When my son Christopher was fighting leukemia, I never imagined there was a healing modality in which I could simply hold my fingers to release anxiety, fear, anger, and sadness, and other emotions. It’s called Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient Japanese practice, that balances the body’s energy using our hands and our breath to promote relaxation. I first came to learn about Jin Shin Jyutsu at my yoga studio in 2008. I’d been suffering from a lot of anxiety and stomach aches and I learned through a Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help class that I could simply hold my thumb to help alleviate the discomfort. In 2016, I became a certified Jin Shin Jyutsu practitioner as I wanted to share this incredible art with others.

What is Jin Shin Jyutsu?

Jin Shin Jyutsu (JSJ) is a traditional form of acupressure therapy that harmonizes the body’s energetic system through light touch. JSJ recognizes that health and illness are associated with either the harmony or imbalance of our vital life force energy. The body contains energy pathways that feed life into cells and nourish internal organs. When one or more of these paths become restricted, the resulting stagnation can lead to discomfort, pain, or disease. JSJ practitioners use light finger pressure on specific areas of the body called “safety energy locks” to balance and restore the flow of vital life energy¹. It predates Buddha and Moses.

When practicing Jin Shin or JSJ, we are encouraged to close our eyes and concentrate on our breath shifting our awareness from the external world to the internal world, focusing on our inhales and our exhales. JSJ is really about getting to know ourselves and while it’s most effective when we are mindful bringing awareness to our breath, it can be practiced anywhere such as in the doctor’s office or in a meeting. According to a study in the Journal of Holistic Nursing found nurses who committed to a daily self-help practice showed “significant increases in positive outlook, gratitude, motivation, calmness and communication effectiveness and significant decreases in anger, resentfulness, depression, stress symptoms, time pressure and morale issues²."

We use our finger in self-help as they have access to many energy pathways. Our hands are like jumper cables recharging what they touch. When we harmonize the fingers, we begin to harmonize the entire circulation of life energy within the body³.

For example, gently holding your thumb, either one, may help calm worry and anxiety. If you wake in the middle of the night and have trouble falling back to sleep, hold your thumb. Think about how babies suck their thumbs—they are self-soothing. 

Holding your index finger may calm fear and mental confusion. It’s my natural go-to when I’m feeling uneasy. Holding the middle finger may help you with irritability, anger, and indecision. To help with sadness hold the ring finger. The little finger may help with low self-esteem and when we feel like we can’t be ourselves or need to wear a mask.

How Do I Practice Jin Shin Jyutsu?

• First, there is no wrong way to practice Jin Shin Jyutsu for self-help. 
• Gently hold one finger with the other hand. No rubbing or massaging.  
• You can hold each finger on one hand and then the other. 
• Or you can hold just one finger (in any way that is comfortable). 
• You can hold a finger for a few breaths or several minutes. I prefer to hold for a few minutes or more to gain relief.  
• Another way is to hold a finger until you feel a pulse.  
• If there is a strong pulse when you begin to hold the finger, then hold it until it quiets. You can also hold your child’s or partner’s thumb or finger. And they don’t even have to know what you are doing for it to work. 

You can practice Jin Shin Jyutsu anywhere—in the doctor’s office, watching TV or talking with your friends or family. When practicing you may notice twitching, hear rumbling in your belly or feel a sensation elsewhere in the body. This is your body releasing tension and your energy starting to balance.  Jin Shin Jyutsu is a valuable component to conventional healing methods⁴.

So next time you are feeling anxious, or scared reach for your thumb or index finger and breathe. If you find you are not getting enough relief, hold another finger.   Sometimes the cause of our feeling may be different than we think. And remember, the benefits are cumulative. The more we practice, the greater our vitality⁵.