About shiatsu

Shiatsu is a Japanese therapeutic technique based on traditional Chinese medicine. It uses stretching, cupping of the hands, pressure of the fingers, palms, elbows and knees to treat individual areas and meridians (energy pathways on which acupuncture points lie).

The aim of the treatment is to kick-start the body's self-healing abilities and to set in motion the energy that is accumulating in some places in the body (such as in the head during the day's work at the computer, by storing stress in the shoulders, holding back emotions, staying in the cold, etc.) and in other places it is not being received (e.g. aching hips, cold limbs). This technique is sometimes thought of as a type of massage, which it may resemble in some parts of the treatment, but shiatsu is holistic in nature and is intended to affect deeper structures and restore physical and mental balance. Thus, multiple seemingly unrelated symptoms that are actually caused by the same imbalance (e.g. swelling, organ drooping, excessive overthinking and feeling tired upon waking) can disappear with an effective treatment.

Shiatsu is an official part of health care in Japan, the country of its origin, and is recognized as a complementary therapy in many other countries such as Canada, Switzerland, Austria and Germany.

What shiatsu can help you with

Shiatsu can help with all problems of psychosomatic origin and with the manifestations of chronic diseases. It improves the function of internal organs, affects the blood and lymphatic system, accelerates healing and can help with a number of specific problems. Shiatsu can help with pregnancy problems such as nausea, fatigue or back pain, and for children with psychosomatic problems such as bedwetting or frequent tummy aches.

It's also a great way of prevention and it's good to come to shiatsu as soon as you start to experience problems. The sooner you come, the better the chances are that the body will return to balance through its own healing mechanisms and prevent the onset of disease.