What Are Meridians? Channels of Energy or Chi in TCM and Holistic Therapies

One of the pillars of Traditional Chinese Medicine, meridians are invisible lines through the body that carry energy to every organ and system.

An ancient myth has it that the Chinese first learned about energy meridians when soldiers on the battlefield noticed lines of glowing energy running through their companions’ severed limbs and bodies. In reality, meridians are invisible, theoretical lines which correspond to the flow of energy or chi throughout the human body. They relate to each of the body’s organs and systems and can be used to assess and to improve health using a variety of techniques from the applied science of Touch for Health to the most recent advances in energy psychology.
What is a Meridian?

Meridians are energy channels. They can be likened to the wiring of a house, or the veins and arteries through which our blood flows, except that they have no discrete physical structure. They run through our physical bodies but they cannot be dissected or found surgically. Meridians are part of the body’s subtle energy anatomy and have no concrete form. Humans are not unique in having meridians - dogs, cats, horses, and all mammals seem to have energy meridians.

Despite their intangible nature, we know that meridians exist because their impact can be felt. Sedating (weakening) or strengthening the various meridians has a noticeable impact on energy levels, mood and adaptability, health, immunity, thinking and cognition, and more. Some of the meridians are yin and some are yang, and each corresponds to an element and specific emotional tendencies.

Children are sometimes able to feel the flow of energy in their own meridians (somewhat like growing pains) when energy of a meridian is out of balance. People who are intuitive can sometimes see or sense the energy of other people’s meridians and tell whether their flow is healthy and strong (Donna Eden is known for her ability to sense what people need for energetic balance).

The 14 meridians are the Central, Governing, Circulation/Sex, Bladder, Gall Bladder, Heart, Kidney, Large Intestine, Liver, Lung, Small Intestine, Spleen, Stomach, and Triple Warmer.
How can we work with the Meridians?

One of the easiest ways to use the meridians for healing is by running a hand over the path of the meridian. To strengthen a weak meridian, the meridian is “run” forwards, from its beginning to its end. To weaken or sedate a meridian that is over-energized and that is drawing energy from other systems, the meridian is run backwards from end to beginning. For an example, see Sedating the Triple Warmer Meridian.

Dozens of approaches have sprung up in the thousands of years since the Chinese began to study the meridians. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, acupuncture is applied to points on the meridians to release blockages and bring about healing of all kinds, while key points are used by traditional doctors to diagnose health and balance in the body’s systems.

Newer schools of Energy Work which employ the energy meridians include Touch for Health Applied Kinesiology, Eden Energy Medicine, and several forms of energy psychology which approach the meridians in almost the same way as acupuncture - without the needles! Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) and Energy Diagnostic and Treatment Methods (EDxTM) are two energy psychology techniques which involved tapping on key points on the meridians to remove blocked energy affecting the emotions.