If you hit your knee, slap your finger, or scratch your elbow, your first thought is to touch a painful area. The nature – the desire to relieve pain and touch – is the essence of Massage.
Massage is the practice of applying specific pressure, usually with the fingers, to different points in the body for the purpose of balancing the life force, called qi in Traditional Chinese Medicine or chi in the West. The points lie in the energy channels in the body called the meridians. Imagine the body as a house with an electric wire, but instead of a cord, meridians carry electricity. When the meridians are closed or out of alignment, pain arises.
Massage can sound like a nightmare, especially for Americans who are trained to seek treatment in pills and procedures. But Massage is not a New Age contrivance. It has been around for 5,000 years and is based on the ancient understanding of the body as a physical and powerful object.
What Causes Massage?
Massage opens the meridians using a gentle but strong compression on the lower extremities, called acupoints. In response to stress, the brain releases endorphin, a chemical that blocks pain signals and invites pleasant sensations. In the absence of pain, the muscles relax and the blood flows freely. As the tension subsides, the body recovers.
Massage is not the only remedy; it is also a measure of protection and the sig of Wellness. Strategic use of force causes the body to resist stress and illness.
Top 9 Massage Points
Massage Point Head, Muscle, and Bowel Movements
1) Adjoining Valley (Li 4): Place your left hand on the floor and gently squeeze your thumb and forefinger together. The fleshy muscle emerges from the net between the bottom of the thumb and forefinger. Eye on this area, relax your left hand, and using your right hand (thumb on top, index finger below), click on this (see figure 1 in the picture above).
One of the most important Massage Points, Li 4 relieves headaches, relaxes strong muscles, and promotes healthy bowel function.
Massage Point of Arm Pain and Digestion
2) The Bride on the Bridegroom (Li 11): As the name implies, the idea is in the galaxy itself. Hold your left hand in front of you at a 90-degree angle, as if in a sling. Raise the left hand up. Place your right thumb on the outer edge of the elbow (see figure 2 in the picture above). Press firmly. Change hands.
Use this concept to relieve pain in the arm, elbow, or shoulder. Pressure here can also control the digestive tract.
Massage Points for Skin Problems
3) Sea of Blood (Sp 10): To get these two Wellbeing points, sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor. Feel the bulge in the muscles of your thigh about two inches wide over the edge of your knee. The bulge is up inside the leg section. Press on the points firmly with your fingers or the thumb of your middle finger (see figure 3 in the picture above).
These points cleanse the blood and strengthen the skin.
Electrical Massage Points
4) Three-Foot Foot (St 36): This point is four inches wide below the lower edge of the kneecap and a finger wide to the outside of the shinbone (see figure 4 in the picture above). You will know that you have found it when, when you turn your foot, the muscle of the leg (tibialis anterior) moves under your fingers.
Massage Stress Removal Points
- High Speed (Lv 3): This focus is on the foot, making it easier to find. Place the tip of your thumb at the intersection between the thumb and forefinger of the second thumb. Swipe your toe over your foot for about half an inch, until you feel a sharp (see figure 5 in the picture above). That’s the point. If you can reach it, do two feet at a time. If not, do one and then another.
Massage Points for Sinus Congestion
6) Abundant Splendor (St 40): Hard to find, this point is worth hunting. It lies on the outside of the leg, between the ankle and between the knees. Take a seat. Wrap your toes behind the shin in the middle of the leg. Using your thumb, press the tibia (tibia), and then slide your finger two inches or so from the bone to the outside of the leg (see figure 6 in the second picture above). Press firmly.
Massage Points for Menstrual Cramps
7) Three Yin Joints (Sp 6): The three Back meridians of the cross leg at this point inside the leg over the screen. To find it, press your toe in the middle of the leg bone, and slide the top of the inside of the leg to a width of four fingers. The point is just outside the shinbone (tibia), directly behind the leg (see figure seven in the second picture above). (For more information on your lunar cycle, see “What You Are Trying To Tell Your Time”.)
Massage Points for Kidney Health
8) Supreme Stream (Kd 3): Find this point by placing your right thumb inside the prominent bone in the left hip. Next, let your finger slide straight into the Achilles’ tendon. The focus is on the depression between the bone and tendon (see figure 8 in figure 2 above).
Massage Points for Migraines, Colds, and Neck Dryness
9) Air Pool (Gb 20): Adjacent to the gall bladder meridian, these two points are located along the top of the occipital bone. Place your fingers under your skull next to the hair. Slide your fingers along the lower bone of your skull until each finger is between the Massage points Back and the ears. The points lie there, between the two muscles of the neck coming together where the neck meets the skull (see figure 9 in the second picture above). (For more information on migraine prevention, see “How to Prevent Migraines”.)
