Shiatsu Hands-on Therapy

From US Illustrated Bodyworker Magazine.
 Although 25 years have passed, I remember clearly my first shiatsu treatment.  Shiatsu was little known in America then, so I had only vague expectations, based on Swedish massage, of lying naked on a table and being rubbed with oil.  Instead, I found myself--quite clothed and unoiled--lying on a futon placed on the floor.  The practitioner worked on my arms, legs, and head, applying a firm downward pressure on specific points with his thumbs and hands.  Some of the points were tender even painful to the touch.  On these he often worked a bit deeper and harder.  Nevertheless about 20 minutes into the hour session, I began to feel relaxed.  As the treatment continued, the relaxation deepened.  Afterward I had a profound sense of physical, emotional and mental well-being and balance.
"Shiatsu is based on the same meridian-energetic theory underlying all of traditional Chinese and Japanese medicine.  According to this model, 14 major meridians or conduits of vital energy, called ki, run through the body.  These meridians, two on the trunk, six on the arms and six on the legs are related to the major organs and functions of the body.  They comprise a system of circulation whereby the ki moves through the body.  "In Shiatsu, pressure from the fingers and hands of the practitioner can change the energy flow, thereby stimulating and strengthening weak organs and sedating overactive ones."  "Shiatsu can be very helpful in cases of stress--physical, emotional and psychological."  It is effective health maintenance.  Many people come in once or twice a month for a tune-up.  Shiatsu is used to treat a wide range of medical problems and can be particularly effective with hose that may be stress related like back pain, chronic indigestion, hypertension and depression.