Shiatsu - How Does it Work?

Shiatsu works on the body's energy system. Practitioners apply pressure to points or 'tsubo' on the meridian to stimulate the 'ki', the Japanese word for qi or energy. Diagnosis is similar to the Chinese method. There are several strands in the diagnostic process:

• Bo-shin (Looking)
• Setsu-shin (Touching)
• Mon-shin (Asking) and
• Bun-shin (sense diagnosis). This also involves intuition.

A Shiatsu session usually lasts for about an hour with the actual treatment taking between 35 to 45 minutes.

In the first session, the practitioner will ask you many questions about your state of health, your lifestyle, any symptoms, likes and dislikes you may have, to build up your case history. An assessment based on oral diagnosis will be compiled. Apart from this oral diagnosis, your practitioner will use visual diagnosis, looking at posture, movement and facial diagnostic areas; and touch diagnosis, feeling the body and the different meridians for areas of excess and deficiency. As touch is the most essential aspect of this therapy, this diagnosis continues throughout the whole treatment, your practitioner gaining new information about you as the session progresses.

You will usually remain clothed during treatment, but your practitioner may need to examine skin surfaces for discoloration and swelling at some stage. As the treatment involves stretches and different movements for you to practise in between sessions, it is advisable to wear loose, comfortable clothing, preferably of cotton. Avoid receiving Shiatsu after you have eaten. Digestion will draw energy to the abdomen and disturb your practitioner's reading of the energetic movements in your meridian system.

There should be as little outside disturbance as possible to maintain the balancing effects of the treatment. You will also be asked to refrain from consuming any alcohol on the day before your treatment, as well as the actual day and avoid strenuous exercise following the Shiatsu session.

Treatment involves different techniques to relieve pain and release energy blockages causing particular problem. The therapist treats your whole body using various methods different areas. For example, he may rotate and manipulate your leg to relieve associated pain, or use his elbow to stimulate points on the spine that related to the chest, digestion circulation problems. He will often rub and apply finger pressure to specific points to or up a blocked meridian and may even walk on the soles of your feet to stimulate the kidney meridian.

A course of treatment usually involves four to eight sessions, preferably on weekly basis. A 10 term imbalance might need more treatments. Shiatsu is also a preventive therapy, aiding maintenance of good health, so a lot of people continue with the sessions, after the initial course of treatment for general health and well-being.

Benefits of Shiatsu massage

Shiatsu can help in improving general health by relieving stress, calming the nervous system and stimulating the circulation and immune system. It is particularly effective for s related tension and illnesses, insomnia, back pain, headaches and digestive upsets.