What is acupressure?

Acupressure on a hand

Acupressure is the application of physical pressure to the body to affect the flow of energy in the body (called ‘Chi’, ‘Ki’ or ‘Qi’) in the 14 meridians (energy channels) for the benefit of your health.

Acupressure is considered to be the ‘mother of acupuncture’, in that it predates the use of needles to stimulate the body's energy flow. It has the same principles as Acupuncture, but the pressure is applied directly to the Acupoints of the body mainly by using the hands, fingers, thumb or knuckles and sometimes by using a smooth, blunt object.

Acupressure techniques include Shen Tao, Jin Shen, Do Jin Shen, Qigong, Shiatsu and Tuina.

Treatments can last from 15 minutes to nearly an hour depending on the severity of a person’s problem. Acupressure can be worked on bare skin as well as through clothing with the effects being similar which is to bring about relief through greater balance and circulation of fluids and energies in the body.

What is the purpose of acupressure?

The purpose of Acupressure is to keep the flow of energy through the body unhindered, as it is believed that a disruption in that flow leads to illness.

"Acupressure aims to release blocked energy by stimulating specific points, or ‘acupoints’, along the body’s energy channels"

Pressing firmly on the proper acupoints can promote energy flow to a part of the body that is experiencing difficulty, thereby enabling it to heal itself more readily.

What are the benefits of acupressure?

Acupressure aids alleviation of acute and chronic conditions. An acupoint can be worked on for specific conditions – for example, pressing a point on the top of the foot may help to ease migraine. Acupressure is also known to aid your health in a number of other positive ways: