This quotation from Martha Graham is often used in Jin Shin Jyutsu seminars as a way of explaining the purpose of energy work:

“There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.”
from Martha: The Life and Work of Martha Graham – A Biography, by Agnes De Mille

As we work with Jin Shin Jyutsu, all we really need to focus on is keeping our channels open. We cannot know the results of our practice in the expression of life force within our bodies, minds, or spirits. But we can know whether or not we feel open to receiving, or we feel shut down and blocked.

This morning, I felt totally depressed, angry, and distraught. My thought patterns were negative and hopeless as a result of some deep sadness I’ve experienced. I thought: maybe this time, Jin Shin Jyutsu will not help. This time, it feels beyond the reach of my self-help practice.

Wrong!  All I needed was a Heart flow, followed by Umbilicus, Lung, and the first step of the 5,6,7,8 flow, and I felt 100% better. It was a miracle for me this morning. My mood shifted entirely from sad to giddy, and I started singing Christmas songs as I made breakfast.

I had no idea what the result would be when I started practicing these flows, only that my gut was telling me to practice them on myself as I lay there depressed in bed, hoping for relief.  I do this same type of work just about every morning, and it is helpful every single time, but this morning felt like something along the lines of a giant transformation.

I feel so grateful to Jiro Muri for rebirthing Jin Shin Jyutsu after it was lost for 1000s of years, and to Mary Burmeister for accepting the gift of Jin Shin Jyutsu from Jiro and bringing it to America, and to all of the gifted Jin Shin Jyutsu instructors and practitioners and students who keep it alive in the world. THANK YOU for helping me to open my channels to love and not to block it out.