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As I floated away from my first professional treatment, about three inches off the ground, I had a definite feeling of having made the right choice of studies. I had exchanged sessions with other shiatsu students, but this was different. My hip pain was gone, I was walking more gracefully and I couldn’t help smiling and chuckling to myself as I glided down the street.
The Japanese healing art of shiatsu is enjoying an increasing popularity all over the world as more of us discover its effectiveness, its benefits and the elegant simplicity of its approach to wellness, through balancing and harmonizing our natural rhythms.
Often called “finger pressure”, or “acupuncture without needles”, shiatsu is much more than these terms imply. Certainly, we use our fingers and thumbs in a treatment, we apply pressure on the body’s acupuncture points, and the results are sometimes similar to those of acupuncture, but for me, shiatsu is more the feeling of wholeness, of completion that comes with a close connection with another person during a treatment. Shiatsu then becomes a relationship wherein both compassionate giver and trusting receiver receive benefits.
Shiatsu’s roots
Shiatsu has its roots in traditional Eastern medicine, and more recently, evolved from traditional Japanese massage, or anma. Practiced since the beginning of the 20th century, shiatsu was officially recognized as a distinct specialty in 1964 by the Japanese government. Since then various styles have developed and are currently in use. Some that are popular in North America are the Namikoshi style, Masunaga style or Zen Shiatsu, and Barefoot Shiatsu. Underlying them all, however, is the understanding that touch can provide a basis for enhanced health, well being and resistance to stress and minor illnesses. When you press and rub the inner corners of your eyes after reading too long or staring at a computer screen all day, you are instinctively stimulating a point that is historically famous for clearing the vision and relaxing the eyes. A professional shiatsu practitioner combines this intuitive touch with theoretical knowledge and practical training to help you be more relaxed and in touch with your body.
Shiatsu theory and philosophy embraces the belief that body, mind and spirit are one, and are created, nourished and motivated by life force energy called Ki. This energy is both Yang (warm, assertive, logical, active) and Yin (cool, receptive, intuitive, calm). It is the interplay of these expressions of energy that provides the basis for health and balance. Our Ki circulates throughout the body in a continuous flow along defined passageways caller meridians. Furthermore there are many points on these pathways, called tsubo, that serve to regulate energy when stimulated and alert us to imbalance by their sensitivity to touch. This imbalance of energies is usually experienced as either a fullness (jitsu) or emptiness (kyo). It is this intricate network of energy flows and influential points that connects the inner with the outer, and enables the energies of giver and receiver to communicate by way of touch at the body’s surface.
Hara: the centre of universal energy
Any discussion of shiatsu would be incomplete without mention of breath and hara. Hara is our abdomen, and deep in the abdomen, just below the navel, is the tanden where the body’s “original” or “universal” energy is stored. When we breathe into the hara, we energize and connect with our centre and when the energy of hara moves through us into our hands, the effect is more powerful and more deeply relaxing for the receiver.
How does shiatsu work?
When an imbalance develops in our energy system it is communicated to the surface by way of the meridians and nervous system and may be experienced as pain or stiffness, fatigue, unclear thinking, etc. Although the discomfort may be localized, a shiatsu practitioner will work on the whole body as well as the affected area in order to help harmonize more completely and provide the basis for the body’s innate healing abilities to operate freely. Thus, although shiatsu may help relieve symptoms, it is most effective as a preventative treatment. Regular shiatsu will help you be more in tune with your body and its needs to that when lifestyle habits, diet or traumas generate imbalances, you can intervene in an appropriate way before it becomes more serious.
What happens in a treatment?
The tools required are simple; a pair of hands and a place to sit or lie down. Usually a cotton mat, or futon, is used, although some practitioners use a low table. The receiver wears loose cotton clothing and the treatment begins with them either sitting or lying down. The practitioner applies pressure with thumbs, fingers, hands, elbows, knees and sometimes the feet, according to the needs and body type of the receiver. Other techniques such as stretching, kneading and tapping may be included. A sensitive practitioner works with the breath, leaning to apply pressure on the exhale and releasing with the inhale, encouraging the release effortless release of tension and intake of fresh energy.
The pressure is applied with the whole body as the practitioner moves from his or her tanden, rocking into position and allowing their weight to provide the pressure rather than using physical strength. This approach us usually stronger and less invasive than pushing with the hands and thumbs and becomes a flowing, graceful activity that develops strength and flexibility for the giver. Each person is unique, so each treatment will be different as the practitioner responds to the current energy state of the individual. As the treatment unfolds, blockages are released, Ki from jitsu areas flows into the kyo areas, and both parties experience a greater sense of balance.
Essentially shiatsu is an exchange of healing energy. Sharing it has changed my life dramatically, and as a practitioner and teacher of shiatsu I have observed it inspire change in the lives of others. Learning to give and receive at this essential level may be the “ki” to greater health and harmony.
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More and more people are seeking out the healing benefits of touch as part of their personal health care plan, recognizing that touch therapy plays an important role in restoring and maintaining their health and well being. Some feel drawn to study one of the many forms of touch therapy with the goal of becoming a therapist. They are responding to a need to reach out and help others, and pursue a career in the complementary health care field that is both professionally and personally satisfying. 
