The Art of Jin Shin Jyutsu
Boost your energy, calm your mind and soothe your emotions through the Art of Jin Shin.
The ancient Japanese art of Jin Shin Jyutsu (JSJ) is a simple and effective form of energy medicine which has healing and transformative powers. By applying gentle pressure with the hands on specific energy points, stagnant energy can be moved, and the harmonious flow of energy within the mind/body system restored. Self-practice is a key component of this healing art form and it provides us with a rich variety of holistic self-care techniques for mind, body and spirit.
My interest in this method began a few years ago when my reflexology teacher led us through a guided meditation during which we held each finger and thumb in turn as we went through the meditation. The result was such a wonderful level of relaxation and clarity of mind that I was fascinated and so began my journey with JSJ.
The ancient practices that make up this art have existed in Japan for thousands of years and were passed on generationally through word of mouth. In the early 1900s a Japanese philosopher named Jiro Murai used these techniques to heal himself from a life-threatening illness. Following this he dedicated his life to the study and teaching of these practices, calling it Jin Shin Jyutsu. ‘Jyutsu’ meaning ‘art’ and ‘Jin Shin’ meaning ‘the creator through the compassionate person’.
‘The creator’ here refers to the universal or ‘source’ energy which is activated by our intention as we apply our hands. ‘The compassionate person’ refers to the practitioner who seeks to maintain a compassionate attitude throughout their practice.
One of Murai’s Master Students, a Japanese-American, Mary Burmeister is credited with bringing the technique to the West in the 1960’s. Teaching first chiropractors and physicians, then lay people, Burmeister recognised the negative effect that our emotions or ‘emotional attitudes’ can have on our lives. She sought to map these emotional attitudes onto the body and placed them into five specific categories: worry, fear, anger, sadness and “trying to” the last one referring to excessive effort.
When these negative emotions remain unprocessed they become stuck, causing energy blockages, and so we can enter into a state of disharmony or ‘dis-ease’.
In JSJ the hands are used as ‘jumper cables’ to kick start the flow of energy in the body via a system of 26 energy points. By holding these points with our hands in specific sequences, the body is able to harmonise itself - releasing blocked emotions, regulating organ functions and restoring energetic balance. These energy points are mirrored on the left and right sides of the body and often overlap with acupressure points.
While there are hundreds of energy flows in the practise of JSJ, I will focus today on the wonderfully simple, yet remarkably healing, energy flow practice of holding your fingers and thumbs.
Self-Reflection
One of my favourite things about the technique is the opportunity it provides for self-reflection. So before or during your practice you can take a moment to tune in and ask yourself:
Why do I feel out of balance?
Why are my emotions overwhelming me?
Why do I have this particular ache or pain?
What is the cause of this issue?
It can be amazing what answers reveal themselves when we have time to reflect. It might also be helpful to consider that in JSJ they believe there are two main reasons why we go out of balance:
One is daily stresses such as work, relationships and environmental factors like lifestyle, diet and weather. The other is older, more long term issues such as chronic illness, earlier traumas and energy patterns related to our ancestry or family history.
These problems (called ‘projects’ in JSJ) manifest on different sides of the body with lifestyle factors appearing mainly on the right and older / hereditary issues on the left.
Understanding the position of the projects on your body (right or left) can help you to understand the reasons behind them. So tune in and ask yourself ‘Do I tend to have more projects on the right or the left side of my body?’
As time goes on you will develop your intuition and understanding when it comes to your own personal health and wellness. This practice can support you on that journey so you feel more empowered in the day to day. It also balances the left and right sides of the brain and body so they move in sync. When our energy system is harmonised it vastly increases our potential for health, vitality and wellness.
The Energy Holds
There are five healing energy holds related to the fingers and thumbs with a universal or ‘all inclusive’ healing point also located in the centre of the palm. Each finger and thumb is related to a specific emotion and linked to an organ, so the practice gives us a wonderful opportunity to balance not only our emotions but also to harmonise the flow of energy in and around the organs.
We do this by gently wrapping our hand around a finger or thumb of the opposite hand, creating a closed ‘circuit’ so the energy can flow from the skin surface, where we are holding, to the core of the body and back out again. This energy flow or ‘circuit’ takes about 20 mins to complete so the goal is to hold for 20 minutes. However, as discussed in my Healthy Habits post, start small and make it easy, so instead of 20 mins aim for 3 or 5!
You can also go round each finger and thumb in turn and do a shorter hold for each one, it's up to you! You can even hold for up to an hour if you include it with your meditation.
Begin on whichever hand you prefer and hold the finger or thumb you feel drawn to. You can also have a look at the chart below and see which emotion or organ feels relevant to you in the moment. When in doubt you can hold the thumb!
As you hold, gently focus your intention and observe what you feel. Do you notice any pulsation? It could be very little or it could be strong. When you feel a pulsation it means the energy is starting to move so you can continue to hold until you feel the pulse begins to regulate and develop a more ‘smooth’ quality.
Within minutes of doing this practice you can soothe and calm your digestive system, relieve anxiety, boost your immune system and even reduce pain. The more you practice, the more you nourish your energetic structure and this makes it easier to return to your natural state of flow as time goes by.
You can practice the holds any time; when you are watching a TV, talking to a friend, or even taking part in a zoom meeting. They are super simple and easy to do, and provide us with a wonderful opportunity to practice daily self-care while balancing our energy system.
The Finger & Thumb Energy Holds of JSJ
The Thumb
When you hold the thumb, you are harmonising the emotions of worry and anxiety. As well as calming your thoughts and anxious feelings it is a wonderful hold to ‘clear the head’ (great for tension headaches!) and so a great one to practice while you meditate. The element associated with the Thumb is Earth and so holding it helps to ground and nurture us, bringing us gently into the present moment. Babies suck their thumb to self soothe or to help them go to sleep, we can achieve the same by holding our thumb!
It helps the organ function energy of the spleen, pancreas and stomach and so helps our digestion, glucose regulation and our immune system. It also helps the skin surface so if you have allergies you can hold your thumb to help calm and soothe the area. The skin also represents our external boundary so if your boundaries are not strong in life you can hold the thumb to strengthen them, equally if you have too much of a boundary and find it hard to connect or let people in, holding the thumb will help to pacify them and encourage flexibility.
The thumb has a special place in JSJ as the Master hold. If you are not sure which finger to hold then hold the thumb. So when you feel worried hold the thumb! When your mind is racing, hold the thumb! When you have a tummy ache/headache or your head is wrecked, hold the thumb!
The Index Finger
When you are holding the index finger you are helping to harmonise the emotion of subconscious fear. It relates to the function of the muscles and relieves muscle tension, particularly along the spine and in the lower back. It also helps the nervous system, so when you are feeling anxious, nervous or fearful this is a great hold to practice. It is particularly good to do before a big meeting or presentation as it will help to calm you down and support you to feel more confident and at ease.
It also helps the organ function energy of the Kidney and Bladder and is associated with the element of Water. So, if you have any issues related to these organs or elimination holding your index finger can help.
The Middle Finger
When you hold the middle finger, you harmonise the emotions of anger or rage. If you find you experience these emotions regularly then practice holding your middle finger daily for 10-20 mins to help regulate these feelings. As well as calming and stabilizing the emotions when someone or something is making your ‘blood boil’, it also helps the function of the ‘blood essence’ and so is a great hold to use if you suffer from high or low blood pressure. It also helps to clean the blood so if you have any blood related disorders you can hold your middle finger and it will help to balance that energy.
Due to its location in the middle of the other fingers it is known as the ‘great harmoniser’ and so helps to balance all of the elements. This includes external elements, so if you are dealing with someone who is angry or reacting to you you can hold your middle finger and it will harmonise and change the energy around you.
It also helps the organ function energy of the Liver and Gallbladder. If you have overindulged – too much rich food, alcohol, coffee, it will support the liver function to cleanse you out. There are more than 500 vital functions performed by the liver so harmonising this organ is important! In Chinese medicine the Liver meridian also connects to the eyes so if your eyes are feeling tired you can hold the middle finger. The gallbladder is also related to the feeling of ‘indecision’ so if you need to make a decision then hold your middle finger and it will help provide clarity.
The Ring Finger
When you hold the ring finger, you harmonise the emotions of sadness and grief. It helps the organ function energy of the Lung and Large Intestine and is associated with the element of Air. This finger is all about the breath and elimination. Both the Lung and Large Intestine organs are associated energetically and physically with ‘letting go’. Often we may find ourselves holding on to past hurts and grievances, struggling to cope with grief and loss, this can affect the organ function energy of the lung and large intestine.
Holding the ring finger allows us to let go not just emotionally with grief and sadness but also physically. So if you are constipated or if you have difficulty breathing, or you feel tightness or congestion in your chest you can hold the ring finger.
It also helps the deep skin so any problems with connective tissue or the lymphatic system can be helped by holding the ring finger. The lymphatic system plays a major role in our immunity if you have any immune system problems such as frequent infections you can hold your ring finger.
The Little Finger
When you hold the little finger you are harmonising the emotional attitude of ‘trying to’ or ‘efforting’. When we feel overwhelmed and like everything is taking a lot of effort - then it’s time to hold the little finger. It can help you to take a step back and get some perspective on where things are going.
It helps the organ function energy of the Heart and Small Intestine and is associated with the element of Fire. Mary Burmeister has written in her book that the little finger ‘harmonises all heart functions’ and calms down the nervous system. So if there is any issue with the heart, whether it’s palpitations, your heart is racing or you have a heart condition you can help to settle down the energy of this organ by holding the little finger. The heart is located on the left side of the body, so you can hold your LEFT little finger for heart problems.
It is also associated with the attitude of ‘pretense’, wearing a mask and not being our authentic selves. This can be an exhausting way to live so when you hold your little finger it will help you to ‘Be’ rather than to ‘Do’.
The little finger hold is also particularly good to use in an emergency. If someone has collapsed or fainted, you can hold the little finger and often they can revive after a couple of minutes.
The Centre of the Palm
This is an all inclusive point which I use frequently and you can hold it at any time. It harmonises the energy of all the organs and helps to re-energise the body. Place the fingers of the opposite hand into the centre of the palm and connect, breathe and relax. You can also place one palm over the over in a prayer position.
Conscious Breathing
One of the most beautiful aspects of the technique is the use of conscious or mindful breathing along with the energy holds to help move stagnant energy through the body. The mind and the breath are intrinsically connected so when we focus on ‘conscious’ breathing or calming and regulating the breath we automatically help to calm and regulate the mind. We take thousands of breaths every day, yet very few of them are conscious.
In JSJ, the aim is to develop a daily practice of mindful breathing. You can do this breathing whenever suits you but I like to do it along with the finger-holds. Aim for 3 conscious breaths as you hold each finger or thumb. If you are holding one finger for 20 mins then be mindful of your breathing the entire time.
Begin each session by sitting comfortably and placing your hands on your abdomen. Close your eyes and bring your attention to your breath. Take a few deep breaths in and out. Feel your abdomen rising and falling as you breathe. Maintain this ‘deep belly breathing’ throughout your practise.
When you exhale, feel yourself letting go of any emotional attitudes, fear or negativity. As you inhale, breathe in feelings of abundance, harmony, peace and joy. As time goes on you will become more adept at this practise and find it easier to let go of what you don’t need and take in what you do.
In JSJ, like yoga or meditation we do not seek to control the breath, rather to be mindful of it so that we can become one with the breath and it regulates naturally. If you find your mind wandering you can simply refocus and bring your awareness back to the breath. Conscious breathwork helps to not only calm our mind and emotions but also to balance our energy system and activate the parasympathetic nervous system which is vital in helping us rest and relax.
A Simple Self-Care Practice
I love this practice and encourage you to use it regularly as part of your self-care routine. It will help to keep your body in ‘energetic alignment’ and soothe and calm your emotions when you need it most.
So remember: Sit back and relax, hold your finger or thumb, focus on your breathing and allow your emotions and energy to harmonize and balance as you become calm and still.
Further Reading:
If you would like to read more on this ancient healing art you can check out some of these books below.
The Art of Jhin Shin - Alexis Brink
The Touch of Healing - Alice Burmeister
