Zang organs are for energy storage and the fu organs produce energy from sustenance and drink and also control excretion. The organs can be listed in pairs, each zang matched by a fu with a similar function. Although the pancreas is not specifically mentioned, it is usually included with the spleen. The same applies to the 'triple heater', which is connected to the solar plexus, lower abdomen and thorax. The lungs are a zang organ and are concerned with the assimilation of energy, or ki from the air, which with energy from food ensures the complete body is fed and that mental alertness and a positive attitude are maintained. This is paired with the fu organ of the large intestine, which takes sustenance from the small intestine, absorbs necessary liquids and excretes waste material via the faeces. It is also concerned with self confidence. The spleen is a zang organ and changes energy or ki from food into energy that is needed by the body. It is concerned with the mental functions of concentration, thinking and analysing. This is paired with the fu organ of the stomach, which prepares food so that the nutrients can be extracted and also any energy or ki can be taken. The zang organ of the heart assists the blood formation from ki and also controls the flow of blood and the blood vessels. It is where the mind is located and therefore it will affect the feelings, awareness, belief and the long term memory. This is paired with the fu organ of the small intestine, which divides food into necessary and unnecessary parts, the latter passing to the large intestine. It is also concerned with the making of decisions. The kidneys are a zang organ and they produce basic energy, or ki for the other five paired organs and also for reproduction, birth, development and maturity. They also sustain the skeleton and brain and provide willpower and 'get up and go'. They are paired with the fu organ of the bladder which stores waste fluids until they are passed as urine and also gives strength or courage. The zang organ of the 'heart governor' is concerned with the flow of blood throughout the body. It is a protector and help for the heart and has a bearing on relationships with other people. This is paired with the 'triple heater' which passes ki around the body and allows an emotional exchange with others. The liver is the sixth zang organ and it assists with a regular flow of ki to achieve the most favourable physiological effects and emotional calmness. Positive feelings such as planning, creativity and humour are also connected with it. The gall bladder is the sixth fu organ, with which the liver is paired and this keeps bile from the liver and passes it to the intestines. It affects both forward thinking and decision making. The meridians are a system of invisible channels along the back and the front of the body along which energy or ki flows. There are twelve principal meridians plus two additional ones, which are called the governing vessel and the conception or directing vessel. Each meridian passes partly through the body and partly along the skin, joining various chakras and organs. One end of every meridian is below the skin while the other is on the surface of the skin on the feet or hands. Along each meridian are acupressure or acupuncture points, which in shiatsu are called tsubos. These points permit the flow of energy along the meridian to be changed if it is necessary to do so.

The meridians receive energy from the chakras and organs, from the meridians with ends located on the feet and hands and also via the pressure points, or tsubos. Energy, or ki can pass from one meridian into another as there is a 'pathway' linking each meridian to two others. The energy passes in a continuous cycle or flow and in a set order from one meridian to another. By working on the meridians and particularly the pressure points, a number of beneficial effects can be achieved with problems such as muscle tension, backache and headache. Since the flow of energy is stimulated by working on the meridian this will in turn affect the joints, muscles and skin and thereby ease these complaints. Since a person's mental state, feelings and moods are also altered by the flow of energy, this can induce a more positive frame of mind.

A person in good health should have a constant flow of ki, with no concentrations or imbalances in any part of the body. It is believed that the greater the amount of ki there is within a body, the greater the vitality, mental alertness and overall awareness that person will possess.