Relaxing shiatsu massage in 10 steps

The person then turns on their back and the therapist comes into contact with them. From that moment the rhythm of the breaths of both is balanced. The patient feels the warmth of the futon on which he lies. The therapist seeks to be in the “here and now”. It is a requirement to treat the patient in his current reality.

To start the session, the therapist’s right hand is placed on the midline of the patient’s body, at the height of the sternum and the pit of the stomach. There he rests the palm of his hand with the intention of feeling the blood pulse and some accumulated tension. Years of practice help him translate into a specific treatment what the body transmits to him.

The therapist’s hand tries to help find balance and be the key that opens the rest of the meridians. His left thumb is placed on the anterior aspect of the patient’s forearm, over an acupuncture point in the pericardial canal. One of the bases of shiatsu is the contact between two points through the hands and the intention of the therapist.

3. The heart meridian

The therapist takes the person’s hand and pulls the arm up slightly. With a gentle stretch, which is another important manipulation in shiatsu besides the pressures, thus opens the entire channel of the heart. This channel runs from the inside of the armpit to the tip of the nail of the little finger. The heart is considered the abode of emotions. If it is strong and the blood is abundant, the emotional life is balanced.

In a state of deficiency anguish and anxiety appear. By traversing the meridian with the pressure of the fingers and the palm of the hand, the therapist compensates for existing imbalances.

4. Sternum and stomach

The therapist returns again to an area where anxiety is manifesting and with the two thumbs relates the area of ​​the sternum with that of the stomach. Contact work does not include any movement, it is just about being present. The role of the therapist is to mobilize energy that is stuck at a point closely linked to emotions.

Frustration, anger or guilt easily become an obstacle for everything to flow smoothly. The body uses the digestive system to assimilate these feelings.

5. Yin Tang point on the head

The last step in this shiatsu work for anxiety is to move towards the head. Positioned behind the patient, the therapist can work on various points. He can choose, for example, yin tang (located between the eyebrows). Precisely the traditional Chinese medicine manuals indicate that its basic function is to calm the mind and combat anxiety.

The head is one of the parts of the body that most appreciates contact. Fingertips may be enough to calm restlessness. It is not necessary to be a teacher, self-massage or the hand of a friend can achieve unexpected effects.

6. Recover well-being

Shiatsu massage is global and understands that imbalances are holistic, that is to say that what happens at a point affects the general functioning of the organism. Blocked vital energy can be found anywhere in the body. After the specific routine for anxiety proposed so far, you can continue with a massage that promotes general well-being.

move arm and wrist

First, the elbow is mobilized by opening the joint, which is like a hinge that hinders the transit of body fluids and blood. The same is done with the wrist, closer still to the end of the fingers, where yin energy is transformed into yang.

The most powerful acupuncture points are said to be between the tips of the toes and the knee, and between the tips of the fingers and the elbow. In this space the ki or vital energy transits superficially. These sections of the meridians constitute doors through which diseases penetrate but, at the same time, where harmony is also born. Manipulating, then, these joints helps to remove obstacles that can later cause pain.

7. The lung meridian

According to masunagacreator of zen shiatsu, the lung meridian passes through the back of the legwhich is what the therapist then manipulates.

The lung is related to the emotion of sadness. Often behind the symptoms of anxiety lies a blocking sadness. Thus, caring for the lung is highly recommended in times of distress.

8. Swinging the legs

The therapist stands at the person’s feet and slightly raises their legs, holding each leg with one hand at the ankle. He then exercises a little swing of the legs. With this swing, the possible barriers that have been created in the hip are being undone little by little. The patient feels that he loses some control of the legs and feels weightless. This effect helps to make the effects of shiatsu more powerful, since letting go is the opposite of obstructing.

9. The heart meridian

The meridians of the twelve organs converge on the sole of the foot. and basic entrails according to traditional Chinese medicine. The therapist runs the thumb along the path of the heart, which is located in the heel and runs from the inside to the outside. The contact with the feet is very pleasant and relaxing.

At this point in the massage, the defenses of the person receiving the massage have been diluted, control disappears and delivery is complete. He is used to finding himself in a sleepy state, away from everything mundane.

In fact, if you don’t have a shiatsu therapist, having your feet massaged or massaging yourself provides a sedative effect, just like it does with your head.

10. Kembiki on the back

Finally, the therapist deals with the back. And she does it with him kembiki or rocking.

He kembiki is how to rock a babythe kembiki loosens and the gentle vibration of the entire spine affects the nervous system. Anxiety disappearsthe nerve endings relax and the warmth of the futon envelops you.

While rocking, the thumbs activate the bladder, whose meridian is parallel to the spine and runs down the center of the back of the legs to the little toe. The waste and toxins generated with the treatment are expelled more easily if the vital energy of the bladder is activated.

how shiatsu works

Shiatsu originated in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century, so it is a relatively modern massage technique. There are two differentiated currents: one was created by Tokujirō Namikoshi, who tried to westernize Japanese massages; the other was developed by a disciple of his, Shizuto Masunaga, who returned to the source of energy medicine and created the so-called zen shiatsu. Hence, we say that the foundations of it owe a lot to traditional Chinese medicine.

Shiatsu treats the body in an integral way. It does so from the diagnosis made in situ. By detecting where there is a lack of harmony, the therapist focuses his efforts on bringing the patient to balance, regularizing the entire organism.

In cases of anxiety, the first thing that must be taken into account is that it can have various origins. The most common are the emotional stress, overwork, significant blood loss (for example, in childbirth) or a diet poorandirregular.

Although the symptoms can be classified, the treatment will be personalized for that patient and at that time. It begins with a pleasant massage that not only seeks physical sensation, but also specifically the recovery of health by trying to eliminate the obstacles that have been generated over time.

It is not a question of eliminating a specific headache with a pill, but of detecting the existing blockages and, session by session, diluting them.

He number of treatments It will depend on the time they have taken to generate and the environment in which the patient is at that time. It is also important active participation of the person receiving treatmentSo, along with the massage, the therapist will advise you to change your habits.

How a shiatsu massage session develops

In a first session the medical history and the different symptoms are reviewed.

Next, the person dresses in natural fiber clothing, like cotton, and the massage itself begins, which can last for about an hour. is received the treatment on a Japanese futon or mattress and, if necessary, the client is covered with a blanket.

One of the basic movements to promote the confidence of the person is the kembiki or rocking. As if in a cradle, the patient’s body is rocked on the typical Japanese futon or mat. From the beginning you are brought to a state of calm. This is basic, even more so if the therapist treats a nervous state, because for the correct flow of energy it is very important that the person receiving the massage let themselves go.

In the following sessions you will begin directly with the massage and the body diagnosis will be established on the tatami, a padded tapestry. The usual comments from clients at the end of a session are of the type: “I feel very good”, “I’m floating” or “My body is heavy from how relaxed it is”.

A weekly shiatsu session is recommended for the first month and from there, after observing the results, it is decided which rhythm is the best for that person.

emotional release

One of the basic causes of anxiety is emotional problems. Frustrations at work, family worries, sorrow for a loss or contained anger block people internally.

Shiatsu causes in the patient a distancing from painful emotions. He feels that he can contemplate them from the outside, as if they did not belong to him so much. In this way, without devaluing those problems, they are easier to assimilate and overcome. At the end of the session, the well-being you feel may be remarkable, but the return to everyday life brings with it fears again. What seems like a step backwards can be diluted quietly, little by little.

It is not a radical change: one day, the insomnia is no longer so persistent, the hunger recovers or the palpitations are less present. So, the flow of energy slowly recovers its balance.

In general, the people who come to the clinic present two very different profiles: those who need specific help to overcome a problem and those who, after a period of medication under the supervision of a professional, begin to reduce the dose.

When the situation is very complex or the…