Understanding how acupressure and meridians - our energetic pathways - work together is life-changing, especially when dealing with pain and disease.

Whether they’re physical aches, emotional pains or mental drains, acupressure can help relieve them all and set you on a lifelong path of healing and wellbeing.

And the best part is that we can use acupressure as a preventative tool, practised every day to keep pains and aches at bay!

What is acupressure?

Acupressure is an ancient Chinese/Japanese healing technique that involves applying pressure to specific points on the body to stimulate healing and alleviate various symptoms. Based on the same principles as acupuncture, acupressure is applied using finger pressure and/or Traditional Chinese Medicine tools instead of needles. 

Acupressure points are little healing portals, all over our body.

So when we press these points, they open up and release the trash they’ve been holding onto. 

And then, magic happens!

All of a sudden, you’ll notice that pains start to go away, your mood lifts and your energy levels skyrocket!

You’ll even notice that feeling of joy in your life starts coming back to you.

ALL OF THIS AND SO MUCH MORE!

This, my friends, is not whoo-hoo or spirituality… it’s an actual science. A science created by the Taoist masters, widely known as Traditional Chinese Medicine!

The Chinese figured out 4,000 years ago that we have energetic pathways, running up and down our body, from head to toe. These pathways are called meridians. What flows through them is our vital energy  - known as "qi" or "chi". These meridians are made up of hundreds of acupressure points, forming a complex network connecting our organs, tissues, all physiological functions, mental/cognitive ones as well as our emotional well-being.

So, how did they come to this conclusion?

Like all ancient civilizations, through relentless observation.

The ancient Egyptians and the Greeks mapped out the night sky and the planets.

While the ancient Chinese, believing that all living beings are connected to both the earth below and the universe above via invisible energetic pathways, mapped out our physical body, its connection to the universe, and how this connection helps us heal, and come back into alignment and balance.

Ok, that’s enough theory, I believe it’s time we get to the acupoint in question.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

Acupoint: Kidney #1 (Otherwise known as The Bubbling Spring)

The kidney meridian has 27 acupressure points and belongs to the water element in The Five Element Theory (more on this in another post).

Without getting too technical about the significance of this, let me explain it as simply as I can.

Water is our source of life. Right? Without it, we die.

So too is the kidney meridian.

The kidney meridian stores our vital, primal, energy. It stores, in essence, our source of life. Not only our physical source but also our emotional and mental source of life.

Our grit, our willpower and our will to survive. 

Hundreds of thousands of people living in the West are experiencing chronic fatigue or burnout, otherwise referred to in Western medicine as adrenal fatigue: this is because our adrenals sit on top of our kidneys.

When our kidney meridian is in balance, we are strong, have loads of energy, and are joyful.

When we are running on empty, a whole host of symptoms ensue.

We may feel threatened at every turn, in a constant fight or flight state of mind. In fact, we may have come to a point where we feel that even the smallest, most mundane tasks are of the utmost importance to our survival.

We lack the ability to prioritise! Are constantly overwhelmed, and find ourselves overreacting to situations.

ALL OF THESE ARE TIRING AND TAXING ON OUR BODY, MIND, AND SOUL! Which ultimately leads to what we call burnt out, or simply lack willpower and motivation, feeling deeply exhausted.

Each acupressure point along every pathway has multiple healing effects. 

And Kidney #1, is one of the most important acupressure points in our body. 

Here’s why:

Kidney #1 calms the spirit!

Think about it: when our spirit is restless we experience irrational fears, suffer from anxiety that is uncalled for, and even become easily startled and frightened.

These stressors are directly tied to headaches, dizziness, and hypertension. They can also lead to insomnia, poor memory, and even shortness of breath. All burnout symptoms!

If we do not treat all of these symptoms at their root cause, they can cause serious, detrimental illnesses down the road. 

Even more, Kidney #1 can help with physical pains such as lower back pain, tummy aches (especially in the lower abdomen), constipation and other problems related to our sexual organs.

Yep… Kidney #1 covers a whole plethora of symptoms! 

Kidney #1 is located on the sole of the foot, in the depression just below the ball of the foot and slightly forward of the midpoint between the second and third toe. It’s right where your foot meets the ground when standing flat.

As you can probably guess, Kidney #1 is the starting point of the entire Kidney meridian. By stimulating this point, you’re strengthening your entire kidney system, which is connected to a number of vital functions such as reproduction, growth, development, and overall vitality.

What is the best way to activate the acupressure point of Kidney #1?

This process is simple. All you have to do is pump, massage or hold the point using your thumb. You can see it clearly in the photo, the green sticker shows the exact spot to release the tension and allow the flow to open up again. 

Spend about 1-2 minutes massaging this point on both feet. If you have any of the above symptoms then you’ll need to massage Kidney #1, every day to see results and your symptoms improve.

Just note: this isn’t a light touch! You will need to either pump deeply or press deeply and then massage. It can be painful, but you will also feel great release. This is a foot massage that has enormous health benefits, so give it a go and let me know what you think!

If you are burnt out or are experiencing some of the symptoms discussed, then you’ll need a little more help than kidney #1.

Click here to access a FREE 7-Minute Routine that’s all about restoring our kidney energy.

Empowered Healing The Meridian Way is my signature teaching methods, and combines ancient healing practices of acupressure (Shiatsu), movement (QiGong) and breathwork. By signing up, you'll get access to a wide variety of video lessons to help you through some of the most common ailments.