‘missing step’ places the fingers above the navel which is the area of the base (orange) chakra. But as I said before: it’s not about right or wrong, it’s about how efficient a hold works for each individual.

Q&A: Jin Shin Jyutsu for Hemorrhoids

By FlowsforLife on Monday, March 2nd, 2009 | Comments Off

Question: I suffer from hemorroids, and I would like to look at natural ways to combat them, rather than using over-the-counter creams. I know a bit about JSJ but not a lot – is there anything simple I can do? MJ

Answer: Dear MJ – I have been meaning to put some information up on hemorrhoids for a long time now, so thank you for your question. The first thing is that you need to drink a lot of water – this will help tremendously. As hemorrhoids are a sign of de-hydration, drink lots of spring water during the day, and have a glass of water with your meals, or a herbal tea like fennel (very good for the digestion). Also, make sure you include fiber in your diet – including raw vegetables. A vitamin and mineral supplement once a day wouldn’t go amiss either. Also very important is moderate exercise such as walking, or jumping gently on a trampoline.

In terms of Jin Shin Jyutsu holds there is one hold that works like a gem to clear hemorrhoids. You simply hold the outside of your knees (Safety Energy Lock 8 eight) see the photo. Take your left hand and curl your fingers under the ligament that is on the outside/back of the knee so that your fingers fall on the back of the knee, but not quite in the middle. At the same time, curl your right hand/fingers under the right knee. You can fall asleep on your side doing this hold, or sit in a chair.

Other, older posts on this Jin Shin Jytusu Blog to look at:
Bladder flow
Main Central Source of Life
The Importance of the Trinity Flows

Exercise: Self Help For Back Pain with JSJ Hold

By FlowsforLife on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 | Comments Off

My back has been aching all week (it’s probably all that stuff I’ve been carrying lately). So I’ve incorporated some gentle stretching every day and yesterday I worked on SEL 2 (especially the right side) – that Flow has helped because the 2 area was tight and sore!

The simplest Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help for backache is to hold the index finger (and also the thumb separately) every day – go to sleep holding your index finger, and it’ll work as you sleep.

Self Help That Works – Back to Basics: Hold Your Fingers!

By FlowsforLife on Saturday, November 15th, 2008 | Comments Off

The basis of Self help in Jin Shin Jyutsu is the thumb and the fingers. Holding the thumb and the fingers every day is a good way to gently clean, harmonise and revitalise all our 144,000 energy functions. The effects over time are cumulative, so the more you hold your fingers, the quicker the effect. See these older posts for how to hold the thumb and each finger and harmonise each corresponding emotion (or ATTITUDE as we call them in Jin Shin Jyutsu):

Hold the thumb for Worry
Hold the index finger for Anxiety
Hold the middle finger for Anger
Hold the ring finger for Grief
Hold the little finger for Trying (too hard)

Exercise: Self Help for Insomnia – It WORKS!

By FlowsforLife on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 | 1 Comment

Insomnia. Not being able to sleep. There might be several reasons for this. Sometimes if I go to bed hungry, I can’t sleep. Most often, I can’t sleep when my mind is full of THOUGHTS. The simplest way to combat insomnia is to hold your thumb.

See this older post: Hold your Thumb for Worry

Exercise: Jin Shin Jyutsu for Bloating

By FlowsforLife on Sunday, July 27th, 2008 | Comments Off

Bloating is when the stomach swells up. There can be gassiness along with the swelling and a feeling of feeling uncomfortably stuffed. The culprits are very often dairy products and other hard-to-digest foods such as beans, nuts, seeds, fruits, brussels sprouts, oats, barley, honey and yeast which can also cause gas and an inflated stomach. Persistent symptoms should be checked, as they could be the sign of food allergies.

Apart from having a look at the diet, Jin Shin Jyutsu also offers a lot of help with bloating: one can hold the little finger (see this older post for the exercise) and apply the BLADDER FLOW and also the Stomach Flow.

The complete bladder flow is outlined in TEXT 2 on page 23. Mary considered the bladder flow so important that she also gave it a shorter version on page 24 – one as self help and the other version for application on others, as well as including it in Self help book 1 on page 48.

Left Bladder Flow Self Help: Hold each position for a few minutes
First position – Right hand on left side of neck, left hand on the coccyx
Second position – (keep right hand on neck), move left hand to the left back of knee
Third position – (keep right hand on neck), move left hand to the outside of the left heel
Fourth position – (keep right hand on neck), move left hand to the little left toe

The bladder flow is also good for swollen legs and for other leg discomforts.

Magic Exercise: For Sudden Fatigue

By FlowsforLife on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 | Comments Off

If you suffer from sudden and debilitating fatigue, it is quite possible that your ‘mediator’ energies are in need of some help. These are the energies that criss-cross the body from left to right and right to left. (note: Donna Eden has an exercise for this in her video below).

In Jin Shin Jyutsu keeping the Mediator energised is very important. I learnt this first hand one day when I had really overdone it. I was heading home on the underground in London. The journey was about half an hour long. Luckily, I managed to get a seat. I was SO excruciatingly EXHAUSTED, that I remember thinking: ‘I can’t do ANYTHING to alleviate this, not even Jin Shin Jyutsu – I just need to lie down and sleep’.

But then my hands naturally landed in a Jin Shin Jyutsu hold that Mary used to call ‘the little gem’. Half an hour later I bounced off the train, and nearly ran home. All the exhaustion was forgotten. It was one of the most incredible Jin Shin Jytusu experiences of my life.

So for the JSJ hold to alleviate fatigue: Place the right hand on the opposite left inner thigh (a few inches above the knee) and place the left hand on the opposite right upper arm (a few inches above the elbow crease) – and vice versa.

Breathe Deeply! A Jin Shin Jyutsu Hold

By FlowsforLife on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 | Comments Off

So many times lately, I have felt heaviness in my chest. It’s like a tension, a tightness. Emotionally, there has been sorrow as well. With the help of a wonderful therapist, I have been able to look at the emotional issues surrounding this feeling.

I also remember that there is a wonderfully simple Jin Shin Jyutsu hold to clear the chest area and deepen the breathing (all JSJ holds will harmonise the breathing) and release anxieties and tension.

The hold is part of the Main Central Source of Life. Place your right hand on the top of your head, and the left fingers on the sternum between the breasts, or you can place the left fingers a bit higher up (where ever it feels sore is a good indication of where to hold!).

Magic Exercise: Joy and Laughter in Our Lives

By FlowsforLife on Saturday, January 26th, 2008 | Comments Off

The Art of Jin Shin Jyutsu supplies us with 26 energy sites, or Safety Energy Locks, each with a specific function. ‘SEL’ 15 is found in the groin and is called ‘Wash Our Hearts with Laughter’. I have been on many 5 day seminars where the recipient of the ’15 Flow’ has had a really good laugh.

SEL 15s are our personal comedians because they help us laugh and take ourselves and situations less seriously. Holding the 15s (in the groin – see photo) helps the abdomen, the legs, the knees, ankles and feet. It is useful for bloat conditions, helps varicose veins (and to prevent them!), and any bleeding (also heavy menstruation). The 15 Flow helps faster recovery after surgery, and helps bones heal at a faster rate than ‘normal’.

Magic Exercise: Regulate Acidity in the Body

By FlowsforLife on Monday, December 10th, 2007 | Comments Off

This hold is the specialist for regulating acidity in the body.

Diet is obviously extremely important as many foods are highly acidic and can overload the system causing all kinds of discomforts leading to dis-ease and illness.

According to research done at the University of Wisconsin by Dr. Helen Linksweiler and Dr. Josephine Lutz, a diet with a high protein content acidifies the blood (as sugar does), and acidified blood will dissolve calcium from the bones.

There are many foods that have a high calcium content: sesame seeds and tahini, seaweeds, beans and nuts and a variety of greens amongst others. It’s about finding a balance.

And something I didn’t know until recently: that lovely tea with lemon is a real corrosive drink that depletes calcium from the body.

So to the hold: Place right hand over left shoulder and with left hand place fingers on the base of the left thumb (photo to follow). You can do either side.

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