Shiatsu relaxes the physical body and calms the nervous system to create the optimal condition to recharge your energies for work, for leisure and for healing.
Shiatsu differs from the more familiar bodywork techniques in its initial premise that a body is more open to change once it is relaxed. A therapist seeks to achieve a relaxed and open state in the recipient before and during the bodywork rather than as a consequence of massage.
A practitioner employs five basic principles that ensure optimal conditions for a recipient to be in a relaxed state, hopefully engaging the parasympathetic nervous system (the part of the nervous system responsible for rest and recuperation) throughout the treatment and for some time afterwards.
Two-handed connectedness:
During treatment one hand, the “mother hand” provides support and reassurance to the recipient while the lead hand applies pressure. This increases a sense of calm and stability for the person receiving the treatment. Psychologically this non-verbal communication gives a person a sense that the therapist is content to simply “be with” the person without needing to actively “do” something – a familiar concept in psychoanalytic and systemic psychotherapy. Physically the person’s attention is drawn towards the mother hand and its reassurance rather than the activity of the active hand. This enables the therapist to work on muscles that are less defensive and in a more relaxed state.
Perpendicular penetration:
Pressure is normally applied at right angles to the surface of the skin, straight down, through the body and usually directed towards the bone. The therapist’s skill is in arranging the person’s body so that it feels supported while meridian lines are exposed in the most helpful way. Ideally the limb or muscle will be placed so that the therapist can lean forward over the body so that gravity draws the weight of the therapist’s body straight down onto a specific point. The manoeuvre then becomes effortless for the therapist and the contact has an irresistible quality for the person receiving the treatment.
Penetration not pressure:
In this aspect Shiatsu resembles a martial art. The focus of the therapist is not on the limb or muscle of the recipient but deeper, perhaps even beyond the body. This deeper intention enables the therapist to achieve deep muscle relaxation without causing discomfort.
Meridian Continuity:
Shiatsu aims to engage the body along the whole of the meridian system. Often the mother hand will support the body at a point close to the centre of the body while the active hand makes contact along the line of the meridian until it reaches the extremity. Contact with the body is never broken or lost, and this encourages a feeling of continuity and support throughout the treatment.
Relax:
Shiatsu works best if the therapist is in a state of relaxation throughout the treatment. This allows the therapist to use his or her body weight most effectively and prevents the recipient experiencing tension especially in the therapist’s wrist and shoulders. As in any other social situation if the recipient spends an hour in the company of a relaxed person they will find it easier to relax themselves.
Conclusion:
In a good treatment, the recipient will noticed something different from the start as the treatment begins with a state of relaxation for both parties. In many treatments a state of deep relaxation arrives swiftly which allows the person to experience the benefits of a response from the parasympathetic nervous system which encourages recuperation and recovery. It is not unusual for people to finish a treatment feeling like they have just had a good night’s sleep.
Geoff Hogan
Monkeyandtiger
8th March 2011
With thanks to Carola Beresford-Cooke – Shiatsu Theory and Practice. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN 0 443 049416
Shiatsu differs from the more familiar bodywork techniques in its initial premise that a body is more open to change once it is relaxed. A therapist seeks to achieve a relaxed and open state in the recipient before and during the bodywork rather than as a consequence of massage.
A practitioner employs five basic principles that ensure optimal conditions for a recipient to be in a relaxed state, hopefully engaging the parasympathetic nervous system (the part of the nervous system responsible for rest and recuperation) throughout the treatment and for some time afterwards.
Two-handed connectedness:
During treatment one hand, the “mother hand” provides support and reassurance to the recipient while the lead hand applies pressure. This increases a sense of calm and stability for the person receiving the treatment. Psychologically this non-verbal communication gives a person a sense that the therapist is content to simply “be with” the person without needing to actively “do” something – a familiar concept in psychoanalytic and systemic psychotherapy. Physically the person’s attention is drawn towards the mother hand and its reassurance rather than the activity of the active hand. This enables the therapist to work on muscles that are less defensive and in a more relaxed state.
Perpendicular penetration:
Pressure is normally applied at right angles to the surface of the skin, straight down, through the body and usually directed towards the bone. The therapist’s skill is in arranging the person’s body so that it feels supported while meridian lines are exposed in the most helpful way. Ideally the limb or muscle will be placed so that the therapist can lean forward over the body so that gravity draws the weight of the therapist’s body straight down onto a specific point. The manoeuvre then becomes effortless for the therapist and the contact has an irresistible quality for the person receiving the treatment.
Penetration not pressure:
In this aspect Shiatsu resembles a martial art. The focus of the therapist is not on the limb or muscle of the recipient but deeper, perhaps even beyond the body. This deeper intention enables the therapist to achieve deep muscle relaxation without causing discomfort.
Meridian Continuity:
Shiatsu aims to engage the body along the whole of the meridian system. Often the mother hand will support the body at a point close to the centre of the body while the active hand makes contact along the line of the meridian until it reaches the extremity. Contact with the body is never broken or lost, and this encourages a feeling of continuity and support throughout the treatment.
Relax:
Shiatsu works best if the therapist is in a state of relaxation throughout the treatment. This allows the therapist to use his or her body weight most effectively and prevents the recipient experiencing tension especially in the therapist’s wrist and shoulders. As in any other social situation if the recipient spends an hour in the company of a relaxed person they will find it easier to relax themselves.
Conclusion:
In a good treatment, the recipient will noticed something different from the start as the treatment begins with a state of relaxation for both parties. In many treatments a state of deep relaxation arrives swiftly which allows the person to experience the benefits of a response from the parasympathetic nervous system which encourages recuperation and recovery. It is not unusual for people to finish a treatment feeling like they have just had a good night’s sleep.
Geoff Hogan
Monkeyandtiger
8th March 2011
With thanks to Carola Beresford-Cooke – Shiatsu Theory and Practice. Churchill Livingstone. ISBN 0 443 049416
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