PRESS HERE › Stress & feeling wound up
For the short-fuse, can't-switch-off kind of day. Two points on the hands and feet you can do anywhere, plus the neck and skull points that go with them.
You will also see them written by other names — same points, different naming systems. They are worth knowing by both names so you can look them up elsewhere.
太冲 · top of foot, between toes
Used in traditional routines for everyday stress and a calmer mood.
How you know you are on it: A clear ache in the dip between the two bones — one of the more noticeable points.
What people miss: Searching in the toe webbing. Walk your thumb back toward the ankle until you find the hollow between the long bones of the foot.
合谷 · web of thumb & index
A go-to point in traditional practice for everyday head, face, and hand tension.
How you know you are on it: A dull ache that spreads across the hand — you may feel it travel toward the wrist.
What people miss: Pressing the soft skin at the very edge of the web. Move slightly toward the index-finger bone until you meet firm muscle.
风池 · back of skull, neck hollows
A common point for neck and head tension.
How you know you are on it: A spreading ache that can reach up the back of the head.
What people miss: Pressing the skull instead of the hollow beneath it. Tilt your chin slightly down to open the space first.
内关 · inner forearm, above wrist
A staple of travel and calming routines in traditional practice.
How you know you are on it: A sore, faintly tingly feeling between the two tendons, sometimes reaching the palm.
What people miss: Landing on the wrist crease itself. Measure three finger-widths up from the crease first, then press.
Breathe out as you press, and keep it unhurried. Rushing it defeats the purpose.
The points above are free to read and always will be. What costs money is the sequence and the timing — how long to hold each one, in what order, paired with which gua sha area, on which day.