To understand acupressure points, you need to understand how the body works. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the body is constructed of something known as meridians, through which Qi — the body’s life energy — flows. These meridians connect different areas of the body like a system of pipes. And as usually happens when you have a system of tightly connected pipes, it is common for blockages to occur in specific areas. These areas are known as “energy points” or “acupressure points”, and by applying pressure in a certain way and for a certain length of time, you can unblock these points and help the energy to flow once more.
This is important, because blockages can cause an array of symptoms, ranging from aches and pains, to serious illnesses. And if left untreated, these symptoms can worsen and can develop into something even more serious.
How to Unblock Energy Points
Acupuncture has been common in China for thousands of years, and this has expanded around the world over the last few decades. There are even many places that practice this down here in Australia. However, it’s not all about needles and expert practitioners. There are actually many different ways to remove these blockages, and you don’t need those needles or an experienced healer to do them. In fact, providing you follow a few instructions, you can perform techniques on yourself that can help to unblock these energy points, techniques that simply require the use of your hands.
We seem to have gotten a raw deal here in Australia, because while acupuncture has spread, alternative forms of acupressure have not. Fortunately, there are schools that can teach you these methods, including the Spring Forest Qigong Centre. This is a Qigong school that is based in North America, but it attracts thousands of students from around the world every year. And as well as a number of courses that focus on Qigong exercises and meditations, there are also some specialised acupressure techniques, including the Head to Toe Body’s Repair Manual and the Qi-ssage Healing program, both of which are discussed in more detail below.
The Head to Toe Body’s Repair Manual
The Head to Toe Body’s Repair Manual is an extensive manual that was designed with all students in mind, so you can take it at anytime in your studies. But considering that many of these techniques are essential for your progression through the SFQ, it’s probably best to signup for the Head to Toe Body’s Repair Manual when you have just started, or after you have progressed through some level 1 courses.
There are 76 techniques in this manual, and 63 of those focus on self healing, working from your head to your toes. These are all acupressure massages, and the goal is to apply pressure in a certain way in order to unblock energy points. The Head to Toe Body’s Repair Manual has illustrations for each technique, showing you where to apply this pressure and how to apply it, and there is also information on what each technique can cure, and what energy points they focus on.
Many of the remaining chapters in the Head to Toe Body’s Repair Manual are aimed at healing newborn babies, promoting wisdom energy, alleviating constipation and generally preparing them for a healthy life. There are also a few techniques that are aimed at pregnant women and can help to make their pregnancy easier.
The final chapter in the Head to Toe Body’s Repair Manual is a recipe for something known as Yin Yang Water.
Qi-ssage Healing
This is a level 1 course, and in many ways it is similar to the Head to Toe Body’s Repair Manual mentioned above. The main difference is that Qi-ssage Healing focuses on massages, and shows you how you can use these to heal others. The course comes with a 53 page manual, as well as a CD and DVD. These show you how to perform a Qi-ssage Healing session, and effectively help you to take your first steps toward becoming a Qigong Healer.
Qi-ssage Healing targets energy points and also implements more elements of Qigong than the Head to Toe Body’s Repair Manual does. Altogether, this course can help with all of the following, eliminating these symptoms in both you and the ones that you perform a session on:
- Injuries and pains
- Headaches and sinus problems
- Depression and other mental health problems
- PTSD, OCD and ADD
- Stroke recovery
- Insomnia and stress
- Digestive problems
- Breathing difficulties