Shiatsu massage
The origin
Shiatsu, which literally means "digital pressure", is the Japanese massage. Influenced by Chinese techniques, it evolved over the centuries to become what we know during the 19th century. Widely practiced in the land of the rising sun, it only arrived in the West in the 1960s. Its success was immediate and, since then, it has never faded. Like other oriental therapies, shiatsu massage aims to restore the circulation of vital energy (QI) in the body, although in this case this does not happen with the help of needles, but with the fingers. According to this millenary medicine, the human body is crossed by essential lines, called meridians, along which energy circulates, and is dotted with specific points, meeting places of the lymphatic vessels and glands of the endocrine system. When the circulation of energy is disturbed or blocked, body dysfunctions, pain, fatigue may appear ...
The ritual
Unlike most massages, shiatsu is done while dressed, wearing undergarments or a soft, comfortable seal, and uses no oil. After placing his hand on the hara, the center of vital energy located below the navel, the expert talks with the patient and observes him, to identify the presence of any dysfunctions. Through his hands, he is able to feel which areas are more tense than others. Following a precise ritual, playing with the weight of his body and with gravity, the masseur acts on all parts of the body (from the feet to the scalp), applying pressure with his fingers on the areas he has identified. According to what the patient will feel, the pressures will be more or less deep and the masseur will linger on the dysfunctional areas, alternating dynamic movements, useful for stimulating the part, with slow movements, which serve to relax it. At the end of the session, you will be able to relax the limbs.
The benefits
Unlike massages of pure pleasure, shiatsu is both preventive and curative at the same time. If practiced regularly, it ensures the patient the supply of permanent energy, strengthens the immune defenses and general well-being. Here is its preventive power. It can become a habit, part of one's lifestyle, such as nutrition, relaxation, physical activity ... If practiced regularly, it can even alleviate any pain or dysfunction of the body without resorting to drugs. The expert's goal, therefore, is to find the fulcrum of tension (which is not always what it is supposed to), the point where energy is blocked. In the course of one or more sessions, the masseur can thus relieve back pain, migraines, digestive pains, relieve fatigue and improve the patient's morale and form.
