what is shiatsu?
My practice incorporates elements of traditional shiatsu, chiropractic, kinesiology, osteopathy, and various mind/body disciplines. It’s about creating relationship between the giver and the receiver, not doing something to someone but, instead, being with someone. Each time we touch or are touched by someone else we have an opportunity for growth and healing. This is an intuitive, natural way to help ourselves and others feel healthy and happy.
Encouraging self awareness and self healing gives you the knowledge and means to adjust to both your constitutional strengths and weakness as well as adapt to the environmental forces around you. Health can be defined as a balance between flexibility and stability, the ability to move through life gracefully and happily. Being healthy doesn't mean looking or acting a particular way, never experiencing illness or difficulty. It doesn't mean being "perfect" - it means finding your own way.
Based on the conceptual framework of Chinese Medicine, traditional shiatsu is a form of Japanese bodywork. Sometimes called acupuncture without needles, shiatsu, along with acupuncture and herbalism, was for centuries an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine, which was introduced to Japan by a Buddhist monk in the 6th century. The Japanese developed and refined many of its methods; in particular they developed the manual healing and diagnostic arts, evolving special techniques of treatment and massage, which are used in shiatsu today. Illness is described as resulting from imbalances in the natural flow of energy through the body.
Shiatsu means "finger pressure" in Japanese, Techniques use fingers, thumbs, palms, elbows, and knees to apply direct pressure, stretching, rotations, and mobilizations to affect the flow of energy.
Shiatsu is effective in the treatment of:
musculoskeletal issues such as
- back pain
- sprains and strains
- neck and shoulder stiffness
- joint pain
- movement injuries
general systemic issues such as
- digestive disturbances
- menstrual dysfunction
- immune system imbalances
- circulatory problems
- anxiety and depression
It is also useful in conditions where emotional disturbance or stress is an underlying factor. One explanation is that gentle touch calms an overactive sympathetic nervous system (which is responsible for our body's fight-or-flight response.) It's also useful in the treatment of lower back pain and other discomforts due to pregnancy.