Shiatsu & Acupressure · for complete beginners
Gentle Pressure
A calm, hands-on guide to easing stress, headaches, and heavy days — using nothing but your own two hands.
Picture rivers of energy flowing through your body. When a river runs clear, you feel light and steady. When it gets blocked, you feel tense or tired. Acupressure is simply pressing gently on the riverbanks to help things flow again.
Start here
What is Shiatsu & acupressure?
Shiatsu (Japanese for “finger pressure”) and acupressure are gentle touch practices rooted in thousands of years of Eastern medicine. Instead of needles, you use your thumbs, fingertips, and palms to press specific spots on the body.
Those spots sit along invisible pathways called meridians — the “energy highways” or rivers we talked about. Pressing the right point is like nudging a small stone out of a stream: the flow eases, your muscles relax, and your nervous system gets a quiet signal that it’s safe to settle.
You don’t need any training, equipment, or talent. If you can rest a thumb on your wrist and breathe slowly, you can begin today.
Why people love it
A little pressure, a lot of calm
The rivers
Body meridian map
Twelve main rivers run through your body, paired with two central channels. Tap a name to light up its path and see what it helps with. You don’t need to memorize these — they’re just a map of where the points live.
Stylized chart · tap a meridian to highlight its flow
Select a meridian to read about it.
The good spots
Key pressure points & self-massage
These beginner-friendly points do a lot of the heavy lifting. Each card shows where it is, what it’s good for, and exactly how to press it. Start with one or two that match how you feel today.
No points match that search — try a feeling like “calm” or “energy.”
For a soft, bright face
Facial lymph massage routine
Lymph is your body’s gentle drainage system — it has no pump of its own, so light, slow strokes help it move. Always glide outward and downward toward your neck, where the fluid drains. Use a feather-light touch; think of petting a cat, not kneading dough.
Make it a habit
Daily self-care routines
Short, guided sequences for different moments. Press Start and the timer walks you through each step with a calm breathing pace. Find a comfy seat, soften your shoulders, and let’s begin.
Press with confidence
Tips for beginners
Super-simple version (great for kids)
Pretend your fingertip is a tiny, friendly turtle. Rest the turtle on a spot, let it press just a little, and take three slow dragon breaths — in through the nose, out through the mouth. Wiggle, shake your hands out, and you’re done! The squishy spot between your thumb and finger (point LI4) is a fun one to start with when you feel grumpy or have a headache.