Jin Shin Jyutsu

Jin Shin Jyutsu is an art, a practice, of harmonizing the energy in the body. Jin (man or person of compassion) Shin (the Creator) Jyutsu (art) can be translated as “the art of the Creator through the person of compassion.”

Jin Shin Jyutsu, as we know it today, is a rediscovery of ancient healing wisdom. Having been passed down orally for generations, it had disappeared from general knowledge. It was rediscovered by Jiro Murai, in Japan, at the turn of the 20th century. Experimenting on his own body, he was able to heal himself from a life-threatening illness that no doctor had been able to cure. He dedicated his life to discovery and to teaching what he learned. Mary Burmeister, a Japanese-American woman who studied with Jiro Murai, brought Jin Shin Jyutsu to the United States in the 1960’s. Her systemizing of the knowledge and her teaching has spread the art all over the world.

Classes are taught in self-help and in practitioner training. This art can be used by oneself, for oneself. The theory behind it is that energy flows naturally and easily through a relaxed, open body. However, our daily tensions cause the energy to become blocked at various points in the body. The art of Jin Shin Jyutsu, applied through self-help or through the hands of a practitioner, unlocks the blockages and allows the energy once again to flow freely. It is very much an awareness practice of “Now Know Myself.”

Mary Burmeister has said, “The truth is that within each of us lies the power to cast all misery aside and to KNOW complete Peace and Oneness, to BE that beautiful creation of perfect harmony, to truly KNOW (Help) Myself.”

One need not even attend a class to begin practicing the art of Jin Shin Jyutsu. You can start right now.

All of the flows of energy in the body pass through the ten fingers of the hands. Simply holding each finger of each hand in succession, using the fingers of the other hand, can release blocked energy and move us toward peace and ease. It’s a wonderful practice for times when you must wait, like standing in line at the bank or the market. You can spend as little as ten seconds on each finger, or you can sit quietly and focus on each finger for as long as you like.

Each of the five fingers of a hand is also associated with an attitude (thumb = worry, index = fear, middle = anger, ring = grief, little = pretense or “trying to” or “efforting”). So in times when we might be identified with one of these, simply holding the associated finger can begin to release us from the grip of that identification.

For information about classes or practitioners, visit the Jin Shin Jyutsu website at www.jsjinc.net.

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