
Download a 31-page pdf course guide with meridian diagrams and a tongue reading chart, designed for all learners and integrated into the acupressure massage therapy certificate course.
Explore acupressure, an ancient Chinese healing technique that balances qi by stimulating acupoints across meridians to relieve stress, pain, and improve circulation, with versatile self-care and professional applications.
Explore qi, chi, and meridians in traditional Chinese medicine, and learn how acupressure and acupuncture restore energy balance to reduce pain and inflammation, improve circulation, and relax the nervous system.
Explore the five phases of transformation in Traditional Chinese medicine, linking wood, fire, earth, metal, and water to organs, emotions, and balance for holistic health.
Explore within the acupressure massage therapy certificate course, traditional Chinese medicine's five basic substances: life energy, blood, body fluids, essence, and spirit, shaping mind, body, balance, nourishment, and vitality.
Explore the eight key principles of Traditional Chinese medicine, including yin and yang, inside and outside, cold and heat, and deficiency and excess, to assess patterns of imbalance in clients.
Learn safe acupressure for pregnancy, including a wrist point to ease first-trimester nausea, and identify points to avoid after five months such as LI4, SP6, GB21, ST28, and CV4.
Identify the heart meridian, a yin pathway with nine points running from the armpit to the pinky, regulating blood and qi for mental and emotional well-being.
Discover the yang small intestine meridian, a 19-point path from the pinky nail up the arm to the ear, regulating digestion and linking joy with neck-shoulder health in summer.
Explore the stomach meridian, the only yang meridian crossing the yin front, regulating the stomach and digestive system; blockages cause indigestion, bloating, nausea, and abdominal pain.
Explore the kidney meridian, a yin pathway of 27 points linked to winter, running from the feet to the chest and regulating fluid balance and vitality.
Explore the liver meridian, a yin pathway of 14 points linked to spring, starting at liver one on the big toe and regulating qi and blood for eyes and tendons.
Regulates elimination, absorption, and immunity along the large intestine meridian, a 20-point yang pathway from the index finger to the nostrils and links to fall season, metal, grief, dryness.
Explore the lung meridian, a yin pathway with 11 points from the upper chest along the lateral arm to the thumb, regulating qi, blood, respiration, immunity, and grief.
Explore the spleen meridian, a yin pathway with 25 points from the big toe to the chest. It regulates foods and fluids and supports digestion, muscles, and clear thinking.
Explore urinary bladder meridian, a yang path with 67 points—the longest—linked to winter and water, regulating waste elimination, promoting chi flow; imbalance links to back pain, sciatica, UTIs, fear.
Explore the gallbladder meridian, a yang pathway of 44 points linked to spring that regulates fat digestion, supports tendons, and promotes assertiveness, with wood phase emotions like anger.
explore the triple heater meridian, a 23-point yang passageway from ring finger nail to the eyebrow, regulating body's burners and coordinating organ function, linked to summer, fire, happiness, and heat.
Explore the pericardium meridian, a yin heart protector with nine points from the fourth intercostal space to the middle finger, regulating temperature, sweating, anxiety, insomnia, and chest palpitations.
Conception vessel, the Ren channel, is a 24-point yin meridian from between the legs to the chin, regulating qi in the lungs and stomach and supporting cardiovascular and respiratory health.
Massage along the governor vessel, a 28-point yang meridian, from between the anus and coccyx to the upper lip, to aid fatigue, weakness, sexual dysfunction, spinal issues, and immune weakness.
Learn to assess a client's constitution and vitality through focused questioning, identifying excess or deficiency patterns, and tailoring massage therapy approaches. Use breath, slow pace, and intention to ease imbalance.
Develop your pulse-reading skills for acupressure by placing two fingers on the inside of the wrist, and observe for one minute to assess rhythm, strength, and heat or cold imbalances.
Explore tongue reading as a core tool in TCM acupressure, linking tongue regions to bladder, kidneys, liver, gallbladder, spleen, stomach, lungs, and heart, via shape, color, coating, and moisture.
Prepare your hands for an acupressure treatment by warming and washing them, strengthening with a ball, and stretching to balance energy and improve tactile awareness.
Integrate breath work with acupressure by applying pressure during exhale, holding for 1 to 5 minutes per point, guiding clients through deep breaths, and releasing on inhale.
Apply circular pressure to calm with firm, slow movements, or use faster, lighter strokes for stimulation, guiding clockwise for acute energy and counterclockwise for chronic energy after checking in.
Locate meridian points and massage with one to three fingertips, reinforce for more pressure, press two corresponding points at same time when available, and hold for 1–5 minutes.
Discover how to massage acupressure points using fingertips, circular kneading, and palms, moving from point to point with optional massage oil and varying pressure for warmth or stimulation.
Use shaking to warm up tissue and move between points, stimulating nerves and easing muscular tension, with slower pacing for relaxation and faster pacing to prep tissue for pressure points.
Learn allergy relief with acupressure points LI20, UB, and spleen 10 to open the nose, ease breathing, and relieve sinus and forehead discomfort through guided breathing and timed holds.
Use acupressure on neck and throat points, including stomach nine and ten, small intestine 16, and Conception Vessel 22, for sore throat and cold and flu relief.
Learn to modulate stress and anxiety through acupressure points PC6, Yintang, and Ren 17, using finger pressure, breath work, and mindful relaxation to ease chest tension and calm the mind.
Perform abdominal warm-up massage and targeted acupressure at Stomach 25, Stomach 36, and Stomach 41 to relieve constipation and support digestive circulation and relaxation.
Explore acupressure for painful menstruation by stimulating liver three and stomach 25, using 1–3 minute holds and mindful pressure, with pregnancy safety for the large intestine point.
Learn practical acupressure techniques to support urinary health and menstrual regulation through sacral rubs, liver three and spleen six points, with guided circular kneading and breath work.
Learn a facial massage to ease sinus pain by massaging the maxillary, ethmoid, and frontal sinuses. Apply acupressure at large intestine 20, Yintang, UB 2, and UB 10 with pressure.
Learn to locate lung ten, lung six, and lung one points and apply circular kneading with breath cues to relieve lung issues, chest pain, and coughs.
Learn acupressure for headaches and migraines using large intestine 20, large intestine 4, yintang, urinary bladder, gallbladder 20, and gallbladder 21, with circular pressure and deep breathing.
Target nausea relief by massaging pericardium six, located three fingers below the wrist between the two tendons, for 1 to 2 minutes on both wrists.
Press HART Seven at the inner wrist crease to ease sleep issues. Massage Yin Tang and the point behind the ear with circular motions while breathing through the nose.
Relieve neck pain by massaging the posterior neck with circular motions and a slow pull from the midline. Activate Gallbladder 20, Gallbladder 21, and Lauzon for neck and shoulder relief.
Apply acupressure to Hurts seven, Lung six, and Kidney 27 to ease chest pain, holding each point for 5–10 diaphragmatic breaths or 1–3 minutes with a slow exhale.
Master back pain relief through targeted acupressure points—large intestine between the thumb and index finger, gallbladder 30, governor vessel 3, and governor vessel 14—with brief holds and deep breathing.
Perform guided acupressure on shoulder points li-14, li-15, tw-14, lu-2, gb-21, and si-11 to ease frozen shoulder, promote lymphatic drainage, relieve chest fullness, and sharpen mental clarity.
Apply ice for elbow inflammation, then massage flexors and extensors to warm tissue before applying acupressure at large intestine between thumb and index finger, LI11, triple heater ten, and LI15.
Apply hands-on acupressure for hand pain, warming the hand before treatment, using Pericardium seven to ease carpal tunnel, and Lung ten for thumb pain with 1–3 minutes of firm pressure.
Target hip and lower back pain with acupressure: locate the hollow C joints and third sacral foramen, apply gapping and circular pressure for 1–3 minutes, then treat gallbladder 30.
apply acupressure on gallbladder 31, stomach 36, stomach 38, and governor vessel three to relieve leg pain, knee stiffness, numbness, and sciatica, using steady pressure 1–5 minutes per point.
Learn acupressure for knee pain by locating stomach 34, stomach 36, urinary bladder 40, spleen nine, and liver eight, holding pressure 1–3 minutes while ensuring client safety.
Use acupressure to relieve foot pain, heel pain, plantar fasciitis, and bone spurs, with kidney one, three whites, liver three, and gallbladder 41 for neck and foot relief.
Learn a face and head acupressure massage, from neck tissue spreading to the jaw and facial points like gallbladder 14 and yin tang for relaxation.
Embrace a 5–10 minute morning acupressure sequence targeting heart seven, the lower dantian, and the kidney meridian to boost joy, calm, sea of chi energy, through breathing and light movement.
Practice acupressure on yourself to memorize point locations, then expand to others to gain feedback and refine your technique for professional use, with the e-book resource and allergy point summaries.
Practice acupressure daily—once in the morning and once at night—for a week, note improvements for headaches, sinus pain, or sore shoulders, and explore sessions or at home points for self-care.
Recognize the Daiichi feeling in acupressure and acupuncture as a blunt pain that spreads along a meridian, a feeling of transference, signaling a correctly located point.
Practice self massage with a pen or reflexology tool, press on points, test different pressures, and gradually sink in for a focused, hands-on learning experience.
Learn qigong as a foundational component of traditional chinese medicine to cultivate skill through steady practice, feel the chi, and support acupressure treatments.
Master face and head acupressure massage techniques, enhanced with music, within the acupressure massage therapy certificate course (2.5 ceu).
Learn Acupressure Techniques, Pressure Points & Traditional Acupressure for Massage, Relaxation & Wellness
In this course, experienced Manual Osteopath, Registered Massage Therapist and Yoga Teacher Michael Eric Everson guides you through practical Acupressure Massage techniques, pressure points and traditional acupressure concepts that you can incorporate into a massage or wellness practice.
Acupressure is a traditional bodywork practice that involves applying pressure to specific points on the body, commonly referred to as acupoints or pressure points. It shares historical and theoretical roots with acupuncture, but uses pressure from the fingers, thumbs, palms or other tools rather than needles.
You'll learn practical techniques that can be applied throughout the body, from the feet and legs to the back, shoulders, neck, head and face.
What You'll Learn
Practical Acupressure Massage techniques for common areas of tension and discomfort
How to locate and work with traditional acupressure points
Full-body acupressure techniques from feet to head
Finger, thumb, palm and other pressure techniques
How to apply appropriate pressure and positioning
Traditional Chinese Medicine concepts related to acupressure, meridians and Qi
How acupressure points are traditionally associated with different areas and functions of the body
Techniques for incorporating acupressure into massage sessions
How to select and sequence techniques for different areas of the body
Practical applications for massage, relaxation and wellness services
Understanding Traditional Acupressure
A central part of traditional acupressure theory is the concept of meridians, which are described within Traditional Chinese Medicine as pathways through which Qi (chi) flows.
You'll learn about these traditional concepts and how they relate to the location and use of acupressure points.
The course presents Qi, meridians and acupoint theory within their traditional framework and does not present them as established biomedical mechanisms.
Full-Body Acupressure Massage
This course takes a practical, full-body approach to Acupressure Massage.
You'll explore techniques for working with:
Feet and ankles
Legs
Hips
Back
Abdomen
Chest and shoulders
Arms and hands
Neck
Head
Face
Rather than simply memorizing pressure points, you'll also learn different ways to apply pressure and how to incorporate acupressure techniques into hands-on bodywork.
Acupressure for Massage & Wellness Professionals
Acupressure can be incorporated into a variety of massage and wellness settings.
You'll learn techniques that can complement existing approaches to:
Massage Therapy
Relaxation Massage
Therapeutic Massage
Bodywork
Manual Therapy
Wellness Services
Self-Care Practices
The techniques can be adapted for practitioners at different experience levels, from those beginning their massage education to experienced professionals looking to expand their bodywork toolkit.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is suitable for:
Massage Therapists
Registered Massage Therapists (RMTs)
Manual Therapists
Manual Osteopaths
Bodyworkers
Wellness Professionals
Spa Professionals
Yoga Teachers
Massage Therapy Students
Beginners interested in learning Acupressure
Whether you're completely new to acupressure or already have experience with massage and bodywork, this course provides a practical introduction to acupressure points, pressure techniques and traditional acupressure massage.
Study Online
Complete the course from the comfort of your own home and learn at your own pace.
Individual course purchases include lifetime access to the course, allowing you to return to the videos whenever you want to review techniques, pressure points or treatment sequences.
Please note: lifetime access described above applies to individual course purchases. Access through a subscription or Personal Plan is subject to the terms of that subscription.
Enroll today and expand your massage and wellness practice with practical Acupressure Massage techniques.
This course is provided for educational purposes and does not replace medical diagnosis, treatment or professional medical advice. Acupressure should be practiced within your professional scope of practice and with appropriate attention to client safety, contraindications, consent and applicable laws or regulations.