Use Meridians in Your Energy Healing Practice

The word ‘meridian’ might take you back to middle school geography class – and you wouldn’t be totally off the map. The meridians used in energy healing are actually a similar concept to the geographical coordinate system you learned about at the age of 12.

All living things are vibratory beings, each constantly sending out unique signals that generate an energy field. Your body grows out of this energy and something if shows up if your field that isn’t optimal, like a blockage or distortion, it will manifest in your physical being.

With roots in ancient Chinese and Indian healing practices, meridians are used today by energy healers of all types worldwide, from acupuncturists in New York City to yoga teachers in Rishikesh, India. Modern science is now proving what healers from thousands of years ago have always known: energy pathways are vital to your health.

What – and where – are meridians?

Just like the meridians on our globe make up an interconnected coordinate system, the meridians in your body are energy pathways through which qi (chi) and blood flows continuously.

According to meridian energy healing practice, when the qi flowing through these pathways gets blocked it can have serious consequences for your mind and body. You may find that your vitality diminishes or that your organs aren’t performing at their peak. You can even suffer from mental health issues.

The meridians in your body flow roughly along the natural lines of your arms and legs. The practice names the lungs, heart, pericardium (the membrane around your heart), triple warmer (the pathway from the arteries in your neck through the center of your heart), large intestine, small intestine, stomach, bladder, spleen, kidneys, gall bladder, and liver as the principal pathways of the meridians.

Meridians flow up the body (yang meridians) and the other flow down (yin meridians). They are also related to natural elements, and some are more active during the night than the day.

Something to take note of is that their names correspond to their biological function and not always the organs themselves. In addition, there are extra meridians – called centerline meridians – where energy is stored. The two most important centerline meridians run from the bottom of your lip down the front of your body and down the back of your spine.

As mentioned before, modern science proves that meridians exist. Research scientists at Seoul National University recently have confirmed the existence of meridians, which they call the ‘primo-vascular system’, and consider it to be related to our cardiovascular systems. To prove their hypothesis, the scientists injected dye into acupuncture points, and were able to see that the dye followed the lines of the meridians. The dye did not appear in places outside of the meridian pathways.

Ways you can use the Meridian healing system in your energy practice

One of the most interesting things about meridian healing is the inherent mind body connection.

For example, we all know that eating a diet full of processed food can make you sick and lead to a whole host of energy problems. In Western medicine, a doctor would simply recommend eating healthier and perhaps give you a prescription. However, an energy healer using meridians would focus on solving the underlying issues that cause the problem, such as mental health issues like anxiety or depression.

Since negative emotions are what are create blockages and disrupt our qi, it’s important to stay in touch with our emotions and figure out why we’re feeling the way we’re feeling. It becomes much more than simply addressing the physical symptoms of a problem, but walking back and examining the emotional reasons behind our behaviors.

Meridian healing argues that emotions will cause us to be drawn toward things that may harm us. Instead of simply saying someone should stop overeating, meridian healing would acknowledge that a person might be overeating because they’re stressed out at work or at home. By identifying the emotional mechanism behind the blockage, meridian therapy connects the mental and the physical.

Negative emotions correspond to specific meridians. Once you understand the reason behind your physical symptom, you can then identify the meridian that you should focus on healing. For example, if you’re anxious, worried, or stressed you should be focusing on your stomach meridian. If you’re feeling fight, flight, freeze, or overwhelmed, you should focus on releasing blockages in your triple warmer meridian.

Just like your meditation, incorporating meridian healing into your practice is something you do entirely on your own. While taking a transformational yoga class or getting a relaxing massage is always a good way to show yourself some self-love, meridian healing is something you can do and see results immediately.

Try giving yourself a simple meridian healing massage; all you need to do is trace your meridians using a gentle touch. You can touch your skin directly, or go over your clothes, or hover an inch above your skin. If you can’t reach a part of your body that is perfectly okay, just envision yourself continuing the line uninterrupted. Repeat this process for however long you would like. However, be sure you are moving in the right direction, because moving against the natural flow of qi can have a weakening effect on your body.

Incorporating meridians into your energy healing practices will support radiant health by facilitating the flow of energy throughout your body. When you are able to achieve balance, your physical and mental health will be enhanced – so you can live your best life.