Diaries Of A Yogi: How Jin Shin Jyutsu Helped Me Heal My Body & Mind
I was recently given an unusual suggestion from my personal Healer; she asked me to hold each of my fingers, one by one, for 3-4 minutes. My immediate thought? "That's almost 30-40 minutes of sitting still! I can't do that. I've got too much to do!"
I'm an active person, both physically and mentally. But there's so much value in being still and just focusing on your breath. It allows you to connect with your mind, body, and spirit in a different way, not through movement.
Through my exercise, I learned about Jin Shin Jyutsu, a form of Japanese healing art that emphasizes treating the body as a whole, rather than one section at a time.
What is Jin Shin Jyutsu?
Jin Shin Jyutsu is the art of releasing tensions which are the causes for various symptoms in the body. Our bodies contain several energy pathways that feed life into all of our cells. When one or more of these paths become blocked, this damming effect may lead to discomfort or even pain. This blockage or stagnation will not only disrupt the local area but will continue and eventually disharmonize the complete path or paths of the energy flow.
Through Jin Shin Jyutsu, our awareness is awakened to the simple fact that we are endowed with the ability to harmonize and balance ourselves (in rhythm with the universe) physically, mentally, and spiritually.
It has proven to heal the inner body and improve mental health simply by holding your fingers! Our hands are connected to our organs and emotions. By holding them, we can improve our energy flow to vital areas.
The thumb represents your spleen and stomach. Holding the thumb helps you let go of the past, relieve stress and worries, invoke calmness, better sleep, and improve your energy. That's just one of our fingers, and it has that many benefits! The Index finger is connected to the kidneys and bladder; nurturing this finger helps us overcome fear. The organs of the middle finger are the liver and gall bladder. This finger is linked to the emotion of anger. Our ring fingers connect to the lungs. Holding this finger improves our breathing and calms the nervous system. Last but certainly not least, the pinky finger represents the heart, and therefore your blood. Since proper blood flow is vital to a healthy internal ecosystem, in some ways, it's the most important of them all!
Give these finger holds a try! You will definitely feel the difference.
Namaste,
Vee
An Award-Winning member of the Santa Monica community and known beach dweller, Vee Gomez is the CEO and lead yoga instructor of Beach Yoga SoCal. On a mission to spread mindful living, Vee loves teaching yoga on the beach and reminding students of the ocean’s therapeutic properties.