Valencia Trader

Shiatsu

Shiatsu is a therapeutic massage, originally from Japan, which has been taken up and developed in the West. It is based on the same ideas as acupuncture and acupressure: the Traditional Chinese Medicine notion of Qi (Chi), the vital force, the electricity of life that regulates all processes in the body. Qi runs through the body along certain channels that are dotted with acupoints, the specific places where Qi can be most easily accessed.
 
The word Shiatsu in Japanese combines two characters: “shi” meaning “finger” and “atsu” meaning “pressure”. That conveys the underlying technique of Shiatsu: applying pressure with fingers. However, this is only one of Shiatsu’s many techniques that combine pressure on acupoints with pressure on wider areas using palms, elbows and knees; assisted stretching techniques; muscle work and gentle manipulation of joints. It incorporates pressing, grasping, shaking, sweeping, hooking, rotating, vibrating, patting, plucking, lifting, pinching, rolling and brushing.
 
Shiatsu is done with clothes on, usually on a padded mat, but can also be done on a couch. Receivers are advised to wear loose, comfortable clothes. Each session of Shiatsu lasts approximately one hour, including consultation.

Why do people have Shiatsu? Shiatsu can help solve many specific problems.
As well as being effective in treating stiffness and pain in the neck and back, it can be a useful tool in rehabilitation from injury, through using joint mobilisation techniques, local acupressure points and working on the muscles. Shiatsu has a very calming effect, and is very effective in counteracting stress and the conditions associated with it, such as insomnia, neck pain, headaches and digestive upsets. Working on the parasympathetic nervous system, it helps to initiate healing processes in the body.

Some people come to Shiatsu not for any specific reason, but to treat themselves to this pleasant experience. Shiatsu generates a feeling of wellbeing in the whole person, both in physical and mental terms. You walk out feeling different to when you walked in.

Shiatsu, with its variety of techniques, can be relaxing or invigorating, dynamic or gentle. For over one and a half years I provided Shiatsu to users of a daycentre for older people in Hampstead, London. Naturally, some techniques had to be adapted. Too much pressure could not be applied. Work on the floor was difficult as it could be hard for my patients to get up – some of them were unable to get on the couch and had to be treated sitting in the chair.  This experience made me appreciate the versatility and adaptability of Shiatsu, and my patients have given me very good feedback on how much it has helped them. They also enjoyed it.

And here is one of the Makko-ho exercises that Shiatsu practitioners use to stay fit, and which you can perform for a couple of minutes every morning:

Sit on the ground with feet either together or crossed. The right hand should cross over the left knee and the left arm over the right knee, with palms turned up.

Inhale and, as you exhale, lean forwards and downwards with the top half of the body, keeping your spine as straight as possible so that the knees are pushed apart and you feel the stretch in your arms.

Hold this position for approximately 30 seconds while breathing normally, and then, after inhaling, return to the upright position.

Olga Fedina has a Bachelor of Science degree in acupuncture from the University of Portsmouth and the London College of Traditional Acupuncture and a diploma Shiatsu from the British School of Shiatsu-Do. She is a member of the British Acupuncture Council, the Shiatsu Society and the Fundación Europea de Medicina Tradicional China. Olga has a practice in the city of Valencia.
To contact her, send an e-mail to info@acupuncturevalencia.com or call 609 42 96 78. You can find more information on Acupuncture Valencia.