Shiatsu for Inner Harmony and Balance: A slice of Japanese tranquillity

By 50Minutes

Change is only 50 minutes away! Find out everything you need to know about shiatsu with this straightforward guide.

Over the past few years, interest in alternative medicines has been growing, with many people discovering the benefits that ancient Chinese and Japanese treatments can have on their health. Shiatsu, a Japanese massage technique that originated in China, is one such process, and can allow you to think about your body and health in a completely different way.

In just 50 minutes you will be able to:
• Understand the principles of shiatsu, an ancient Japanese massage technique
• Distinguish the five elements and how they influence your mood and behaviour
• Identify your current energy element and use it to balance your lifestyle

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• Language: English
• Publisher: 50Minutes.com
• Release date: Aug 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9782808001724

Book preview

Shiatsu for inner harmony and balance

Problem: shiatsu is a real science based on ancient medicine which is becoming more and more popular in the West. What is the best way to approach this complex and fascinating art of massage, and understand how it works? To what extent can we use it in our everyday lives?

Aims: this guide will help you to understand the basic notions of shiatsu and will allow you to learn how to apply simply pressure techniques on parts of the body to increase your well-being. it will also give you some advice to improve your daily life.

FAQs:

Is shiatsu a relaxation or therapeutic treatment?

Is shiatsu officially recognised as a medical treatment?

Can shiatsu have beneficial effects on psychological problems?

What is the difference between shiatsu and acupuncture?

Where can I find a shiatsu practitioner?

How can I become a shiatsu practitioner?

Shiatsu (literally finger pressure, from the Japanese shi – fingers, extremities – and atsu – pressure) is a relaxing and therapeutic massage which originated in Japan. There are several theories regarding the birth of the art of shiatsu. The most common theory is that it is the fusion of the traditional Japanese massage anma – which itself came from the Chinese massage tui na and arrived in Japan in the 11th century – and Western chiropractic. In Japan, shiatsu has been recognised as an official medical treatment since the 1950s, although it only appeared in the West in the 1960s and 1970s.

Like acupuncture and moxibustion (a relaxation technique which uses heat to stimulate acupuncture points), shiatsu is based on the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. More specifically, shiatsu uses different pressure, stretching, balance and manipulation techniques to work on the meridians, the channels which circulate energy and link all the body’s organs and functions together. Pressure is applied primarily with the fingers, but also with the elbows, the forearms, the feet or even the knees of the practitioner.

Shiatsu acts on the primary systems of the body, both on a physical level as well as on an emotional