26-year-old Jiro Murai (born 1886) was left at his family’s cabin in the woods upon his request for a week, to die. He asked them to come and collect his body on the eighth day… 

Despite being from a highly regarded family of medical doctors in Japan, no one could figure out what his illness was or how to cure it. For the seven days, he spent in the cabin Murai fasted, meditated, and practised various finger postures or mudras which he’d seen represented on statues of Buddha.

He drifted in, and out of consciousness became deeply cold then felt as though he’d been thrown into a furnace. When the heat disappeared, he found himself healed, and a profound sense of peace and inner calm enveloped him. In deepest gratitude, he pledged the rest of his life to understanding what had happened to him, and to help others. He was committed to understanding the causes of disharmony, and was described by his protégé, Mary Burmeister, as “a man who was obsessed with the pursuit of knowledge”.

Throughout his years of research helping the large homeless population in Wano Park in Tokyo, Murai developed an awareness of the healing art he called Jin Shin Jyutsu® – The Art of the Creator through the person of compassion. 

It’s based upon our natural, innate ability to harmonise ourselves in body, mind and spirit. It can be used anywhere, at any time. WOAH! This is big, empowering stuff, people.

When the stresses and strains of life disrupt the flow of life energy, every level of our being is affected. 

We become stuck in feelings (referred to in Jin Shin Jyutsu as the ‘attitudes’) such as worry, fear, anger, sadness or pretence, and we become more prone to physical illness or disease – which are symptoms of imbalance.      

We’re all living through incredibly tough times right now, and it’s more important now than ever to keep our Being in balance. Here’s a straightforward Jin Shin Jyutsu self-help exercise to help you help yourself. I call it “Happy Hands” or “Magic Hands” when I teach it to kids. Please keep in mind that practising Jin Shin Jyutsu on yourself has an accumulative effect. The more you use it, the greater will be your sense of balance, energy and self-understanding.  

Right, let’s go – do this as I lead you through it.

Hold each finger and the palm of your hands one at a time, like this. (strip of photos showing holding fingers) Hold them gently for a couple of minutes each. There are no rules – you’ll get a feel for it. As you practise more and more, you’ll become attuned to the changing feeling as you hold each finger – both in your being and in the sensation of that finger as you hold. You’ll feel the pulsation and the texture of the pulse change and come into harmony. If you don’t feel anything, this is fine too. It’s having a positive effect whether you can feel it or not. 

• THUMB (yellow). Holding the thumb harmonises worry. It also assists us to digest, so if a child has a tummy ache, get them to hold their thumb. 
• INDEX FINGER (blue). Holding the index finger harmonises fear. It’s also great for back pain. 
• MIDDLE FINGER (green). Holding the middle finger harmonises anger. Eye issues are helped by holding the middle finger.
• RING FINGER (white). Holding the ring finger harmonises sadness or grief. It’s also a great supporter of the lungs. 
• LITTLE FINGER / PINKY (red). This harmonises a feeling which can be a little harder to grasp: “trying to” or “pretence”. It’s when you’re presenting to the outside world something different to what you’re feeling on the inside—showing a façade rather than what you’re feeling. If you often say “I should…”, this is a big one for you! This supports the heart, too.
• PALM CENTRE (luminous ruby red) This is the total harmonizer. Holding it is wonderfully nurturing, and it also supports diaphragm function. 

An easy way to remember which finger represents which attitude is: you’re getting rid of Worry (thumb) F.A.S.T. (index finger harmonises Fear, middle finger harmonises Anger, ring finger harmonises Sadness, little finger harmonises Trying to, or pretence).  

It’s simple and powerful, people! Don’t be fooled by its easiness. These are incredibly powerful tools. Share this with your family, friends, colleagues. Let’s stay in harmony with ourselves and our surroundings during these times and beyond.

Our conributor Sally Wilson is a former international opera singer.  Sally certainly knows a thing or two about stress! Now she helps people to discover joy, freedom and fulfilment. As an accredited TRTP™ practitioner, Jin Shin Jyutsu®  practitioner and JSJ Self-help Instructor, Sally’s wisdom and insights are a welcome breath of fresh air.  https://www.sallywilsonholistics.com/   https://www.facebook.com/iamsallywilson