Acupressure is a gentle, yet extremely powerful form of bodywork. It works with the energy systems of the body, which profoundly affect our physical health, our emotional state, and our spiritual well-being. By creating flow and harmony at the energy level, acupressure also brings deep relaxation and healing to our bodies, our emotions and our spirit. It does all this purely through sensitive, skilled finger pressure at various points on our body.
These points are located along the energy channels, or meridians, and are the same as those used in acupuncture. The finger pressure allows blocked energy to flow, and harmony to return to our body’s energy system. This, in turn, allows healing of our physical symptoms, and understanding and healing of the related emotions we may have been holding. As balance returns, we usually feel immediate relief of our pain or discomfort, and long-term healing is also initiated.
During a session, you usually lie on a massage table fully clothed. The practitioner will ask you about your symptoms, and also take your pulses – acupressure recognizes twelve different pulses at the wrists. Using all this information, the practitioner then creates a treatment that is uniquely crafted to the particular energy imbalances that are related to your symptoms.
Acupressure points are held in pairs until the blocked energy in the points is released, which usually takes two or three minutes. The finger pressure is adjusted from gentle to strong, and the length of time varies, depending on what’s needed to release the energy, and the practitioner only moves on as it flows in each point. Energy moves from areas of excess to areas of deficiency, creating balance in the whole system and allowing it to be available where needed. While you may or may not feel the actual energy flows, you will usually feel both refreshed and deeply relaxed as the treatment progresses.
As your energy field changes, so will your symptoms and feelings, and the practitioner continually incorporates these responses into the treatment so that it is always sensitive to your particular healing needs. Treatment becomes a dynamic flow. When our imbalances are relatively recent, then treatment can usually restore balance quite quickly. But when our imbalances have lasted for a long time, and we find ourselves with chronic illness, then treatment can take longer to restore health. Yet even with chronic conditions, we usually notice improvements after as few as one or two sessions.
As we can see, while acupressure is called bodywork, the body is merely the place where we begin. As energy begins to balance and harmonize, all levels of being are impacted, not just the body, but also emotions, mind and spirit. All these aspects are intimately intertwined, and all find health through the magic of acupressure.
