Welcome
Thank you for jumping into Understanding Your Body’s Energy Pathways.
I created this short course to help you see how your body’s energy system works and why simple, mindful movement can make such a difference to how you feel.
Whether you are new to Shibashi or already practising, this is a space to deepen your understanding and connect what you feel in movement with what is happening inside the body.
This mini course introduces you to the meridian system, the network of energy pathways that connect every part of the body in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
Through these lessons, you will begin to understand how posture, breath, movement and emotional rhythm are all linked by this energetic framework.
What are Meridians?
Meridians are channels that carry qi, or life energy, through the body. You can think of them as the body’s internal communication lines. They connect organs, muscles and the mind into one working system. When qi flows smoothly, you feel steady and well. When it becomes blocked or depleted, tension, fatigue or discomfort often follow.
The twelve main meridians are paired and linked to the organs that support your health: Lung and Large Intestine, Stomach and Spleen, Heart and Small Intestine, Bladder and Kidney, Pericardium and Triple Burner, Liver and Gallbladder.
Together they describe the body’s natural cycles of receiving and releasing, nourishing and grounding, expressing and recovering.
Why This Matters
Modern life tends to pull these systems out of rhythm. Long hours sitting, constant stress, irregular meals and overthinking all create subtle imbalances. Over time these imbalances show up physically as stiffness or pain, and emotionally as anxiety, fatigue or lack of clarity.
By understanding these energy pathways, you start to recognise where your body may be holding tension and how small changes in breath and posture can restore flow.
This awareness becomes a practical tool for daily wellbeing, helping you recover from stress, move more easily and feel more centred in yourself.
How Shibashi Supports the Meridians
Tai Chi Qigong Shibashi is the practical side of this learning. The movements gently open the joints, lengthen the breath and calm the nervous system, encouraging qi to flow smoothly.
Each lesson in this course explores a pair of meridians and how they relate to both physical and emotional balance. You will see how Shibashi’s movements naturally align with their functions, supporting the body to restore balance without force.
How to Use This Course
You do not need to memorise every detail. Simply read each lesson slowly, reflect on the ideas and notice how they show up in your own life. After each lesson, spend a few minutes practising one or two Shibashi movements while focusing on the theme described.
This combination of understanding and movement is where the magic happens.
