In Oriental medicine, meridians, also known as acupressure vessels, are energy pathways, a system or networking of invisible bodily energy channels that run and recharge the body’s energy fields. The meridians interconnect deep within the body core. They can be envisioned as highways between major points in the body. There are specific acupressure points along the meridians. If there’s a blockage of energy in the meridian, or an over or under energy in the organs, there are meridian massage techniques that can be used to help remedy the problem.

Meridians are either yin or yang, depending on the direction they flow on the body’s surface. The yang meridians run from the the fingers to the face or from the face to the feet. Yin meridians run from the feet to the torso or from the torso to the fingertips on the inside, yin side, of the arms.

When I was doing professional athletics my wife was studying Applied Kinesiology and Touch For Health®. After a hard training session, or competition, I found it more beneficial for her to do meridian massages than to do a regular massage. A meridian massage requires no hands on. You can wave over, brush or touch as you trace the meridian flow. You need to know where the meridians are and which way they need to be run in order to increase or decrease energy or relieve an energy blockage.

After learning the meridian pathways I found that, even though not as effective as having my wife run the meridians, I could do them myself and feel the benefits. The meridian massages were particularly helpful where recovery times were concerned.

Every organ has a corresponding meridian and yin or yang energy flow . Knowing the meridians and which direction they run, it’s possible to balance the energy flows. The massages are done in a specific sequence, otherwise you could be going with and then against the desired flow.

The ancient Chinese theory of yin, predominantly female energy, and yang, predominantly male energy, states that every object in the universe consists of both. Yin and yang, sun and Earth, up and down, hot and cold, birth and death. The 3000 year old theory relates yin and yang to the physiology and pathology of the human body.

Practitioners of yin and yang theories feel that by combining the two different aspects of yin and yang, it’s possible to directly address those principles and that a new awareness can be created and a new attitude toward life or one’s behavior can be initiated. They also believe the meridians, and their unimpeded energy flows, are directly connected to enhancing and energizing the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of the body.

By using acupressure and meridian massage techniques, it’s said to be possible to increase energy, improve muscle strength, strengthen the immune system, reduce stress and more. I have personally found that to be true and many of my students have also said they benefited by learning the meridians and simple acupressure techniques.