Rediscovering SHIATSU

by Yehuda J. Lev

Zen-Shiatsu is not a martial art (as I have been told by some), and it is not acupressure, nor is it "deep tissue" or Rolfing. Although Shiatsu does incorporate certain elements of Western massage and ancient Chinese acupressure and has a lot in common with the philosophy of ancient martial arts, it is truly a stand-alone, rather unique form of healing.

The very origins of Shiatsu are rooted in ancient Chinese/Oriental medicine. The first documented data is over 2500 years old and is based on the principles of self-massage and self-applied pressure point therapy (called Do-In). Shiatsu is used for healing, purification/detoxification, and stimulating energy. This approach gradually became an integral part of existing health practices and grew along with other Chinese healing arts throughout Southeast Asia. Among these arts was the ancient "Massage and Point Pressing" known as Anma, which was practiced in many cases by the blind, due to their extraordinary sense of "feeling through touching." Anma, along with the Do-In, resembles today's Shiatsu.

Present day Shiatsu acquired its name in Japan in the beginning of the 19th century. It was officially recognized by the Japanese government in the 1950s, following the intense efforts of Toru Namikoshi, the founder of modern Shiatsu. By blending Western physiology with the Chinese-originated Anma and Do-In, Namikoshi created his approach, associating the Western reflex points of the nervous system with the charts and pressure points of Anma and Do-In.

Shiatsu became popular when the Japanese psychologist and Shiatsu therapist Shizuto Masunaga shared his own experience and perception that Shiatsu can be more effective, supportive, and comforting if both hands of the therapist are participating simultaneously. Moreover, Masunaga taught a meditative type of sensitivity to the energy channels (Meridians) which, according to Oriental Traditional Medicine, is the manifestation of the inter-relation of body and mind with the universe. Through Masunaga's teaching, Zen-Shiatsu was born.

A Zen-Shiatsu session is a therapeutic session combining elements of meditation (Zen) with the application of "finger-pressure" (Shiatsu). In reality, an experienced Zen-Shiatsu therapist uses the meditative aspect in his focus on the patient's body and mind "being." The relaxed and meditative state of both the therapist and the patient is concurrent with the application of varying degrees and types of pressure and gentle stretching applied to the patient's body through the use of thumbs, palms, fingers, forearms, knees, elbows and feet. Shiatsu is a non-verbal exchange of life force (Qi) between the therapist (giver) and the patient (receiver). The giver is also a receiver, just as the receiver is also a giver. It is important to understand this meditative element of Zen-Shiatsu, as it is one of the most sensitive tools to access, as well as influence, the receiver's condition.

When a new patient arrives for a first treatment, the therapist may choose to use a number of "tools" for diagnosis. For example, the therapist might examine the patient's posture, complexion and hand shake, the contours of the head and wrinkles on the face, the shape and condition of the nails, the moisture of the hand shake, the tongue, the pulse, and other aspects. However, the most important and reliable tool of Zen-Shiatsu is the touching diagnosis.

Without correct diagnostic skills, the Shiatsu therapist is no more than a provider of self and "home healing" shiatsu. In Shiatsu, imbalance and disharmony in the body is diagnosed by the condition of the Qi flow in the Hara (the abdominal cavity from the solar plexus to the pubic bone) and in the Qi channels. By a very gentle palpitation of the Hara, the therapist can determine which organs and meridians linked to the Hara carry excess (Jitsu) Qi and which carry too little Qi, and thus is named deficient (Koyo).

Shiatsu is mostly administered to a patient wearing a single layer of comfortable clothing, allowing for conduction of the skin's resonance. Although this is the prevalent form of practice, in some places throughout the world, Shiatsu is administered to bare skin in the pursuit of a better sensation of the Qi flow. Giving Shiatsu in a clothed manner is based on the assumptions that the patient is much less inhibited by the touch, and direct contact with the skin may distort the giver's focus and perception of the Qi flow.

Shiatsu can be administered on the floor, on a carpet, or on a futon. The patient can be in a variety of positions, such as lying on the back, the stomach, the side, or even sitting up. The therapist can access the relevant pressure points (Tsubos) and perform the necessary stretches in every one of these positions. However, the choice of the position should be the one that is most comfortable to both giver and receiver.

A typical Zen-Shiatsu session includes stretching of the limbs and certain body areas in various angles and ways. Stretching helps open blocked meridians, very much like the untangling of a garden hose full of pressurized water in order to resume normal flow.

The session lasts somewhere between 45 to 75 minutes, although sometimes the patient asks to prolong the treatment. The therapist should decide through re-examination if the session has already balanced or started balancing the Qi flow. Overdoing it may be counter-productive.

No skilled Shiatsu therapist uses an exaggerated amount of pressure. However, every patient has a different pain threshold. During a Shiatsu session mild pressure is necessary to stimulate the tsubos; stagnated, blocked tsubos may respond with what some patients define as "good pain," others as "pressure," and still others as pain. Since the therapist is tuned in and focused on the receiver's reactions, it is usually easy to determine a painful spot. Upon sensing discomfort the therapist may lighten his pressure over the particular point until pain is bearable or not felt anymore.

Shiatsu is an outstanding therapeutic art, free of side effects, that offers enormous healing capabilities. It can address almost any disease or condition, aside from emergencies that require immediate or life-saving procedures. In my humble opinion, Shiatsu should be applied in daily life as preventive care at least as much as to existing aches and pains.

© 2001 Yehuda J. Lev. All Rights Reserved. Yehuda Lev is a veteran Zen-Shiatsu therapist and reflexologist. He sees patients and welcomes inquiries at his New Age Holistic Clinic in Chapel Hill. Visit www.shiatsudoc.com for the complete article on Shiatsu.