A few years ago, I studied teishin techniques in Indonesia with Funamizu Sensei from Japan. One of the techniques he taught was easily adaptable to Ontake practice. I call it Pinch and Press.
I haven’t filmed it yet, but here’s a simple guide you can follow to practise on your thigh. If you’re right-handed, it’s easier to start off on the left stomach channel or the right spleen channel. If you’re left-handed, practise on the right stomach channel or the left spleen channel.
1) SUPPORT HAND
With your non-dominant hand, squeeze and lift a handful of muscle around ST 34. Then, release it quickly, allowing the muscle to drop back down. Move proximally and repeat.
2) DOMINANT HAND
Hold the Ontake in your dominant hand, with the lighted mouth facing down. When your support hand lifts the muscle, touch the mouth to the top of the mound. As you release the muscle, let the Ontake drop down with it, keeping the mouth in contact with the skin.
3) SEQUENCE
Pick up the muscle with your support hand, creating a mound. Place the Ontake on top of it. As you release the mound briskly, the Ontake follows, and the patient feels a sudden warmth and release. Immediately pinch the muscle again and repeat, contacting the Ontake with each release. You can repeat this at the same spot or move to another location.
4) INTEGRATING THE METRONOME
This is a fast sequence done to a beat. On each beat, perform one Pinch and Press sequence. If you’re counting to four, you do four sequences—Pinch and Press, Pinch and Press, Pinch and Press, and so on.
APPLICATIONS
The downstroke, aided by gravity, makes this a dispersing technique, excellent for easing tight muscles. You can use it anywhere there’s enough tissue to pinch—tight legs, tight arms, and especially my favourite application: tight shoulders. Enjoy!
If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the Facebook Group.
To view more about Ontake and Japanese acupuncture and moxibustion see: