Japanese Massage - Shiatsu

Shiatsu is a Japanese word made up of two written characters meaning finger (shi) and pressure (atsu). The word Shiatsu literally means "finger pressure" . It is a traditional Japanese healing art and a form of physical manipulation. But it is very different from most forms of massages practised in the West, since there is no kneading, friction, or smooth flowing strokes. Instead, pressure and stretching are used almost exclusively. The practitioner uses the palms, fingers, thumbs, knuckles, elbows, knees, and even the feet to work on the hundreds of 'tusbos', or acupuncture points, along the body's meridians or energy channels.

Shiatsu is often described as acupuncture without needles because the principles, philosophy diagnostic methods and treatment points are similar. Shiatsu works on the flow of energy or 'q' that circulates through our bodies in specific energy channels or meridians. Essentially, we all have a 'life force' or 'life energy', which created our physical structure and regulates physical, emotional, mental and spiritual stability. This life force is called 'qi' in Chinese and 'ki' in Japanese. It is supposed to maintain the homeostatic balance in the body.

The flow of qi can be disturbed either through external trauma, such as an injury, or internal trauma such as depression or stress. This is when symptoms like aches and pain start to occur and we start experiencing a state of 'disease'.

In Shiatsu, the physical touch is used to assess the distribution of 'qi' throughout the body and to try to correct any imbalances accordingly.

Touch is the essence of Shiatsu and a wonderful means of communicating our love and compassion for others in a very direct way. Touch can be of very different quality, ranging from aggressive, abusive and mechanical 10 more nurturing, caring and intuitive. We all need to be touched in some way and Shiatsu helps 10 fulfil this need. The caring touch used in Shiatsu will help to trigger the self-healing process within.

Origin of Shiatsu

The roots of Shiatsu go back thousands of years, probably to before the beginnings of acupuncture In the earliest recorded writing on Chinese medicine, The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine, written over 2,000 years ago, the Yellow Emperor asked the master of Oriental medicine, why there were so many methods to treat one illness and why each method was effective. The master replied that environment was the main reason for using different approaches.

In the east where the people lived close to the sea, tended to eat more fish and protein and suffered skin diseases, acupuncture developed as an effective treatment. In the west where there are mountains and deserts, the people tended to be fat and eat too much animal protein. This caused problems with their internal organs, which were best remedied by herbal medicine.

In the cold northern mountainous regions, 'moxibustion' was most effective in driving out respiratory disorders associated with the climate, such as coughing and mucus. In the flat central regions, the people developed symptoms of general weakness, which was most effectively treated with 'an ma' and corrective exercises.

Shiatsu is in fact simply an extension of our natural response to pain, of the impulse that makes us 'rub it better' when hurt. It developed from the ancient Japanese massage known as 'an ma', which consisted of pressing or rubbing the hands and feet with the fingers and palms of the hands.