The Human Bodys’ Meridians or channels are  conduits through which Qi travels in the body.  These channels are used in acupuncture to treat illness. Although meridians work as a channel system which carries and distributes qi and blood, they are not blood vessels and have no anatomical channel structure.

Jing meridians act as the interior. Those which branch off horizontally are luo meridians. Jing means to pass through or pathway and refers to the vertical channels. Luo means network and refers to the networks that branch off from the vertical channels (Jing). Both Jing and Luo mean link or connection, and they are bound closely together to form channels.

By connecting and uniting different parts of our body, meridians provide the transport service for the fundamental substances of qi, blood, and body fluids. The flow of qi in the Meridian System concentrates or “injects” in certain areas of the skin’s surface. These areas are very small points, otherwise known as “acupuncture points”. Although acupuncture points are located externally and superficially, they can affect the internal functions of our body. There are 365 acupuncture points, and each point belongs to a particular meridian channel that connects to specific organs.

Qi can be gathered/collected through meditation, deep breathing techniques and practices like Qi- Gong or Pranayama in Indian culture.

Once you learn how to gather Qi and bring it in through your chakras you must learn how to direct the qi using thought. The qi will travel along these meridians so knowing the channels is important to knowing how direct the flow of qi to each organ.