Self-Acupressure: Activating Acupoints, Opening Channels

        Activating acupoints and opening channels is a major part of the work, and self-acupressure is one of the safest, most effective, accessible ways to do it.  My observation is that most people can shwoosh energy around, but that's far different from actually opening channels and, more specifically, different from activating individual acupoints.  

        I think you'll find that a bit of regular (at least several times a week) self-acupressure pays off hugely towards enriching other standard practices such as zhan zhuang, lower dantian breathing, flexibility training.

Accessible Self-Acupressure - temporary link to TheTaoBums thread, essay in the works.

At last!  A simple way to massage and learn the channels, with next-to-zero prerequisite knowledge.

Distal Acupressure

Want to open up your abdomen?  An important part of that is opening the limbs' channels.

Little Orbit  

Twiddle the major acupoints (+ massage hui yin and sacrum).

Orbit Acupressure

Confluent Acupoints of the 8 Extraordinary Vessels

Easy-to-reach acupoints for activating all 8 extraordinary vessels.

EFT - Emotional Freedom Technique (external link)

Tapping on acupoints, related to pulsing.  The EFT system taps a structured series of acupoints, but you can also apply tapping with a wider sense of adventure and exploration.  For instance, on any of the acupoints in the above essays, or anywhere on the body.  Some of the massage tools, bongers for instance, have tapping qualities.  Free EFT download, plus numerous other free web resources if you search for "EFT", or search for images of "EFT chart".  EFT wikipedia entry.

                       finger-tip tapping                twiddling tapping

Male Massage - major glands, ducts, sperm palace.

Crystal in Uranus - massaging the interior glands, and lower tan tien, from the inside.

Unwinding the Gathering Sinew - a male massage from the outside in.  This and the "Crystal" essay form a pair.

The English-language acupoint reference book, in hardback, CD, and flash cards.  A comprehensive practical understanding of channels and points is a big piece of the puzzle and, obviously, way beyond the scope of this website.

Massage Tools

  NovaSonic massager

Micro-Vibe the Sacrum.  Important details on sacrum page.

  Click picture for details.

Back roller.  Old tennis balls in a sock, a convenient tool for self back-massage.

Backnobber.  Various important acupoints medial to the scapula: BL-41 through 46, with GaoHuangShu BL-43 being the most remarkable to read up on.  (Chest massage complements.)  The backnobber can be used for other areas of the body as well, such as the backs of the thighs.  Explore.

        "The name 'GaoHuang' can be translated as 'Vital Region' ... implying one of the deepest and most fundamental regions of the body."  - pg. 303, A Manual of Acupuncture

      a must-have!

Vibrating Massage Tripod (HoMedics PM-30BX, PM-R2 or similar hand-held vibrating massage tripod) is amazingly effective for abdominal massage!!!

VIBRATING TRIPOD HOW-TO:

    Abdominal massage: 

        Body Position: on back such that stomach is relaxed.  Pillow under upper back & head.  Knees bent, feet flat on surface.
        Turn the tripod gizmo on and press deeply into abdomen (short of injurious pain!) anywhere between ribs and pubic bone.  Both hands on top of it so as to keep pressure with as little tension/effort as possible.  Sustain gizmo depth while it vibrates.  Either hold it still, slowly rock in circles, or make slow digging arcs.  In any case, you'll need to hold it at depth until the vibrations cause a noticeable increase in local blood circulation.  Doesn't take long: more than 10 seconds, less than a minute - for each point that you choose to work on.

    Inner thigh massage:  See Liver & Kidney channels massage section.

    Explore!  Good tool.  Plenty of areas to try it on.

  NOTE:  The massage tripod provides better leverage and penetration than a quad: don't get a quad.

Bongers are one of my favorites, had to mention them up here near the top.  You'll read more about them further down the page.

  Click picture for larger view.

Polished stone massage tools.  Great where more pressure is needed: soles of feet, hands, the belly.

Smooth, blunt, common items can sometimes sub for a massage tool.  I find the blunt end of silverware to be apropos for St-36.

Foot roller.

  Click picture for essay.

"Front rollers".

Vibration Platform.  Vibrates every layer, tissue, organ of your body.  Click link for details.

Self-Hitting Massage

* for health *

The discussion thread that got me to re-explore self-hitting massage is here ...  at TheTaoBums.com.  For some people, a comprehensive hitting routine is critical for refining the denser energies of cultivation.  People vary: Finding methods and devices specifically appropriate for your body may take some experimentation.  (These practices are even entirely inappropriate for some people.)  Practice caution, moderation, discernment.

    NOTE: Since hitting is for disrupting denser stagnant energies and for awakening channels, it's appropriate during the warm-up phase of a practice session or perhaps if you've been focusing on lower energetics in general.  Hitting is counter-productive for already-refined energy states: for instance, after a high meditation.

Personal History
I didn't take to the two ways of self-hitting that I was initially introduced to.  The first way, hitting myself with my hands, mostly didn't feel like it did anything, didn't go deep enough.  (Though I've more recently come to appreciate some of the hitting-by-hand methods.)  The second way, hitting with the tools associated with marrow washing, was too harsh for me, plus I didn't feel that I was ready for the marrow washing practices in general.  Worse than both of those, I didn't grasp the importance of hitting in relation to jing gong (short of vibrating the marrow), nor the variety of hitting that is available.  As a consequence, I didn't develop a hitting practice for a long, long time. 

So, I'm taking this space to briefly introduce some self-hitting concepts and tools that you might explore.  (Skipping marrow-related hitting entirely.)

Concepts

Two approaches that I find work well together in an overall self-hitting strategy:

1. Hitting acupoints and along channels

This is a continuation of what was started with self-acupressure.  The purpose is to get channels activated, sort of get 'rivers flowing', because in the next step we're going to tap into some deep lakes and the channels provide passageways into and out of those depths.  Spend at least several weeks with self-acupressure and self-hitting that emphasizes points and channels before you approach the next step.

2. Vibrating the Core
The title of this second step says a lot, as will experience.

Cautions, Follow-up Practices, Warning
The heavier the hitting method, the less often you should do it.  Tapping acupoints should be done frequently, vibrating the core, not.  Most of the following warnings have to do with the heavier core methods.

The first time you vibrate your core, a great deal of tension and heat might be released.  In the following day/s you should:
    Drink lots of water.
    Shift your training towards stretching and cardio. 
    If the heat is towards the genitals, go polar bear. 
    It's ok to continue self-acupressure (especially distal).

The heavy hitting produces strong vibrations, which is what is so good for shaking loose junk and prompting blood circulation: Good.  However, if you do it too much, too often, heavy hitting can disrupt the righteous cohesive function of organs, that is, disrupt their ability to gather and secure their essences: Bad.  Don't go too far with this stuff.  Start small, gradually build, and give yourself lots of time between sessions to recover.  Stabilize by returning to your basic breathing methods and regular routines.

 WARNING, DISCLAIMER:   Practice discernment, moderation, caution regarding hitting practices.  You are responsible.  GENERAL DISCLAIMER applies triple here.

Tools and Methods, a little exploration..

    Bongers, aka Body Tappers: tap Kidney-1 repeatedly, until you feel your head pulse.  ("100 times".)

                                        (Thank you! to JoeBlast and to BumGrasshopper.)

    Bongers are percussively penetrating, yet they're gentle because the ball is foam rubber and because the shaft is flexible. This makes them ideal for clearing jing stagnation from the lower abdomen by "bonging" it directly, and for exploring in general: tap acupoints, along channels, upper back (just medial to each shoulder blade), cranium, sternum, the internal organs, vibrate the core via the abdomen.  I encourage you to explore extensively with bongers.  For instance, you can bong 3 or 4 lines along the legs.  (CAUTIONS: Avoid the spine and the lower rim of the ribcage.  Also, don't bong your kidneys; you're better off using the backs of your loose hands, rhythmically, gently.)

    Bongers Partner Massage

    Bongers are modeled after a traditional Japanese massage tool called "magono te" ("grandchild's hands"); children would often use them on their elders (backs, especially).  They provide a penetrating deep massage - even by a petite person massaging someone much larger, even without massage skills, and works passably through clothing.

    Bamboo 'wire' hitter, sold at HT.  Much kinder than the metal wire hitters.

    (Click for full size; this is really a nice product.)            (Thank you! to Max.)

    HealingBroom.com has a good instructional DVD, manual.

    Self-hitting with the softer portion of a composite bamboo sword, a.k.a. "shinai", "kenpo stick".

    (Wear sweats for safety.)                          

    Beans in a Sock.  Great for the upper back (avoid the lower back).

             (Usually mung beans.)      (Thank you! to Neimad and MatthewQi.)

    Rubber Mallet, from any hardware store, for tapping the abdomen (from just bellow the belly button up through the solar plexus, stay clear of ribs).  Do not hit other areas of the body with the mallet.  Do not tap the lower abdomen, as you could damage your sexual plumbing.  Go gentle: hold the mallet half-way up the shaft and tap-tap-tap.  Work gradually and take at least several days between sessions.  Really really important during the intervening days to do some abdominal exercise - something to promote exercise and blood-flow through the area.

NOTE: A good complement to this vigorous front work is to massage the back a bit.  

    Rubber (air filled) Playground Ball.  Moderately bounce on the sternum in order to slightly flex the ribcage.  This is a way to access the core of the upper torso, as well as to massage the ribs and spine.  Don't over-do!: Only modest pressure.  Do not do every day: leave at least several days, and plenty of regular exercise, between sessions.

    A much gentler way is to tap the sternum with a bonger.  With intent, the percussion travels through the sternum and into the chest cavity.

 WARNING, DISCLAIMER:  Again, practice discernment, moderation, caution regarding hitting practices.  You are responsible.  GENERAL DISCLAIMER applies triple here.