Chest Tightness, Poor Breathing, and Fatigue: Finding Relief with Acupressure and Breathing Techniques

Chest Tightness, Poor Breathing, and Fatigue: Finding Relief with Acupressure and Breathing Techniques

Ask Me Anything, Powerful Points and Meridian Flows

Chest Tightness, Poor Breathing, and Fatigue: Finding Relief with Acupressure and Breathing Techniques

Do you ever find yourself overwhelmed by chest tightness, shallow breathing, and deep fatigue? You’re not alone—these are common experiences that can be linked to both physical and emotional blockages. 

In a recent episode of my Ask Me Anything podcast, I answered Maura’s question; she found herself frequently struggling with tightness in her chest and feeling completely wiped out. She felt so exhausted and breathless that it affected her daily life.

 If this resonates with you, let me guide you through a simple acupressure point and breathing exercise to help you regain energy, release tension, and find ease in your body.

Understanding the Breath and Energy Connection

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), our breath is more than just a source of oxygen—it carries chi, or life force energy, throughout our body. When our breathing becomes shallow or stuck, it disrupts the flow of chi, leading to symptoms like chest tightness, breathlessness, and fatigue. 

Emotions like anxiety, grief, and even physical tension in the neck and shoulders can block this flow of energy, trapping it in the chest and head. 

To restore balance, we need to descend the energy deep into our core, particularly into the kidneys and lower abdomen, where our life force resides.

Lung 7: The Magic Acupressure Point for Breath and Energy

One powerful way to get your breath and energy flowing again is through a specific acupressure point called Lung 7. This point has the remarkable ability to “grasp” the chi and pull it down into the kidneys, allowing for deeper, more nourishing breaths.

Here’s how to find Lung 7:

  1. Place your fingers along the edge of your thumb, where the light and dark skin meet. This is the lung meridian.
  2. Move down to the crease of your wrist and place two fingers just below it. This is where Lung 7 is located.
  3. A technical location for Lung 7 is proximal (closer to the torso) to the styloid process of the radius bone (the bone in your forearm which ends closest to your thumb);  

A simple way to find it is by joining your hands between the thumb and forefinger..   Your index finger should be resting along the radius bone.  The tip of your index finger will come to rest in a small notch between two tendons which lie on top of the styloid process.  

Once you’ve located the point, gently press into it. Imagine that you’re holding someone’s hand—there’s a warmth and softness to the pressure. Hold the point for 30 seconds to 3 minutes, feeling for a shift or a pulse that signals the energy is beginning to move. 

Lung 7 isn’t just for breathing—it also helps with neck tension, headaches, and even strengthens your immune system.

The Power of Breathing with Intention

Now that you’ve activated Lung 7, let’s deepen the benefits with a simple breathing exercise.

By consciously working with your breath, you’ll not only alleviate chest tightness and fatigue but also nurture a sense of calm and relaxation.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to a healing breathwork practice:

  1. Exhale completely through your mouth, imagining you’re blowing out through a straw. As you do this, visualise contracting and compressing the front of your body.
  2. Relax the inhale. Let the breath come naturally through your nose, drawing the air deep into your body. Imagine the breath expanding and flowing all the way down the back of your body, from the back of your head to your spine and kidneys.
  3. Exhale again, focusing on fully contracting and squeezing out the air from the front of your body.
  4. Relax to the back. As you breathe in, take your attention to the back of your head, spine, and kidneys, allowing the breath to nourish these areas.

Repeat this cycle, compressing the front on the exhale and relaxing the back on the inhale. Over time, this practice will help shift energy from your upper chest, allowing you to breathe more fully and deeply. This is a simple way to enter the parasympathetic state where the body can rest, relax and restore. 

Why This Practice Works

In TCM, we believe that where there is pain or blockage, chi is not flowing as it should. This is similar to how blood flows through arteries and veins—when energy is blocked, it causes discomfort. By working with acupressure points and mindful breathing, you’re encouraging the flow of chi, which releases tension, relieves fatigue, and helps you find peace in your body.

Using Lung 7, in combination with deep breathing, not only addresses chest tightness and poor breathing but also strengthens your Wei Qi, or immune defense. This is especially important as we move through autumn and winter, when our bodies are more vulnerable to external pathogens.

Bringing It All Together

Try adding this practice into your daily routine, especially if you’re dealing with breathlessness, tightness in your chest, or feeling overwhelmed. Press into Lung 7, breathe deeply, and allow your body to relax and receive the healing benefits of your breath. As you exhale, release all the stress and tension you’ve been holding onto. As you inhale, let the energy flow through your body, replenishing and revitalising you.

May you feel the peace and ease that comes with restoring your breath and energy. If you have any questions or want to dive deeper into these practices, feel free to ask! Let’s keep the conversation going—be happy, be well, and keep flowing.

With Love and Light,  

Ready to Start?

Join Chi Flow with Jo and begin restoring your energy, and feeling more like yourself again.

LIVE WELL WITH PARKINSONS USING FOOD MEDICINE, ACUPRESSURE AND QI GONG EXERCISE
A practical guide to intermittent fasting through the lens of Chinese Medicine, supporting energy, digestion, cellular renewal and healthy longevity.

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Movement does not need to be extreme to be powerful.
Small daily expansion reshapes the body.
Steady breath reshapes the nervous system.
Gentle repetition rebuilds confidence.

Every human body carries extraordinary capacity for renewal when given the right rhythm.

If you want to soften into strength, come and practice with us.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.  

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

Increase Energy, Reduce Fatigue

Increase Energy, Reduce Fatigue

Acupressure Points, HEALTH & WELLNESS

Spring is here in Ireland.  St Brigid’s Day which has its origins in the ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc takes place on the 1st February.  It is the festival of new life and fertility. A time to look forward to brighter days, warmer weather, new growth on the land and the new birth of animals.

But maybe your spring has not sprung? 

Perhaps your energy is still hibernating, or you are feeling weary no matter how much sleep you get?  

Perhaps your joints are sore, painful or inflamed?

In this blog we will show how using Qi Gong, Self Acupressure and Food Medicine can help you bounce back after a winter and viruses that may have left you feeling wiped out.

Studies show that following C*vid, the invading viruses can remain in the fascia and endothelium of the body, causing inflammation.  Any flu virus infection can trigger an inflammatory response in the body.  If we can’t expel the viral fragments from the body the constant inflammation response can be exhausting, creating symptoms such as lethargy, weakness, joint and muscle pain, chronic fatigue and other symptoms common to Fibromyalgia.  

The treatment of Fibromyalgia, Long Covid and Chronic Fatigue can be tricky, with such wide ranging symptoms that often wander around the body such as anxiety, insomnia, light sensitivity, headaches, muscle and joint pain, difficulty concentrating, mood swings, and depression can be tricky to diagnose and treat.  Here I share Qi Gong, Acupressure and Food medicine that I use to Increase Energy and Reduce Pain.

First, begin with the Fascia.

Fascia is a thin casing of connective tissue that surrounds and holds every organ, blood vessel, bone, nerve fibre and muscle in place.  Endothelium is a single layer of cells, which line all your blood and lymphatic vessels. It provides a space for your blood and tissues to interact so is vital to the functioning of all your organs and tissues.  Together the fascia and endothelium create a structural continuity that gives form and function to every tissue and organ.

Non classical monocytes patrol the endothelium and create inflammation in response to an infection.

If viral remnants become lodged in the fascia the monocytes will keep creating inflammation in order to try to rid the virus from your body.

For some people, long after a person is infectious, the immune response persists as the markers of non classical monocytes remain elevated.  This constant autoimmune response is exhausting plus it creates tension and stiffness in the fascia.  

So how can we use the complementary therapies of Qi Gong, Acupressure and 5 element foods to push the virus out of the fascia, stopping the auto immune inflammatory response?
Qi Gong practiced in Chi Flow with Jo gently opens and releases the fascia.

Using repetitive spirialing motions, in exercises such as Spiral Palms, or Quan Yin Draws Rainbow, Qi gong opens, hydrates and lubricates the joints, ligaments, and fascia, allowing release of the viral fragments.  (scroll down for the free class offer)

Our body, including connective tissues, exhibit spiral patterns. The swirling shape of our heart that pumps the blood in a vortex motion as it travels around our body, our DNA and even our bones are constructed with spirals.  You can stretch and contract the spiral but it will always return to the original state.

By gently coiling and uncoiling the fascia, veins, arteries, nerve tissues, and other connective tissues, viral remnants are released from the body, thereby reducing pain, inflammation, stiffness and increasing energy levels.

Whenever there is an outward growth, expansion of energy, or a radial force combined with a rotation you will create a spiral, a natural shape, found in the spider’s web, the structure of a hurricane, moths flying to the moon and all kinds of plants such as pine cones, sunflowers, cauliflowers, pineapples and succulents

In Taoism and Chinese Medicine our life force energy is made manifest in this particular body. We are no different to a tree or a blade of grass.  Same life force energy, just different collection of cells and therefore manifestation.  So to promote flow and expansion of energy we can use this natural movement when working with the body

The twisting and rotating of the joints and spine also promotes the elimination of excess dampness in the body. The movements act as if wringing out a towel, expelling toxins and excess water.

Internal dampness often seems a strange term, perhaps because it is outside of western medicine understanding. But think of a damp room, the more water content in the air, the harder it is to heat.  To increase flow and movement of energy, we have to clear the heavy and dense atmosphere. 

And so it’s the same in the body. The Chi, the Life force energy needs to be able to flow, unobstructed and with ease, expanding and contracting, spiralling energy and fluids around the body.  Dampness slows the flow, creating pain, foggy thinking and low energy levels.

Cold affects the Kidney creating contraction, obstructions and slow movement of Chi causing cramps and sharp pain. 

Wind affects the Liver often working with the other internal climates to invade the body, moving energy, pathogens and symptoms erratically causing tremors, spasms and twitching. 

Heat affects the Heart causing erratic movement of Chi and often associated with inflammation, redness of skin, irritability and inability for the Shen/Spirit to settle. 

Dampness affects the Spleen causing heavy and foggy energy, generating sticky secretions and protracted, dense pain especially in the middle and lower burner, inability to transform and transport food into energy. 

Dryness affects the Lung causing dehydration and scant body fluids especially in the mucous membranes of the body including lungs, nasal cavities, digestive tract, skin, hair and nails.

We need some dampness and mucus in the body to moisten the digestive tract and mucous membranes. But excess collection of moisture causes heavy and foggy energy, generating sticky secretions and protracted, dense pain especially in the middle and lower burner/belly, heavy limbs, poor digestion, loose stools, candida, brain fog and chronic inflammation. 

Consuming excess sugars, refined foods or lots of carbohydrates, weakens the Spleen/pancreas is one of the ways dampness accumulates in the body.

Where there is dampness, Qi cannot flow and stagnation occurs, trapping the viral fragments in the fascia. 

To drain the dampness and clear the heat I would recommend avoiding the spleen weakening foods and increasing dark leafy greens into the diet such as: 

kale, watercress, spinach, chard, celery 

Bitter foods such as:

  • Daikon radish, Regular radish, Turnip, Adzuki Beans (blog on the website), Vinegars, Lemons/Limes, Bitter herbs such as milk thistle, valerian, Agnus Castus.

To reduce pain, inflammation and to improve energy levels, moving stagnant energy is imperative. 

Liver 3 – Great Rushing is a great for flowing Yin blood and Yang energy around the body . 

It is the source point for the whole Liver meridian, meaning that the strength of this point can open energy into the whole meridian, increasing the power and ease of flow.

“Like a spring that is unclogged, it lets the Ki rise to the surface and then flow into the meridian.” 

Here see the idea of spirals used within the source point.  As the spring unclogs, deeper layers of water move more slowly to the left or right, depending on the hemisphere, to create a spiral. Use this image when treating the point to clear any congestion along the whole Liver Channel.

The Liver keeps body cells supplied with energy. However if the Liver is congested through over-eating, medications, alcohol or sugar, it is not able to metabolise stored energy.  In Western medicine terms this is similar to Non Alcoholic Liver Fatty Disease NALFD, causing exhaustion, sore joints, disturbed sleep, even our nails and hair begin to thin.

Use this point regularly to improve flow and clear dampness from the body which causes swelling, stagnation, lethargy and low energy. 

Find the point in the hollow between the first and second toe just above the knuckle of the big toe. 

Traditionally we use the thumb to massage the acupoint with deep and steady pressure. Try massaging the point in a circular motion without removing the thumb from the skin. You can also hold and gently press, imagining energy travelling from the core of your body, out of your thumb and into the point you are connecting with.  Use the visualisation of the spiral to focus and direct the energy into the point for dispersal of stagnant energy or to gather and flow energy to an empty point, which feels cold, waxy and flacid.

Massage the point anywhere between 30 seconds and 3 minutes until you feel a change in the energy.  Remember this might be an all over body sensation not just felt in the localised area or point.  Consistency is key so I encourage daily massage of this point to clients who suffer stagnation, pain, lethargy, chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia together with daily Qi gong to release the fascia. 

To connect with the rising energy of spring and shake of fatigue of a foggy, clogged Liver try this coiling and uncoiling of your body. 

Connect with the life force, Yin Yang, energy pattern; expanding and contracting, tightening and softening, firm yet elastic, intrinsic to all living things, from tiny atomic particles to vast expanding galaxies, and let your life force flow.

Within this (w)holistic system, there are also emotional and spiritual aspects to increasing energy, reducing pain and releasing viruses.  You can find out about these either by joining us in Chi Flow with Jo or by buying my books.  If you have a specific question, remember you can always Ask Me Anything

Do you feel sluggish, physically lethargic and mentally foggy?

Do you have slow metabolism and easily gain weight?

Do you find yourself getting puffy easily, have swollen limbs or get bloated often?

Do you have oily skin, weeping lesions or acne?

Do you have loose stools or a lot of discharge?

Are your energy levels on the floor?

Is that you? Then we are on the same page and this Chi Flow with Jo programme is perfect for you.

Chi Flow is a way to start your day with positivity and connection with other people just like you.

Welcome to something different that is heart-centred, simple, easy and fun!

  • ☯ 30 min Daily Qi Gong exercises working on the Spleen and Liver (recordings also sent daily)
  • ☯Daily Live Check in – for Q&A and support
  • ☯Daily nutrition advice and recipes
  • ☯Free access to Live Evening Talks
  • ☯Library with 100’s for videos for whatever you feel like
  • ☯Closed Facebook group for sharing and support

Chi Flow doors open to join the last week of the month closing on the first day of the month to begin the new Qi Gong moves, Acupressure and Food Medicine

Have a look at what others say about the practice

Your journey to health and balance is unique, and embracing the wisdom of TCM can help you achieve lasting freedom from cravings. Be kind to yourself, listen to your body, and enjoy the process of nurturing your health.

Until next time, stay balanced and be well.

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.

Move your blood to relieve pain and stiffness in the body

Move your blood to relieve pain and stiffness in the body

Qi Gong Energy Exercises

ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM STIFFNESS & PAIN?

I was recently asked a question by a lady who had been suffering from stiff and sore feet in the mornings. 

“In the morning my feet are very stiff and sore when I’m walking downstairs, and then it quickly goes away after that. No soreness during the day, but if I rub them or massage them during the day they still feel a bit stiff.”

HOW CAN ACUPRESSURE, FOOD AND QI GONG HELP WITH STIFFNESS IN THE BODY?

Stiffness in the body can be related to the liver, which is responsible for the smooth flow of blood and emotions through the body. When blood is not flowing smoothly, this can cause pain and stiffness in your hands and feet.

Because the liver is responsible for the smooth flow of blood in the ligaments and tendons, some pulsing qi gong exercisesfor the fingers and the toes can really get your blood flowing smoothly.again!

Take a look at the exercises and different acupressure points that I demonstrate on this episode of Ask Me Anything on my website if you are looking to relieve stiffness and regain smooth blood flow.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

The Ask Me Anything podcast series has been created to answer your questions using my knowledge of Chinese medicine, Qi Gong, Qi Food therapy and Shiatsu. 

In this episode of Ask Me Anything, I have answered this lady’s question with my knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine and have shown her some movements and exercises that could help ease her pain.   Watch and try the exercises yourself to see if it brings you relief from pain and stiffness.

WATCH/LISTEN TO ALL PODCAST EPISODES HERE

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?

The Ask Me Anything podcast series has been created to answer your questions using my knowledge of Chinese medicine, Qi Gong, Qi Food therapy and Shiatsu. 

You can ask a question by clicking on THIS LINK, or you can watch past episodes to see if your question has already been answered.

Join the Chi Flow online community today!

Also, join me in Chi Flow with Jo every weekday morning for live online Qi Gong where we will practise Qi Gong, as well as self-acupressure, delicious healthy recipes, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) tips and Meridian stretches.  

You can sign up for a FREE online qi gong class with the form below.

Hope to see you in the Chi Flow!

Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.

Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.  

The information provided should not be considered medical advice.