Meridians, Qi-exercises & other self-help Healing Methods

Examine your current understanding of exercise and how it can improve health, using examples, while seeing how exercises, meridians, and qi-exercises and other self-help healing methods form an integrated system.

Explore whether body and muscle building count as exercises and how these practices can improve our health.

Compare exercise and sports, assess their distinct health impacts, the role of competition, and whether sportsmen remain healthier into old age.

Examine whether exercise benefits all body types by considering qi deficiency and how weak qi may fail to support internal organs, potentially causing sinking, challenging the universal benefit of exercise.

Explore whether everyone needs exercises, considering manual workers who labor long hours and experience pain, and clarify what exercise is and what it is for.

Question the main purpose of exercise by exploring a holistic view that balances heart, lungs, kidneys, psychology, and energy, highlighting limits and potential dangers.

Challenging the belief that sweating during exercise signifies good health, this lecture explains that sweating is not the sole indicator and that such belief can be dangerous.

Assess sweating risks in saunas, alcohol use, and pregnancy, and explain why abnormal sweating (hyperhidrosis) should not indicate exercise, with ancient wisdom context.

Examine western education exercise for health, noting incomplete, limiting beliefs; find that exercise strengthens muscles, boosts endurance, improves heart and lungs, aids weight loss, reduces obesity and hypertension; promotes sweating.

Explore how western education on exercise for health is restricted and vague, with some useful ideas in certain contexts but potentially harmful in others, and compare them with ancient wisdom.

Explore ancient wisdom on exercise. Long hours of daily activities such as sighting, sleeping, standing, or walking harm blood, qi, bone, and ligaments, reflecting the philosophy of total integration.

Discover how long hours of movement and non-movement harm health, and cultivate conscious, balanced body exercises, addressing neck and eye exercises, while using food therapy.

Explore ancient theory of health and qi flow, where smooth qi maintains health and blockages cause illnesses, and learn balanced exercises to promote full-body qi circulation.

Explore Qi flow as a condition for good health and how exercises should facilitate Qi flow, contrasting ancient principles with western approaches that link health to exercise only vaguely.

Discover how Huá tuó, the ancient miraculous healer, visited patients at home to assess living conditions and daily habits, speeding recovery and preventing future illness.

Explore the five-animal movement, a qi exercise set designed to address different weaknesses and imbalances in the body, also known as five-animal play.

Practice the tiger movement qi exercise to support kidney function, strengthen bones, and improve four-limb movement and coordination.

Practice the dear movement qi exercise to support liver functionalities, improve flexible muscles and neck movement, and boost alertness, as the neck acts like an antenna.

Perform the bear movement qi exercise to strengthen the spleen qi and stomach qi, improve digestion, and reinforce the body's foundation for qi and blood transformation.

Practice the bird movement qi exercise to support lung functionalities and enhance the respiratory system by guiding ascending and descending qi movement.

Explore ape movement qi exercise to support heart function, boost alertness and memory, and improve joint health.

Explore the hand and finger postures embedded in the 5 animal movement, translating ancient wisdom into detailed, intricate movements.

Explore how qi exercise blends posture, movement, concentration, mindfulness, consciousness, will power, and intention to go beyond muscle building and traditional physical workouts.

Practice the 5-animal movement qi-exercise to boost the functionalities of the body's key organs and optimize internal processes, emphasizing that health is determined by organ functionalities.

Investigate sweating in exercise through ancient wisdom on body fluids and organ balance, noting that excessive sweating burdens the heart while even sweating signals healthy meridian flow and Qi balance.

contrast qi-exercises with qigong, showing qi-exercises as easy, anywhere practice, while qigong is a complex movement system best learned with a master; 5-animal movement is a qigong type with appendix resources.

Re-evaluate conventional exercise and sports through ancient wisdom, balancing qi and qi blood flow rather than chasing fastest or strongest performance, and explore complementary qi exercises for health.

Show the purpose and principles of qi exercise through body movements that promote qi flow along meridians, improve organ functionalities, and include practices like ear rubbing to balance kidney functionalities.

Explore external and internal body movement, distinguishing physical movement from qi movement, and learn a simple qi-exercise where a standing posture facilitates internal qi flow.

Explore the similar purpose of qi exercise and food therapy by facilitating qi movement and qi flow along meridians to improve heart, liver, kidneys, lungs, and spleen functions.

Explore the meridian system as an interconnected network where qi travels to sustain harmony, linking organs, tissues, and emotions, and learn how blockages affect health.

Explore how qi drives blood, body fluids, nutrients, and toxin discharge within the meridian system, regulating organ balance and supporting elimination through sweat, urine, and movement.

Explain pure qi and impure qi, showing how spleen qi lifts nutrients upward and blends with lung qi to nourish the body, while stomach qi descends to expel waste.

Learn how foods affect qi movement—upward, floating, downward, and sinking—and how excessive emotions and thoughts disrupt qi flow.

Explore how qi drives blood and body fluids, removes waste, and supports organ function, and learn about the meridian system as a qi management framework.

Explore how the meridian system governs Qi to move blood, body fluids, and waste disposal, ensuring optimal organ function. Visualize it as a highway network where blockages disrupt the system.

Visualize the meridian system as an internet network to trace localized problems back to the main network. Ear function relates to the kidneys meridian lines and organ functionalities.

Visualize the meridian system as a spider web, where all parts interconnect and the whole heals when any part is damaged, strengthening the overall system rather than localized illnesses.

The meridian system bridges physiology and psychology, linking emotions, consciousness, personality, and beliefs to qi flow and health.

Identify factors that block qi along meridians, linking yin and yang organs through acupuncture points, and differentiate internal and external causes such as stress, emotions, wind, cold, and diet.

Explore meridian distribution through yin–yang theory: front body is yin, back is yang; earth qi flows feet, sun qi from head to feet, with fingertips yin and yang meridians.

Explore yin yang meridians and Earth qi to understand how yin qi comes from the earth, nourishes digestion, and transforms food into qi blood to nourish the body.

Explore how blocked qi affects nutrient delivery from digested foods to the brain by examining meridians and the qi flow, linking ancient wisdom with western science.

This lecture explains yin and yang as relative concepts and outlines qi movements: pure qi ascends (yang), impure qi descends (yin), and meridian qi directions vary by context.

Investigate how inhibiting the meridian qi flow and exposure to cold air shifts yin-yang balance, harming the back's yang meridians and contributing to neck and back pain in modern life.

Explore how meridians connect the 12 major yin and yang organs, illustrating the networks that link each yin and yang organ across six sets.

Review the six yin organs—heart, lungs, kidneys, spleen, liver, pericardium—and six yang organs—gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, bladder, stomach, triple warmer—alongside yin-yang differences.

Explore the three yin meridians on both arms, the lung, pericardium, and heart meridians, and analyze how qi varies in intensity and harmonizes through yin-yang transformation.

Explore the three yin meridians in the legs—spleen, kidney, and liver—and how their yin qi intensities, from lesser to strongest, balance with yang symmetrically in a dynamic cycle.

explore the three hand yang meridians on both arms—the small intestine, large intestine, and triple warmer—and their differing qi intensities within a dynamic yin-yang balance.

Identify the three yang meridians—the bladder, gallbladder, and stomach—that run symmetrically on both legs and vary in qi intensity under a yin–yang dynamic.

A 24-hour organ duty roster shows how each paired yin–yang organ peaks in a two-hour window, with qi flow between pairs and sleep-digestion implications.

Discover the organ clock’s optimal and minimum energy levels across the day, linking liver, gallbladder, heart, small intestine, and stomach to planning, decision making, digestion, and consciousness.

Explore the operative qi mechanism, including yin and yang qi, upward and downward flows. See how qi nourishes organs, transmits emotions, and supports balance through food therapy and qi exercises.

Trace the liver and gall bladder meridians to understand their yin yang relationship and the pathway of qi, recognizing blockages may cause migraines or discomfort.

Explore the kidney bladder meridians and their meridian lines, highlight the Bladder Yang Meridian with many acupuncture points, and learn a simple qi-exercise for the Bladder Meridian, including back massage.

Explore the lung and large intestine meridians as qi pathways, not physical locations. Learn to apply treatments along the arm where the large intestine meridian runs to address constipation.

Explore the spleen and stomach meridians, their yin yang nature and front/back locations, and how crying and worry affect digestion via stomach meridian points near the eyes.

Explore heart and small intestine meridians, guiding qi flow from the heart meridian in the arms to the shoulders, and show how shoulder tension can affect heart health and anxiety.

Explore the pericardium meridian, the heart protector, and the triple warmer meridians. Learn how the middle finger's flexibility signals pericardium balance and its potential impact on the heart.

Explore the eight strange flows as the storage and redistribution system for qi and blood, balancing the 12 organ-meridians through cooperation and harmony.

It describes the eight strange flows that form wei qi to guard against evil qi, via the governing, conception, and thrusting vessels, and circulating jing-qi.

Explore the eight strange flows and their links to the 12 organ meridians, and apply acupuncture, massage, and moxibustion with Yi-Gin-Ching qigong to balance qi.

Explore how meridian qi flow disruptions relate to sickness and disease indicators, noting that a single meridian rarely causes problems due to 5-element relationships and cross-organ interactions.

Present the life force system: 12 meridians linked to organs and eight strange flows without organ links, guiding qi and qi blood, with kidneys storing essence.

Discover how smooth qi flow along the meridians supports health and performance, while blocked flow causes pain and illnesses, and how acupoints govern qi passage and health outcomes.

Learn about 300–400 acupoints along the meridians, which lie beneath the skin, not deep to the bone, and study principles for ensuring qi flow at acupoints.

Explains traditional Chinese acupoints naming with meanings and stories, and introduces an English abbreviated meridian system (for example ST for stomach) with numbering to aid learners.

Explore healing methods that promote qi flow at acupoints and balance yin yang, beginning with self-massage and introducing tapping, gua sha, ba gua, ai ya, and acupuncture.

Discover how to stimulate qi flow at acupoints through massage and boost zhen qi, or true qi, to support the immune system.

Locate and feel the pain spot indicating blockages, identify the acupoint to massage, then massage until the pain eases.

Laypeople can feel around acupoints to locate pain and massage, focusing on the meridian pathways rather than pinpointing exact points.

Massage acupoints around pain areas, or, if painful, massage corresponding acupoints on the same meridian. LR2 liver meridian can address headache, giddiness, period pain.

Learn to massage acupoints around pain areas to support qi flow. When painful, target corresponding acupoints on the paired meridian; for example, liver and gall bladder meridians.

Apply the five-element theory to direct qi flow at acupoints. Massage the pain spot on the qi-generating meridian for the target meridian.

Principle 7 uses the 5-element theory to locate pain points on the meridian that controls the qi of the target meridian, then massage the corresponding lungs meridian.

Identify critical acupoints for massaging on the hands, legs, ears, and arms, and emphasize the beginnings, endings, and connections between paired meridians for healing.

Apply principle nine to qi flow at acupoints by balancing pain at the top with the bottom, the left with the right, and the middle with the four limbs.

Learn to locate and massage acupoints on your body using simple self-massage techniques inspired by ancient wisdom to support your body's consistent, motivated healing.

Locate ST 36, the Zú sānlǐ acupoint on the stomach meridian, follow the diagram to find the pain spot, massage while sensing the body's sensations, and practice massaging often.

Locate ki 5 on the kidney meridian and massage it, following the picture to identify the pain spot and perform self-treatment using shuǐquán xué.

Learn to locate spleen meridian point #4 (Gōngsūn xué), follow the picture, and massage SP#4 for targeted treatment.

Locate the pain spot for Du Mai 20, also called Bai Hui, following the picture, and massage it as a treatment on the Governor Vessel meridian.

Ren mai 8, the conception vessel 8, is a sensitive point to avoid massaging or needling. The lecture outlines potential treatment uses and mentions that moxibustion will be discussed later.

Learn techniques to activate qi at kidney meridian point #1 using palm rubbing, warmth, or stick tapping, and understand qi circulation between heart fire and kidney water.

The ears act as a hologram storing the body's information within a 5-element theory, and massaging, twisting, pressing, and pointing stimulate qi flow to zangfu organs and body parts.

Hands act as holograms storing the body's complete information. Massaging, clapping, pressing, and pointing stimulate qi flow to zangfu organs via the hands.

Discover how foot reflexology treats the foot as a hologram storing the body's full information, and how massaging, clapping, pressing, and pointing stimulate qi flow to zangfu organs.

Explore the five critical acupoints for each meridian, shown in yin and yang charts, and use these guides to practice healing for autistic children or illness.

Explore acupoints on the meridians, begin with simple qi flow practices as habits, and discover massaging alongside other healing methods to enhance qi flow.

Explore a pictorial representation of various healing techniques and discuss them one by one, with a few more healing techniques to follow within the healing system.

Explore massaging as a healing method, showing how hands and fingers work, review devices that assist massage, and use diagrams to guide your shopping.

Learn gua sha as a self-guided practice you can try on your own, with guidance to search for more information.

Explore Ba Gua and Tuina healing systems and understand why skilled practitioners typically perform these techniques.

Explore acupuncture within the meridians and qi-exercises framework, focusing on needle-based treatment delivered by qualified TCM doctors.

Chinese herbs must be administered by qualified TCM doctors. Explore herbs within healing systems tied to meridians and qi exercises in this module.

Learn food therapy principles rooted in Chinese medicine to balance illnesses and improve health, including creating medicated recipes tailored to your body constituents.

Learn how moxibustion, a self-administered method, uses warmth from a cigar-like end waved over acupoints to ease qi flow and promote healing. Understand the purpose and advantages of moxibustion.

Discover how moxibustion warms the meridians, dispels cold, and drives qi and blood to strengthen original qi and stabilize qi holding power, helping to prevent sickness.

Discover how a tcm doctor prioritizes moxibustion over acupuncture, teaching patients to perform home-based moxibustion at identified acupoints to promote healing and health. She shares via her blog and books.

Explore moxibustion based on Wikipedia, read it yourself, and watch a YouTube video linked in appendix II; search for more information online and purchase materials from Chinese herb shops.

Explore acupoints for moxibustion to support health and healing, with a chart detailing key points and how to apply moxibustion for illness relief.

Identify body constituents and apply tailored healing methods, including gua sha for blood flow and detox for blood stasis, ai ya for cold constitutions, and ba gua to remove dampness.

Explore the purpose and principles of qi exercises, linking meridians and acupoints with body movement to promote qi flow, improve organ function, and balance sweating through external and internal movement.

Discover qi exercise requirements and learn simple, equipment-free routines you can do anywhere, indoors or outdoors, and adapt various qi exercises to fit your life.

Explore six key organs meridian exercises that activate qi flow along the meridians for heart, kidneys, liver, lungs, pericardium, and spleen-stomach, with a YouTube demo in appendix ii.

Discover qi exercises that are purposeful and specific for better health, grounded in meridians and other self-help healing methods.

Strengthen kidney meridians with qi exercise #2 near touching wall by slowly squatting in front of a wall and keeping nose and knee in line.

Stand on leg with eyes closed for qi exercise #3, lift, and count to 36. Switch legs to direct qi-blood flow to lower abdomen and legs, activating six major meridians.

Perform qi exercise #4 by knocking the back against a wall to stimulate the bladder and governor vessel meridians, standing at a distance and delivering a loud, powerful bang.

Practice qi exercise #5, the 312 meridian exercise, a simple squatting and standing routine that strengthens the kidneys meridian. Refer to Appendix II for the YouTube video link.

Perform qi exercise #6 by raising both legs to a 90-degree angle and maintaining the position for three minutes.

Practice qi exercise #7 stretching tendons to lengthen tendons and cultivate vitality, reflecting an old saying that small tendon stretches can add years to life.

Engage qi exercises targeting eight toxin depository spots to unblock qi flow linked to liver, heart, lungs, spleen, and kidneys; perform daily slaps until the normal skin color returns.

Practice qi standing posture, the horse stand, to align Du Mai #20 and Ren Mai #1, enabling qi flow between Ki 1 and Gb 21 in daily life.

Practice standing qigong (zhan zhuang) to cultivate qi movement and balance by imagining balls in hands and armpits, with a pencil between the fingers, loosening the 8 toxin depository spots.

Explore qi exercise #11 for ears, viewing ears as a hologram of the body with three yang meridians, using warm palms, ear rubbing, and tapping to move qi.

Explore qigong as a simple, video-led practice focused on the eight section brocade, a national qigong treasure that channels qi through all major zangful organs.

Explore eight section brocade qigong, ba duan jin, to move qi through meridians, balance yin and yang, strengthen heart, kidneys, liver, and triple warmer via slow mindful movements.

Recap qi movement principles of the eight section brocade: each posture facilitates internal qi, massaging organs, while breath synchronizes with arm and body movements to guide inhalation and exhalation.

Avoid practicing qigong when you are angry or after a full meal, and avoid during pregnancy or after heavy consumption of bear and wine. Refrain from talking while practicing qigong.

Master small qi exercises by breaking down the Eight Section Brocade qigong into bite-size movements you can practice anywhere, count in multiples of nine, and integrate into daily routines.

Compare western exercise and ancient wisdom, emphasizing qi flow for well-being and the role of external and internal movement in keeping all parts of the body in motion.

This lecture outlines four levels of illness and treatments, from meridian surface imbalances to eight extra meridian disorders, detailing massage, tuina, gua sha, acupuncture, herbs, qi exercises, and life cultivation.

Learn about treatments and life cultivation as a core self healing approach, highlighting 70% self healing and 30% medical treatment, and practice life cultivation while seeking care when ill.

Explore life cultivation (Yang Shen) as nurturing yourself into a healthy adult, practiced through knowledge, food therapy, daily qi exercises, emotional balance, and a compelling life purpose.

Explore qi through natural science and systems thinking, presenting a modern rational model of qi beyond mysticism and belief, rooted in the Yellow Emperor's classical Chinese medicine and nature.

Nature as the original teacher reveals how solar and geothermal heat drive ocean circulation and life through movement and dynamic equilibrium, echoing qi as flow that sustains life.

Map the human body as a miniature cosmos in the Yellow Emperor’s system. The heart, kidneys, and spleen serve as three core roles transforming food into energy.

Show how two fires shape health: heart fire fuels activity, awareness, and circulation, while kidney fire drives metabolism, fluid transformation, and long-term vitality.

Reframe qi as a process of movement and circulation, not a substance to hold. Describe how qi drives blood circulation, moves body fluids, delivers nutrients, and removes waste.

Understand how kidney yang, the small boiler, has sources—birth and lifestyle—and cools with poor sleep, stress, cold foods, overwork, and emotional extremes; illness arises when circulation weakens, requiring movement.

Daily life creates Heart Fire through eating, thinking, emotions, and work, transforming food into usable energy that fuels action, while sleep cools the fire to prevent overheating.

Explore how kidney fire is a finite, renewable energy source that is deeper, slower, and easily depleted. Balance use and preservation while considering congenital and acquired factors and nourishment.

Explore qi as a functional model from classical Chinese medicine, demystifying it for modern thinkers and highlighting life cultivation as a sustainable intervention.

Close the course by integrating Qi, Heart Fire, and Kidney Fire as three life variables, showing how balance, daily practices, and caretaking shape long-term health.