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 People often come to Shiatsu for support in making changes such as:
Each change may require us to take small steps, each a tiny change in itself, and many of these tiny changes may involve breaking a habit. Maybe I come to shiatsu hoping to change the way my body feels (perhaps I feel physical pain, or perhaps I just feel a little 'uncomfortable'). In the course of my treatments, things may start to shift (as muscles relax and tension is eased). And ... as part of the process I may choose to change a habit or two in support of these positive shifts. Changes could be as wide-ranging as dietary habit, exercise or even thought or emotional patterns. Just as an example ... I might choose to sit straight (i.e. stop crossing my legs). Sounds easy? Well, yes it is, I suppose, it’s so small: .....  Relaxing and being aware of your body (as you might be in a Shiatsu session or similar) has its own side-effect - the aches that have faded into perception background suddenly get a spotlight, as do emotions and thoughts we keep well hidden. I am certainly not the only person who has experienced feeling like EVERYTHING in my body is tense, achy and just plain WRONG at the start of a Shiatsu or a massage treatment. This is the start of the process of resolving/ transforming these stale states of being into a healthier you, but it can be a bit of a shock.
Overall, I ate carefully to be sure I was getting the right vitamins/nutrients. Within 2 weeks my chronically dry (from an early age) skin had all but cleared up and my hair was lustrous enough to elicit compliments. These unexpected changes were motivation enough to continue! Other changes I noticed:
I'll leave it to others to decide whether I was simply vulnerable to sugar cravings; whether the presence of an organism which craved it (such as candida) caused my sugar addiction; or whether there was some other reason altogether. For my part: I felt ill; I listened to my body, did what it seemed to be asking and then I felt better. (End of :-)). weekends there’d be jam and butter on white bread with a glass of milk in front of Blankety Blank or The Generation Game …
I exercised heavily - lots of running, mostly distance, and other sports too. I filled the between-meals hunger with sweets, especially after I left home at the age of 17. At a certain point, I noticed that my digestion was a problem. I visited the doctor with stomach pains (it felt like I was bleeding inside) and the initial suggestion was Fybogel for constipation/wind. This didn’t work. My pains grew exponentially; bowel movements were hit and miss. I had had enough. What I did however notice, one particularly painful Christmas, was that when I ate sugary things or alcohol, especially if they were consumed apart from a meal, my stomach immediately went into paroxysms. I knew a friend who had cut out sugar for health reasons, so decided I would follow her lead! My regime for 6 months was this:
 How do they do it? Watching a lion prowling the savannah, or a red setter lolloping along Salisbury Crags, the motion is effortless, no muscle tensed or moved that is not required. True flow, and poetry in motion – the lion lazy, the setter efficient and unfettered.
Why is it that we find it so hard to retain this effortless grace and ease of movement? It may well be that our thinking minds are the problem … stressful thoughts are echoed in the body in a grumpy, scrunched up face, hunched shoulders, a stoop, as we bow to the pressures of life events, hunch ourselves up to look a bit less imposing, or to push down emotions we’re not keen on feeling … |
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What is Shiatsu?
Shiatsu translates as ‘finger pressure’ and is based on traditional Japanese massage. Combining acupressure, massage, flowing movement and joint rotations helps to disperse tension, reduce pain, promote relaxation and healthy functioning of the body systems (circulation, breathing, digestion etc.). Shiatsu therapists are guided by their experience & knowledge of physiology and traditional Chinese medicine and apply pressure using fingers, thumbs, palms and elbows and combine it with other techniques. |
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