It has its roots in ancient Chinese massage, which uses Chinese theories and techniques of culture and philosophy to create the integrity and well-being. Japanese Shiatsu term means "finger pressure": shi - "finger," atsu - "pressure". In shiatsu, the fingers, thumbs, elbows, knees, and hands are all used to stimulate or soothe the energy circulating in the body to promote health and healing.
History
A single Japanese word for "finger pressure", Shiatsu is the name invented early in the last century to describe a form of massage therapy and more and more famous. The massage with acupuncture and plants, has for centuries been an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine. However, while it was developing in Japan, the practice of massage known as the old name "Anma" has gradually moved away from medicine and was more associated in the minds solely to the notion of relaxation and pleasure. Some practitioners have worked to preserve the massage and associated technical admitted as a healing art.
Shiatsu is a anma branching which developed during the period following the Meiji Restoration in 1868. The traditional massage (anma) was criticized, and practitioners have introduced new practices and new names for their therapies gaining recognition.
Pendant the twentieth century, Shiatsu has distinguished the anma by the merger of Western knowledge of anatomy, acupressure, and a variety of oriental healing practices. Through the work of Tamai and Tempaku Tokujiro Namikoshi, Shiatsu was established in Japan. The combination of Shiatsu therapists was founded in 1925. In recent decades, Tempaku of the students began to develop ramifications Shiatsu. In 1955, the Japanese Ministry of Health has recognized the Shiatsu treatment as effective and licenses have been established for practitioners. One has to Tokujiro Namikoshi global development of Shiatsu. Namikoshi has created a body of work based system anatomy, physiology and pathology modern Western. In 1940, he opened the Nippon Shiatsu Institute in Tokyo, now known as the University of Shiatsu in Japan. In 1964, the Shiatsu Namikoshi was recognized as a distinct practice by the Japanese government.
Principle
Shiatsu encourages a positive state of mind; his theories and techniques are a backdrop to physical communication through contact. Like acupuncture and other Asian medical practices, shiatsu works with the body's energy system. The Asian energy concept can be likened to a "vitality" or "life force" that we can not see but can sense or feel. For example, if someone walks into the room immediately we capture his energetic state, it seems full of life and energy or the opposite. There is talk of "energy" ki to describe this vital force.
According to Asian medicine, our energy, or ki, moves along specific pathways (meridians) around the body. These meridians relate to our internal physical organs and our emotional, psychological, and spiritual. The organs and body functions are divided into six pairs and all are linked by ki. For the Chinese, all parts and body functions are linked; no problem can be successfully treated in isolation. In Shiatsu, the connection point of the organs and body functions is the meridian system.
Meridians are as a closed channel system, and the water flowing through the channels is equivalent to ki. There can be many interruptions along the way - sticks, stones, foliage, resulting in a deadlock. If this happens, the flow of water will be disturbed and blocked. The side of the lock, there is too much water and the other too little. More blockages remain long, the greater the difference is apparent. Similarly, if we continue to deny the causes of our blockages, our energy will decline. Our blockages can be felt as stagnation in our body, the "full" side as a pain or discomfort and side "empty" as a weakness or apathy. The ineffective flow of ki in the body results in tiredness, physical pain, depression, emotional upsets, stiffness, headaches, and many other common problems. Various shiatsu techniques are used to correct these imbalances.
Along the meridians are found tsubos, specific energy points where ki is more active; It is in here that blockages can be felt most clearly and where the energy can be released. Tsubos are similar to Chinese acupuncture points. There are approximately 365 in total, although less becoucoup be used in the practice of shiatsu.
Shiatsu is a diagnostic element and can be used as treatment or prevention of the disease. The practice of Shiatsu can be very powerful, even without a real understanding of Chinese philosophy, the meridians or the energy system.
Much of healing lies in the benevolent touch and listening, and the time that the person agrees to a treatment such as shiatsu. We can imaging this with a child's way of wanting a hug when he hurt or scared - that magic kiss on a sore knee is better than any painkiller. As adults, we experience comfort through contact, especially in difficult times. This touching is not learned behavior, but rather something instinctive.
Much of the effectiveness of Shiatsu is in the trust between the practitioner and the receiver. With confidence, the patient can relax and, in this state of relaxation, the body no longer has to "fight". Once this occurs, the problem may emerge. Shiatsu can therefore be useful to reveal the root causes of physical and emotional discomfort. More we struggle against the way things are, the more resistance develops; we have more support, more trust is established.
There are many examples in daily life where the body is, with physical discomfort. If you talk to your bank manager of your agency discovered or if you witness an unhappy scene, your body will tell you it is not your favorite pastime! People have different areas where tension when they are in an uncomfortable situation accumulate. If the tension is felt in the shoulders, for example, is only a symptom of the cause - although a person may be in agony, the shoulders themselves are not the problem. Tensions can be stored in different areas in the body for years, building up. Eventually a chronic state develops, resulting in permanent discomfort and disease. Shiatsu practitioner seeks to discover these tensions and blockages; once known treatment causes can begin.
Shiatsu can be practiced at two different levels. The first form is the "do it yourself" - on friends, family, and neighbors. It can be learned thanks to a book or a beginner class. Although this form of shiatsu does not use advanced techniques, nevertheless it can be very effective. It can be used for a variety of ailments - for example, headaches, stiffness, pain, fatigue and disorders related to tension or stress.
The second form is professional shiatsu, which is practiced by those who have undergone a professional training program and have a recognized qualification. After two to three years of training, professional therapist may be competent to handle a variety of situations.
In Japan, shiatsu is used much of the time as a preventive measure rather than as a treatment to cure the disease. In the West, it is used mainly for people who were suffering and whose condition does not seem to improve through conventional therapy. Shiatsu is gradually appreciated as a positive way to maintain good health and happiness. Frequently, those who have experienced its benefits for a specific ailment use it regularly to enhance their well-being.
Convenient
What will happen during a Shiatsu massage?
When shiatsu is given, the skin surface is immediately stimulated, triggering a response in the nervous system. Any sensory stimulation is automatically taken into account by the nervous system, and then interpreted by the brain.
The autonomic nervous system is the subconscious part of the nervous system and coordinates all involuntary movements and body functions. It is divided into two parts: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. Our way of being and feeling changes considerably depending on the relative balance of these two systems. Many influences - internal and external - can influence this balance and cause dominance of one or the other parts of the autonomic nervous system, resulting in a feeling of not being in order. The sympathetic branch of the nervous system is involved in the stress response and preparation of the effort to fight or escape - when something stressful comes our way, the body tries to defend itself by fighting or "running away ".
The changes that occur when the sympathetic nervous system is dominant:
the muscles contract to prepare for the fuiteil is a sense of alerteles pupils dilatentles blood vessels contractentle digestive system contracts temporairementaugmentation mouth cœurla beats are assècheles hair and skin hérissentle liver more glucose in the discharge muscles
All these responses prepare the body for action. Once the immediate danger has gone, the parasympathetic nerves become the more dominant. All systems are beginning to return to normal and there is a sense of relief, letting go, and relaxation. The parasympathetic response is sometimes known as a peacemaker. There is a very fine balance between the two systems. We are constantly trying to maintain this balance, both consciously and unconsciously.
Much of the stress we face today is not immediately identifiable source - it is insidious. With this persistent stress, the body is often on guard. As a result, systems are always on the defensive, and it's hard to feel a sense of total relaxation. For shiatsu, we can encourage the body and mind to relax and relieve the tension - to switch from sympathetic to parasympathetic dominant state. It is then possible to feel peace, to find unity that is absent so often. This feeling of "being in the moment" like being in a peaceful place. Using soft and posed movement, we can encourage the parasympathetic response; by more active and vigorous movements we can stimulate the sympathetic nervous system.
We can, through shiatsu, we realize what happens in the body with pain and suffering. If there is pain, the immediate reaction is to contract against it. This stiffens the body, adding to the discomfort and blocks the energy paths in this area so that energy is not going where it is needed. Shiatsu techniques help to relax the muscle, to restore the flow of vital energy.
A session of Shiatsu
A Shiatsu session is a dynamic interchange of energy on many levels. There is no rigid formula, but it is useful to have a framework to work. This framework gives confidence to the practitioner, and steps to treatment. For the more experienced practitioner, the approach and style very dependent on his training, his personality and his interests. The goal is the same: to create balance physically, mentally, and spiritually, and allow the client space to open up, and see the real cause of its current state. This will take more or less time, depending on the situation.
Shiatsu is lavished through clothing, and treatment - usually a little over an hour - is normally given on a thick mat on the floor. One session is not as beneficial as three or four spaced within a period of four to six weeks. The number of sessions required for an individual depends on his personal problem. If the energy is very deficient, a number of sessions are desirable to monitor the changes taking place, and ensure that all advice given is helpful.
A session normally begins with the consideration of history in order to get a "picture" of the current discomfort in the context of human life. Questions are asked about the current discomfort, medical history, lifestyle, eating habits, exercise, relaxation, and anything else that may be significant.
The problem is diagnosed by the following methods:
Visual Diagnosis: Visual observations of posture, manners, skin color, auditory marche.Diagnostic see how the voice sounds - low, tense, timid, loud, etc ... Diagnostic contact: see quality energy in the personne.Ensuite, normally we make a specific diagnosis of the type called hara diagnosis. The hara, or abdomen, is palpated very gently to detect the areas of fullness and the areas that lack energy. A diagnosis can also be done by looking at different areas of the back, and feeling the quality of energy through the meridians - again to detect the fullness or emptiness of sectors.
When a diagnosis has been made, a number of different techniques may be employed to change the quality of energy. The techniques are basically stimulating or soothing.
We can work on the whole body in shiatsu - with increased awareness and sensitivity, the practitioner is guided to the areas that need the most attention. In very tense areas, the ki is dispersed; in areas lacking in ki, stimulating techniques are employed to enable again the flow of energy in this area.
Often a small area needs to be held two or three minutes before the energy starts to fill it. It may seem that nothing happens, but at another level the changes occur. Sometimes it is possible to feel such changes immediately, and other times it is only later that we feel the extra energy. The easiest area to feel and hear changes is in the abdomen when it starts to relax - a gurgling sound can be heard and movements are felt, the parasympathetic nervous system taking the dominant role.
A combination of techniques - stretching (stretching), pressure, tension, rotation - are employed to work on different areas of the body. Sometimes tense areas are protected relative to an emotional underlying weakness; when tension is dissolved the emotion may come to the surface, at a conscious level, often with an overflow followed by a feeling of relief, trembling and crying. These feelings fade and a feeling of well-being and peace takes over. The patient will always feel better if the treatment is given with kindness and love, and with a real desire that this person is good.
The main advice for a person receiving shiatsu is to try to live more harmoniously with in mind the daily actions and relationships. With a strengthened awareness, we control better what we do and say, and have a greater chance of performing positive actions, rather than those who are hurt, harm others and the world around them.
Usually at the end of a session the client will feel relaxed and refreshed, with a sense of calm, and can sometimes aspire to a long sleep. Normally there is a clear improvement in flexibility and decreased muscular aches and pains. If treatment Shiatsu triggered some emotional discomfort, there may be feelings of sadness, anger, or fear and the patient may feel frightened (a blanket and a hot drink can help). The cold feeling is due to the release of tension retained in the muscles. There may be a feeling of lethargy because of deep work and release of energy, feelings, and emotions. If things blocking the healing process are removed, then in the coming days and weeks, the changes start to take place both at the conscious level and subconscious, resulting in a feeling of freedom.
To continue the positive, the practitioner may give advice on diet, lifestyle, environment, or attitude.
On leaving the treatment room, it is advisable for the patient to stay warm and if possible to rest a moment.
Benefits, limitations, against-indications
Shiatsu helps to maintain overall health and encourages people to better listen to what their body is saying. With this increased awareness, it becomes easier to see what is healthy and what is destructive in to give choices about the path to follow. The body has a great ability to heal itself, but sometimes it needs help to remove obstacles on the path to recovery. Shiatsu is a technique that can help break down these barriers.
Because Shiatsu works on the energetic system, it can be useful in a wide range of problems. Do not recognize the laws of nature, and do not live in harmony is contrary to what shiatsu promotes. A Shiatsu treatment will be more valuable if it is supported by an understanding of the case, and if the person follows perspectives and lifestyles resonable.
Shiatsu is particularly useful against:
arthritemal of dosproblèmes émotionnelsmal Skull / migrainesinsomniedésordres intestinal (irritable bowel syndrome, constipation and diarrhea) menstrual problems (abnormally heavy or long bleeding, premenstrual syndrome) musculairesproblèmes tensions reproductive system (endometriosis and fibroids) respiratory problems (asthma, bronchitis and infections recurrent respiratory tract) caused by stress sinusitesproblèmes
Shiatsu is a catalyst in the healing process. Healing is not just something that "happens sometimes" - it is a continuous movement toward harmony, balance and integrity.
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