Emotion always has its roots in the unconscious and manifests itself in the body." -Irene Claremont de Castillejo
According to www.shiatsuhand.co.uk , Shiatsu originated in Japan and is based on the principles of Oriental medicine. It literally means finger pressure. Touch is the most instinctive and ancient healing practice of all and Shiatsu has its roots deep in the traditions of Eastern folk medicine dating back over 2000 years.Shiatsu didn't mean much to me when I first started massage school in New York City in 1985. During that time, one had to study Shiatsu to get a license in massage and vice versa, so it meant we had to learn Oriental medicine along with Western medicine Anatomy and Physiology, all in one year.I knew my hands were good, but I was a little leery of how much information my single mommy brain could hold at the time with a 4-year old. So I got a tutor, did every extra credit opportunity they offered, and was blessed with the most amazing Shiatsu teacher, Emil Grancagonolo, L.Ac during my year at the Swedish Institute.Not only is he one of the foremost in Shiatsu in the U.S., his shiatsu teaching saved me from hemorrhaging to death from a medical procedure I had done. I raised both feet in the air over my body and applied pressure on both feet just on the outside of my big toe. I left the hospital in an hour to the amazement of all."Shiatsu uses a variety of techniques: gentle holding, pressing with palms, thumbs, fingers, elbows, knees and feet on the meridians and when appropriate, more dynamic rotations and stretches to improve the flow of qi, or energy, in your body and so bring body and mind back into a more balanced state." www.shiatsuhands.co.ukI soon understood it made sense to have a Shiatsu treatment before embarking on this foreign journey to the medicine ways that were unknown. That was the second smartest move I made besides getting the tutor. When it came time to begin working on people coming to the school for treatment, I took on the idea of Shiatsu diagnosis based on the Emotions. In Oriental medicine there are many ways of looking at treating a person using Shiatsu.During that time, I also learned that disease has a lot to do with what went on in our hearts, minds and spirits. I learned that there are numeric values to stress in our lives and that when we are over the number 200 for 18 months or more, our bodies become affected. When I was diagnosing classmates and doing their profiles, I found that most had a lot of stress. I then looked at treating the problems stress was causing in the body, paying no attention to the mind, the heart or the spirit at the root of the problem. And guess what? The person felt a little better, but I was only treating the affect and not the cause.While diagnosing, I learned to look at the emotional aspects that I was finding in the Hara, area around the navel point, pulse points and tongue diagnosis. When the paired organs were showing the liver was Kyo or weak, it was also telling me this person may not be expressing enough anger; when the heart was Jitsu or too strong, it might be telling me the person may be forcing their happiness on someone or demanding too much from another.And so I began to talk to people about these issues during my Shiatsu treatments and making those meridians, also known as energy channels, stronger or weaker. The people I treated were then sent home to be more joyful in their daily life to steady the heart or to let go of the anger they were holding inside in order to calm the liver, etc.In the diagram below we see that each pair of organs are yin and yang complements. With this in mind let's look at how we can all apply this idea in our own lives each day.
Paired OrgansEmotionsColorElementHand or Foot Print
Gall Bladder/ LiverAngerGreenWoodFoot (4th toe and big toe)Heart/ Small IntestineJoyRedFireHand (pinky finger)Lung/ Large IntestineGriefWhiteMetalHand (thumb and index finger)Stomach/ SpleenPensivenessYellowEarthFoot (2nd toe and big toe)Bladder/ KidneyFearBlackWaterFoot( little toe and sole of foot)http://www.holisticonline.com/shiatsu/hol_shiatsu_Qi.htm
In Balance
Causes Positive Attributes:
Out Of Balance
Causes Negative Attributes:FireCreativity, enthusiasm, passion.Depleted immune system; chest, shoulder, and neck pain; Rosacea.WaterPerceptive, honest, objective.Fertility problems, low stamina, lower back problems.WoodMotivation, taking action, competitive spirit.Headaches, menstrual irregularities, anxiety.MetalOrganized, independent, rational.Sinus problems, skin problems, hemorrhoids, and constipation.EarthCalm, down to earth, easy going.Weight fluctuations, severe anxiety, gum disease.
http://www.lighthousehealing.com/shiatsu.html
"Massage is the only form of physical pleasure to which nature forgot to attach consequences." - Robert BraultAccording to www.mandarahealth.com, shiatsu, acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine complement conventional medicine, but are not substitutes for traditional medical treatments or medications. Both acupuncture and shiatsu can be used to treat problems, such as insomnia and other sleeping disorders, digestive, as well as eating disorders, headaches and chronic panic. The treatments can also be used to combat a smoking addiction.As opposed to conventional medicine, traditional Chinese medicine has a different perspective on illnesses, as described by www.mandarahealth.com. A basic principle of Chinese medicine is the belief that every individual has a life force that activates the metabolic flow, a life force called "qi". When the qi flows freely, we are healthy, but when it is blocked we suffer pain and disease. It is the job of a practitioner of Oriental medicine to find these blocked energies to maintain the body in a healthy state.Traditional Chinese medicine and therapies, such as Shiatsu and acupuncture, offer a different viewpoint and often can discern and treat illnesses that traditional Western medicine cannot.
It��s 2000 years later and we are still doing Shiatsu. Leave it to the practitioners of the world to take this ancient healing method and bring it up to the here and now. Below are a number of ways Shiatsu is being integrated into our techno driven, high intensity lives and work."To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear." - Buddha
This therapy works with the energies of the five major systems: fasciae-tendon-muscular, energy-meridian, nervous, vascular and lymphatic. The Hara is the area at the naval where all energies meet and connect. It is believed that this is the origin of where our emotions are felt, that inevitably causes blockage, and its consequences are seen elsewhere in the body. The Hara Shiatsu works to release blockage and sends relief to other parts of the body.
This form of massage is believed to support a natural lifestyle and improve instincts for overall health. Founded by Shizuko Yamamoto, barefoot shiatsu massages assesses through touch methods, as well as visual and verbal, integrating pulses and the Five Transformations. With George Ohsawa's philosophy that each individual is a vital part of nature, treatment includes touch and pressure using both hands and barefoot practices to stretch, enable the energy flow and fortify mind and body.
Also know as Water Shiatsu, Watsu involves stretching the body and implementing the ideals of Zen Shiatsu while floating in warm water. Created in 1980 by Harold Dull, this form of shiatsu is used to add flexibility and strengthen the muscles. The therapy is done in water in order to take pressure off the spine and to enable movement to relieve stiff joints and vertebrae, which inevitably helps the organs.
