Welcome to our collection of Essays from Students of the Art of Jin Shin. These essays are heartfelt reflections written by our students, showcasing the transformative impact of Jin Shin in their lives. We believe their experiences are insightful and inspiring, and we are excited to share their stories with the world. Explore these narratives and discover the profound ways Jin Shin can touch lives.
When I first started exploring the pulses, I felt something special — something more than the rhythm of the heart. The layers and depths that can be heard and felt within them have quietly blown my mind, and I am learning to go slowly, allowing each level to unfold in its own time. When Mary described the pulses as holding “the secrets of the universe,” it struck me deeply. They suddenly felt important — something worthy of careful study and long attention.
In anatomy we learn that the heart is a pump. Through Body-Mind Centering, I have come to understand it differently. Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen writes, “The heart is not a separate unit from the blood vessels (arteries, veins, capillaries). There’s no break in the circulatory system.” The heart is circulation; it spirals and pivots with the blood in continuous relationship. Likewise, the pulse is not merely a cardiovascular rhythm. It is an expression of universal movement within the body.
When we read pulses in Jin Shin Jyutsu, we are not measuring blood pressure or counting beats per minute. We are listening to how life force, ki-eki, is moving, or struggling to move, through form. The pulse reflects relationship: between depths, between organ flows, between effort and ease.
In the body, blockages, stagnation and depletion create imbalance. In the wider world — the macrocosm — we see the same pattern. When heat rises, cooling currents form. When pressure builds, wind gathers. When stagnation occurs, systems reorganise and flow patterns shift to compensate. A fast pulse may indicate overactivity, yet it may also indicate compensation — the body working hard to restore equilibrium. Homeostasis is not static, it is adaptive, like an ecosystem continually responding to change.
The pulse reveals not pathology, but adaptation.
It shows the conversation between order and disorder.
The body becomes a landscape.
The pulse becomes its weather.
When I encounter a fast pulse, I often wonder about the presence or absence of pause. Is there space between beats? Is there relief? Frequently, this leads me to consider the breath. A body that cannot lengthen its exhale may also struggle to soften between pulses. In our culture, many people live in a sympathetic state, with breathing patterns that are shallow or effortful. Supporting the exhale can invite steadiness back into the system, allowing rhythm to reorganise itself.
Working with both breath awareness and Jin Shin feels profoundly complementary. Breath regulates from within; Jin Shin listens and harmonises through touch. Together they seem to unwind patterns of tension and adaptation at a deep level. In Gurmukhi there is a saying, Pavan Guru - the breath is the teacher. Through the art of Jin Shin, I am beginning to understand this more fully.
Pulse listening has become a way of perceiving how a person meets their world. The pulses never lie - as we say with a gentle Jin Shin smile. My hope is to continue learning how to hear their messages with humility, and to translate them back to the body so that it knows it has been heard.
The concept of the “Three lines” in Jin Shin is quite easy to understand. When we look at the human body - the top part of the torso i.e. between 3rd rib to 7th rib is the Chestline; middle part of the torso i.e. between 7th to 12th rib is the Waistline; and between the Navel area to the top of the thighs is the Hipline.
Each of the 3 lines host different body organs and has its own philosophy meaning in Jin Shin. Chestline is where the heart, lungs and thymus gland are located, and it has a relationship with our emotions, feelings and spirits;
Waistline is where the stomach, spleen, pancreas, liver, gallbladder and adrenal glands are located, it has a relationship with our mind and lifestyle;
Hipline is where the intestines, kidneys and reproductive systems are located, and it is related to our physical bodies and actions.
A simple way to apply this concept for me as a beginner is to look at which one of the Three line is the client’s project related to, and then use the corresponding SEL hold or SEL sequence as the treatment plan. • So firstly, observe which of the part of the body is fuller during body reading, and I will also check which
of the 3 lines are heavier, interestingly this has nothing to do with the person’s body weight, during the practice session I was surprised to see slim people with really heavier hipline (harder to lift up) as compared to bigger size people with well- balanced 3 lines.
• Secondly, talking to the client to find out the medical history is useful as sometimes he/she may have a need for a particular body organ e.g. client with breast project, this usually align with the body reading result i.e. the corresponding CL/WL/HL are similarly fuller or heavier.
• Thirdly and most importantly, confirm by pulse reading, the index, middle and ring finger each corresponds to the CL/WL/HL, hence thru this I can then confirm that it is indeed that the CL is calling for help.
In terms of treatment plan,
• CL projects apply SEL#13, SEL#10 sequence
• WL projects apply SEL#14, SEL#9 sequence
• HL projects apply SEL#15, SEL#2 sequence
In some cases there may be multiple lines calling e.g. both CL and HL are heavy, or both WL and HL are heavy, in this situation I will apply Mediator flow as Mediator flow clears all 3 lines.
Interestingly, I further learned that the concept of 3 lines may also apply to other part of the human body as every part of the human body is interconnected and always works as a whole.
• For the head, SEL#20 and above may also be considered CL i.e. emotions and feelings; further down to SEL#21 is WL i.e. our characteristics and lifestyle; down to SEL#22 is HL i.e. physical and habits. • For the arms, SEL High #19 area corresponds to CL, SEL#19 area to WL, SEL#17 and SEL#18 area to WL • For the legs, SEL High #1 area corresponds to CL, SEL#1 area to WL, SEL#5 and SEL#16 area to WL And I think that explains why holding High #19 and High #1 also help to open up the chestline #13 area and allow energy to move down.
The more that I study and practise, the more that I appreciate what was repeatedly told by teacher Siew Kim “Art of Jin Shin is an art and not a technique, so do your self-help and be your own Testimony!” ☺
The three main sequences in the Art of Jin Shin are known as the First Three. These are the Main Centre Source Energy, the Supervisor Energy and the Mediator Energy.
The Main Centre Source Energy arises in the Sixth Depth and connects the unity of spirit, mind and body with the Source Energy. Like an oval of energy, this flow runs through the centre of the body, down the front (supporting exhaling) and up the back (supporting inhaling). It harmonizes the spine this way and nourishes all the organ flows, which makes it a good self-help for daily energy supply.
The Supervisor Energy starts at the back of the head from the Main Center Source Energy and splits into two, a right hand and left hand component down the front of each leg all the way to the toes and then up the back to the top of the head. They harmonise the energy on their respective sides and is the birthplace of the Safety Energy Locks (SELs). The Supervision Flows make sure that both sides of the body are equally supplied with life energy and can help to balance the entire body.
The Diagonal Mediator Energy originates at SEL3, spirals diagonally back and forth across the back and front of the body, bringing the right and left Supervisor Energy into harmony with the MCS. It is here that the Five Attitudes are born and where a common source of disharmonious energies arise. Its purpose is to actively monitor the relationship of the Supervisor Energies with the Main Centre Source Energy, balance energy on the left and right sides of the body and harmonise emotions and attitudes.
These are very powerful flows that I like to use at the beginning of a session especially with a new client who is less used to Jin Shin. It helps jumpstart their energy flow and is a good first step before diagnosing further into other symptoms. In general, these flows help:
- Reconnect the client back to the Source Energy and energize them if energy depletion is observed. Energy depletion can be discerned from what they tell you or from noticing the volume of the pulse - use Main Centre Source Energy.
- Address uneven tension in one side of the body vs the other – use Supervisor Energy
- When there seem to be a number of disharmonies in the body or excess of energy in one side of the body vs depletion in the other – use Mediator Energy to rebalance the body. I notice this is especially helpful for my elderly parents as they suffer from multiple ailments.
In addition, these flows are very helpful self-helps for overall maintenance of well-being, and can be done everyday. More than one can be used in a single session as each flow has a distinct function. It also depends on what the intention is for the session having given the client a high level scan. For example, if you intend to energise and rebalance the body, then it could be a combination of Main Centre Source Energy and Mediator Energy.
The main center source a harmonizes the body and maintains the connection to our spirituality and source energy. As we inhale and exhale, energy passes through the main center source, harmonizing the spine and nourishing all of the organ flows.
The Main Centre Source create the human form starting from the head. This is the headquarters for the construction of the body’s form – the blueprint for the movement of energy within the body.
From the head, the energy moves down the center of the body through the sternum and pubic bone and back up the spine and over the head. This movement down the front and up the back is in the form of an oval. Certain places along the Main Center Sources’s densest area, the spine, can become blocked or it begins to flow horizontally. We can bring the body back into balance by regulating the breath.
There are total 7 steps in this flow: Place your right fingertips at the center of the top of your head, and bring your left fingertips to your Eyebrows; then to tip of your nose; next to collarbones ; next to the base of the sternum; again moves to pubic bone, finally step move right hand to your tailbone, leaving your left hand on your pubic bone.
The Supervisor Energy
Supervisor flow is a addressing the lateral balance of energy along the body, it is a useful tool for daily maintenance.
Supervisor energy comes into being at the back of the head, then energy split into two, forming a left and right component.
It flows patterns moves down the back along the side of the spine.
Harmonizing and is recommended to do both left & right side of the body.
Place your right hand on top of the your left shoulder (SEL11), Place your left hand at the top of your left thigh, toward your groin (SEL 15).
Leaving your right hand in place, move your left hand to your left sit bone (SEL25).
It helps all twenty-six SELs.
The Mediator Energy
From the Supervisor energy, the diagonal Mediator energy arise.
The Mediator energy begins the energetic movement from Right to Left and Left to Right.
This flows spiral across the body from side to side, branching off of the Supervisor flows.
The Mediator energy originates at SEL 3.
Place your right thumb over your right ring fingernail and your left hand on top of your right shoulder (SEL11). Place knees together (SELs 1). Reverse the other side.
We are using our hands as a jumper cable on the receiver’s body, harmonious relationship between the receiver’s body, mind and spirit.
Jumper cable is a Universal /energy (Ki-Eki) that harmonize practitioner’s hands are applied to two separate locations on the receiver’s body.
When we apply the hands as a jumper cables, the Spark we create revitalizes the circulation of Tai-Eki energy and allows for the releases of a stagnant energy in the body.
The movement we apply our hands to harmonize the body, we trap into Universal Energy, the LIGHT.