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Shiatsu Massage

Hello everyone, My name is chelsa and I am a masseuse. I know few massage therapies and interested to know various type of massage therapy. However for the time being I want to know about Shiatsu Massage (Japanese therapy). Does anyone tell me?

Thanks in advance.

chelsa

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Permalink Reply by Gordon J. Wallis on January 5, 2013 at 9:01am

I dont know what to tell you. I was originally trained as a Shiatsu Therapist. There are several styles now. I studied the original style (Namikoshi Shiatsu) which is very simple and basic.. A non meridian based Shiatsu. I would order a couple of Shiatsu DVDS, study them. At first check out Youtube . Im sure there are many clips on Shiatsu Massage.

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Permalink Reply by peppermint on January 5, 2013 at 8:21pm

Hi Chelsea,

I have been doing Shiatsu since 1970. In 1984 I received my acupuncture license in California and always incorporated 10 or 15 minutes of Shiatsu into my treatments, which was very effective. I retired in 2003 and went to live in West Texas, but now I'm going to start doing some Shiatsu again, so I like to comb the net looking for good videos. One of the best teachers is Jim Gallas and you can buy a video of his basic course for something like $25 ( ! ) at:

www.nourishsantacruz.com/blog/tag/jim-gallas/

A sample of his work is on Youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLW6fe3ch94

Also, there are some good Japanese videos, like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HseefU1Oh_s&feature=related

and:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVEm4NVDYfU&feature=relmfu, and others by fumihiko kawasaki (not all of his videos are of shiatsu, only the ones without oil). For a very different style, check out Masunaga Shiatsu and Ohashiatsu.

One of the first principles of good Shiatsu is being able to sense with your hands how much pressure an area on a client needs to effect a release that is profound and at the same time comfortable. Too many therapists think they must produce pain, which is all wrong and turns people off of Shiatsu. You only need to bypass the surface and reach deep enough to contact the Chi (Qi, Ki). It is a type of Deep Tissue massage that feels wonderful and lasts for days afterwards. Unlike other Deep Tissue, it embodies a pattern and a soothing rhythm, adaptable to each client.

You obviously can't learn it from a video - as to where to go, I don't know. I learned it by apprenticeship with a Japanese therapist, Tomiyo Tashiro, who sadly has passed away.