SHIATSU

This healing form of therapeutic massage uses fingers, hands, elbows, feet and knees to roll, rub, knead and apply pressure to the body to release blockages and optimize energy management.  It is a continuous exchange between therapist and client. Two complex systems that rediscover the self-healing ability through contact.  

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The history

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The technique is based on millennia old wisdom of yin/yang and the five element theory from Traditional Chinese Medicine. In the year 700 it was flown to Japan.  Namikoshi  (founder of shiatsu) knew his mother from  to cure rheumatism with certain touch. Namikoshi has intertwined this with the existing technique called Anma, from which in the 1920s  shiatsu originated.  In 1964, the Japanese Ministry of Health recognized Shiatsu as an independent,  therapeutic treatment method.

In the Netherlands, shiatsu falls under alternative medicine. Shiatsu is used in Belgium after chemo treatments to promote recovery. In America it is used, for example, to assist anesthesia during operations, so that less harmful drugs are administered.

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The meridians

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The touch focuses on removing blockages in the so-called  meridians . Just as blood flows through blood vessels, so the life energy moves through the energy channels in the body. These jobs are also called  meridians  named.  Improper posture, physical or psychological trauma, or sub-optimal diet can clog these meridians. By clearing the meridians, the balance in the body is restored and harmony can be experienced between body, mind, and the life path that the client is on.  

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The technique

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The body tells a story. The color of the skin, hair growth, shine of the eyes, body odor, bowel movements, posture, tone of voice, type of interaction with the environment, soft body parts, hardened body parts, joint mobility: it is all part of the diagnosis of a shiatsu therapist. And all this is in constant flux. Seasons have influence, cultures, thoughts and habits. This requires a shiatsu therapist to continuously dance to living in the present, working with the past and moving towards the future.