The 18 Vital Marmas Every Household Should Know — The Ancient Emergency System Hidden in Your Body

By Dr Rakesh Ayureshmi, Ayureshmi Ayurveda Wellness Centre, Kollam, Kerala, India

The Forgotten Life-Saving Knowledge Sitting in Our Bones

What if your body carried its own built-in emergency toolkit, waiting to be activated with just the pressure of a fingertip?

Ancient Ayurvedic masters believed exactly this. They mapped 107 marma points—vital neurovascular hubs where life-energy (prāṇa), circulation, and neural flow intersect. What is lesser known is that 18 of these marmas are especially important during emergencies—from fainting to breathlessness to sudden pain.

In today’s world of rising stress, lifestyle disorders, and delayed access to medical help, understanding these 18 marmas is not old-world mysticism—it is practical first aid rooted in anatomy, physiology, and time-tested clinical wisdom.

1. The Science Behind Marmas: Why Touch Can Save Lives

Modern anatomical studies show that many marmas overlap with major nerve plexuses, arterial bifurcations, lymphatic hubs, or fascia-dense intersections.

• Research from the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies (2019) highlights that pressure-point stimulation reduces sympathetic overdrive and enhances vagal tone—a critical mechanism in emergencies.

• Studies on acupressure for autonomic regulation (Harvard, 2017) show improvements in heart rate variability, pain modulation, and fainting prevention.

• Historical texts such as Sushruta Samhita, Sharira Sthana 6 identify marmas as “prāṇa seaters”—areas where trauma can rapidly change consciousness, breathing, or circulation.

In short, marmas are the body's electrical switches—capable of calming, reviving, or stabilizing in critical moments

2. The 18 Emergency Marmas Every Household Should Know

(Arranged from head to feet for easy memorization.)

• Sthapani Marma (Between the eyebrows)

Use for: Fainting, panic attack, headache, emotional shock.

Why it works: Overlaps with the supraorbital nerve and frontal sinus plexus. Gentle pressure regulates limbic activity and restores grounding.

• Apanga (Outer corner of the eye)

Use for: Sudden dizziness, eye strain, emotional overwhelm.

Clinical relevance: Connected to the zygomaticotemporal nerve; calms overexcited sympathetic firing.

• Shankha (Temples)

Use for: Migraine, heatstroke, agitation.

Note: Use light pressure only—this is a vulnerable area with superficial temporal artery branching.

• Karna-Moola (Root of the ear)

Use for: Motion sickness, sudden nausea, vertigo.

Stimulation here influences the auricular branch of the vagus nerve.

• Manyā Marma (Side of the neck)

Use for: Breathlessness, choking shock response, anxiety spikes.

Corresponds to carotid sinus & vagus nerve—helps regulate heart rate.

Caution: Press very gently.

• Nila & Manya (Midline of throat & sides of throat)

Use for: Voice loss due to spasm, shallow breathing.

Stimulates laryngeal nerve pathways. Apply gentle tapping, not deep pressure.

• Kurpara (Elbow joint)

Use for: Radiating arm pain, sudden numbness from nerve impingement.

Massaging activates the ulnar nerve and improves upper limb circulation.

• Indrabasti (Center of calf)

Use for: Leg cramps, fatigue, low circulation, fainting support.

Shows strong clinical correlation with posterior tibial nerve

• Gulpha (Ankle)

Use for: Sprain stabilization, shock recovery, and grounding.

Impacts the saphenous nerve and lymphatic return.

• Kshipra Marma (Between thumb and index finger)

Use for: Severe headache, toothache, stress collapse, fainting.

Research parallels with LI4 acupressure, widely studied for analgesic effects.

• Tala Hridaya (Center of palms & soles)

There are 4 marmas here—2 in hands, 2 in feet.

Use for: Fainting, panic, breathlessness, overwhelming pain.

Pressing these activates dense autonomic nerve endings.

A 2021 study on reflexology demonstrated significant improvements in oxygen saturation and pulse stabilization in emergency department settings

• Janu Marma (Knee joint)

Use for: Sudden knee lock, fall support, radiating leg pain.

Acts on the common peroneal nerve.

• Urvi (Mid-thigh inner aspect)

Use for: Shock, blood pressure collapse, leg weakness.

Major overlap with femoral nerve and vascular bundle.

Press gently upward toward the pelvis.

• Nabhi (Navel)

Use for: Sudden abdominal spasm, fainting, digestive collapse.

Rich in sympathetic ganglia; linked to solar plexus.

• Hridaya (Heart region)

Use for: Anxiety attack, palpitations, emotional breakdown.

NOT for cardiac arrest (seek medical help immediately).

Use gentle circular motion to activate parasympathetic calming pathways.

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3. How to Use These Marmas During Emergencies

A. For Fainting or Blackout Sensation

1. Seat or lay the person down.

2. Stimulate:

• Tala Hridaya (hands & feet)

• Kshipra

• Sthapani

3. Slow breathing support.

B. For Sudden Anxiety or Panic

• Sthapani

• Manyā (VERY gentle)

• Karna-Moola

• Hridaya

C. For Breathlessness or Hyperventilation

• Manyā (soft tapping)

• Nila & Manya

• Tala Hridaya

D. For Acute Pain or Spasm

• Kshipra

• Shankha

• Indrabasti

• Kurpara

• Janu

E. For Shock After Injury or Emotional Trauma

• Urvi

• Tala Hridaya

• Nabhi

• Sthapani

4. The Deeper Ayurvedic Insight: Prāṇa, Vyana, Udana

Ayurveda explains that marmas help redirect prāṇa vāyu to restore balance during sudden disturbances.

• Udana Vayu governs consciousness and breathing → supported via Sthapani & throat marmas.

• Vyana Vayu governs circulation & nerve impulses → supported via palms, soles, calves, and ankles.

• Apana Vayu stabilizes grounding → supported via Nabhi, Urvi, Gulpha.

This tri-dosha neurophysiology aligns remarkably with modern autonomic science—showing how ancient physicians anticipated neurovascular networks long before microscopes.

Conclusion: Ancient First Aid for a Modern World

Knowing these 18 marmas is not a replacement for medical care—but a bridge between crisis and help, between fear and empowerment.

They represent a timeless truth: your body carries its own emergency intelligence. When activated correctly, these points calm the mind, stabilize circulation, and restore clarity.

In a world that is becoming more disconnected from touch, intuition, and inner awareness, marma knowledge reminds us:

Healing has always begun with our own hands.

Will you learn these 18 points—and teach them to your family?

“Your body holds 18 hidden emergency switches. Learn them, teach them, use them. These ancient marma points could change how your family responds to stress, shock, pain, or panic—within seconds.”

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