Feeling Energy in the Body
To awaken or feel energy flow in the meridians of the body, the technique I like the most is self massage. If I want to open the front, midline channel of the torso, known as the conception channel, I will massage the points along that meridian. Massaging them one at a time awakens energy at each point and encourages energy to flow between the points.
The conception can be important for two reasons. Many ‘alarm points’ or critical points for the major organs sit along this meridian. Massaging this meridian stimulates flow to those organs. Second, to protect ourselves against the onslaught of the world’s energy, many of us will close down that front channel of the body to some extent. With massage and meditation, we can open it back up.
This method can stimulate flow for any meridian. One trick is to massage or apply pressure to the point until you can feel awareness at the point after the pressure is not being applied. The energy follows the mind and the mind can be focused by self massage or pressure. Many people have tightness along the large intestine meridian and suffer from constipation. This meridian travels along the outside of the arm and into the web of the hand between the base of the thumb and forefinger.
When we know this principle, we can use an acupressure chart as a guide for helping specific issues. Another example is the gallbladder meridian, where energy travels up to the head and zig zags like a switch back highway. Energy gets stuck here and self massage can alleviate headaches.
There are more self-massage and meditation techniques in The Alchemist’s Tao Te Ching: Transforming Your Lead Into Gold