Acu-yoga, created by Michael Reed Gach, is a combination of the practices of acupressure and yoga. In acu-yoga, yoga postures are used to put pressure on acupressure points, thus stimulating those points with the entire body. The pressure points which are stimulated in acu-yoga are the same pressure points which are stimulated in acupressure, so they are simple to find.
Instructions
1. Get a good book on acupressure. One that is highly recommended is Acupressure Way of Health: Jin Shin Do by Iona Marsaa Teeguarden. All of the main acupressure points are well illustrated in the diagrams of this book. The book also contains complete instructions on self-treat with acupressure.
2. Practice applying acupressure to yourself using the instructions in your book. Study diagrams to familiarize yourself with the location of the points. You will need to memorize the location of the Great Regulator Channel, the Great Bridge Channel, the Great Central Channel, The Penetrating Channel and the Belt Channel. These channels correspond to twelve meridians within the body. The yin meridians are heart, lung, pericardium, kidney, spleen and liver meridians. The yang meridians are the small intestine, large intestine, triple warmer, stomach, bladder and gall bladder meridians. The yin meridians run along the front of the body and the inside of the arms and legs. The yang meridians run along the back of the body. You should have a general idea of where these meridians are and how they will affect your body when stimulated.
3. Find the acupressure points by the way they feel to the touch. If you're doing acupressure on yourself, you will feel a strong sensation of tension release when you hit the right spot. If you're doing acupressure on another person, you may feel a thread or knot of tension in the right spot. Don't be too fanatical about following the diagrams; if you find these spots of tension, then you're in the right place, even if it doesn't correspond perfectly with the directions in your book.
4. Get a book on acu-yoga, or navigate to the Acu-Yoga website. Here you can purchase Michael Reed Gach's book "Acu-Yoga," videos and CDs which can help you to learn acu-yoga. You may also preview the book on Google books. You can also sign up for acu-yoga classes which take place in Berkeley, California. If you're not in Berkeley, you can find yoga classes in your area on the YogaFinder website. Try to establish a consistent, daily acu-yoga practice.
Tags: acupressure points, acupressure yourself, book book, Channel Great, doing acupressure, meridians along