Location: Mezzanine Floor - 970 Burrard Street, Vancouver, B.C. Phone: 604-685-4325

Shiatsu Massage Treatments, By Mark Bentz, RMT

Shiatsu Massage treatments benefit millions of people around the world to manage stress, energy balancing, and relieving ailments and diseases. In Vancouver BC, Everest Therapeutics practices Swedish based massage therapy. We feel it is important to understand all the types of hands on massage available. We also have articles on; Thai and other Massage techniques.
Shiatsu massage treatment was practiced in Japan from ancient times as treated meaning Hands-On.

The Japanese word Shiatsu means Shia finger and atsu pressure translating into 'finger pressure' Both names are apt because in some forms of Shiatsu therapy, the massager uses bare hands to press, not rub stroke or pull, the surface of the body. Shiatsu touch is aimed to impart stimulation to the meridian energy channels boosting the immune system and strengthening the inherent healing abilities of the body itself.

Shiatsu massage therapy originated in Japan in 1912 but was recognized by Japanese law only in 1955. Initially developed to relieve chronic rheumatism, Shiatsu soon became known as a prime technique to relieve many physical disorders.

Goals of Shiatsu:
Treating the body as a whole, Shiatsu therapy is geared to help us recover from illnesses, maintain physical health and prevent future health complications. In short, Shiatsu massage helps to:

  • Restore and build nerves and the nervous system;
  • Encourage the circulatory system to become dynamic and to improve circulation of blood to remote or less-used parts of the body;
  • Strengthen muscoskeletal structures with focus on lower back, buttocks, calf, abdomen and chest areas;
  • Strengthen and protect vital organs of the body.

The Shiatsu Story

The story of Shiatsu is one of the most inspiring stories in my profession, and I would like to share it with you.

In the early 1900 in Japan, there was a young boy named Tokujiro Namikoshi. Born in 1905, he must be about five or six when he faced an emotional trauma: he found out that his mother suffered from a disease that was so painful as to disable her for extended periods of time as she fought against stabs of pain. The disease exhausted her energy on daily basis. Moreover, being bed-ridden was adding complications to her condition. Medical professionals in the area had pretty much given up on her believing that her chronic rheumatic pain cannot be relieved either temporarily or on permanent basis.

Religious-minded people may see a miracle in what happened next, I see the height of human love, dedication, skill and intelligence. Young Tokujiro, devastated by the debilitating pain of her mother, resolved to find a cure for her. I bet, he did not tell anyone for fear of being ridiculed. He began to observe and notice her body temperature rising and falling with the intensity of pain, and how her aching joints, bones and muscles to gentle pressure. He began to apply varying degrees of pressure on hurting areas, encouraging the immune system of the body to fight pain effectively. He noticed that the treatment reduced the stiffness of muscles, relieving pain.

In 1912, at seven years of age, Tokujiro Namikoshi developed the Shiatsu massage technique that cured his mother allowing her to fully recover from rheumatism and live a pain free and active life.

The second milestone occurred in the Shiatsu story in 1940 when another inspiring individual established the Japan Shiatsu School that made it possible for Shiatsu massage treatments to be introduced and offered in most countries of the world.

Shiatsu Treatments

Central to Shiatsu treatment is its ability to encourage the natural healing powers of human body. Drawing from ancient Japanese healers, it sees human body as a hub of energy operating on the principle of Yin and Yang, the passive and active, the negative and positive, the feminine and masculine. Human energy can become underutilized or over-active in the body. Both these conditions are considered abnormal in Shiatsu, and do end up conflicting with the natural functions of nerves, muscoskeletal structures and vital organs of human body.

Shiatsu hand massage helps the body to bring its energy to higher levels by encouraging under or over active energy to balance out in favor of all parts. This holistic notion, coupled with the patients' unique physical condition, determines the touch and the technique used by the Shiatsu massager.

Wellness Tips from Mark Bentz

The concept of Yin and Yang is at the base of many healing arts such as Shiatsu, Tai Chi and Yoga. We are familiar with the Yin Yang symbol here in Canada too. The symbol represents the existence and interaction between the opposites: sun and moon, negative and positive, feminine and masculine, health and illness. The symbol of Yin Yang tells me three main things about myself and my world:

  • The universe is guided by the principle of the Unity of Opposites; the Sun contains the moon, body contains the spirit, illness contains health, male contains the female.
  • The opposites also operate in reverse; moon contains sun, spirit contains the body, health contains illness, female contains the male.
  • The Yin Yang is supported by the Five Elements of creation.
  • A health disorder occurs when energy can not freely flow in the body because of internal blockage, under-active or over-active energy.
  • The patient contains the healer, ailment contains the treatment; energy flow can be brought to balance, blockages can be dissolved, health of spirit and body achieved.

I present the concept of Yin and Yang here as one of the basic holistic health principles that can benefit each of us as we cope with stress, illness and success in our daily lives.

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