The late neuroscientist, Candice Pert said, “Mind doesn’t dominate body, it becomes body; body and mind are one.” For many of us, negative and difficult thoughts are frequent, pervasive and inescapable. We find ourselves feeling tired, exhausted, anxious, worried, pressured or fearful, to name a few. In response, our bodies experience headaches, digestive issues, aches and pains, fatigue and a host of other ailments. If mind and body are actually one, could it be possible that a key to improving your health rested in your own hands?

An art for living life, Jin Shin Jyutsu, identifies our hands as built-in facilitators, a personal set of jumper cables, used to open the flow of life energy at any given moment. Using our hands to hold particular areas of the body, including fingers and toes, restores balance and a natural aliveness to the body where healing can occur, physically, mental-emotionally or spiritually.

Like many nature-based healing systems, it is thought that there is an unseen force that creates and enlivens the body. When this force, or vital life energy, is not able to flow freely, the body and mind experience various discomforts, pain and acute or chronic illness. This vital life energy is disrupted by our thoughts and emotions, stress, trauma, injuries, lifestyle, and our genetics.

Jin Shin Jyutsu is a healing art that is based in our ability to bring balance and harmony to ourselves. Sessions don’t involve massage or manipulation of joints and muscles and the body is fully clothed. Jin Shin Jyutsu sessions can:

• induce a state of relaxation
• invigorate digestion and circulation
• lower blood pressure
• improve breathing
• stimulate the immune system
• refresh mental clarity
• alleviate headaches, eye-strain and low back pain
• aid in recovery from surgeries and injuries
• mitigate the side-effects of radiation and chemotherapy.

All these health benefits, and more, can be gained through the use of self-care practices that are as simple as holding a finger. We all have the ability to help and know ourselves through self-care. Self-care empowers us as it supports our health and wellness and transforms our relationships with ourselves and others.

“Self-care is never a selfish act–it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.”  ~ Parker Palmer