Shiatsu massage

Off late I have been seeing these Shiatsu massage chairs in the malls. You put a $1 and it massages you for 3 min, $2 – 6 min and so on. Recently I tried one of these massages, the 3 min it was so painful, it was as if someone was kneading you as if they would knead the chapathi dough. It was too rough at times, thank god when it was doing the head part it went a bit slow, else the little amount of brain I had would have been squeezed out. But the after effect was good indeed, my body felt relaxed and the body aches was gone. My muscles has relaxed and I guess the blood circulation was revamped. So all in all the $1 I put in was worth it, rather than spending couple of more dollars for people to do it, I would never venture out to do such stuff as well. I searched the web and got this info on Shiatsu massage. The chairs are pretty expensive ranging anywhere from $2000 to $3500.

So what is Shiatsu Massage, read on?

Shiatsu is an old, traditional, Japanese healing method. Shiatsu means “finger pressure.” But unlike the massages of the West, where kneading and friction is used, in shiatsu pressure and stretching is the key. The shiatsu practitioner uses palms, fingers, thumbs, knuckles, elbows, knees and the feet, to work on the body’s acupuncture points, along what they consider the body’s meridians or energy channels. Its a form of “touch communication,” and is a safe and effective preventive medicine. It helps to balance a persons energy flow, and strengthen the vital organs.
In shiatsu, it is believed that disease is the result of blocked or unbalanced energy, so that it’s either depleted or over-active. Shiatsu shares the same view as Chinese acupuncture. There are two energy forces, the Yin, or negative, and the Yang, or positive. Basically, the human body is looked upon as a microcosm of the universe, the meridians vital organs are seen as governed by Five Elements and by Yin and Yang. They believe that in a healthy person no element is dominant or deficient in relation to the other. So blocked or unbalanced energy allows disease to take over, and it is either depleted, or kyoto, or overactive-jitsu.

A shiatsu practitioner asks the patient to lie on a mat on the floor, while wearing loose, natural fiber clothing. He or she will then use his hands, elbows, knees, and feet to work on balancing your meridian. He applies pressure to appropriate points to correct the injuries or imbalances. Through touch, two way communications greatly benefits the patient. Shiatsu works on the whole being, from the physical to the spiritual, so during and after the treatment a patient may experience a variety of reactions-crying, laughing, joy, stillness. These reactions are a sign that the body is breaking through old energy patterns.
Shiatsu treatments are given for a variety of ailments, from respiratory problems, to digestive problems, to headaches and leg cramps, and can bring relief to a number of everyday disorders. And today, shiatsu is gaining popularity in the West, and is practiced in America and Europe.