Why Shiatsu?

"Shiatsu"

Shiatsu, a Japanese form of bodywork based on Chinese Medicine, has been my main focus since beginning massage school. A few years ago, I was debating whether to attend the Oriental College of Medicine for a degree in Acupuncture or to attend massage school. 

During my studies with Tibetan-trained mystic, Tzun Tzun, I was drawn less and less toward classical education and more towards the indigenous practices of shaman and other energy workers.  See my posting on 9/06/2009 for more about my travels to Ecuador and my decision to become a massage therapist. 

In July 2008 during my first semester at the Oregon School of Massage I enrolled in Shiatsu I, taught by Wendy Ward. My interest in Chinese medicine had me reading on the subject, receiving Shiatsu, acupuncture, taking Chinese herbs and practicing chi kung (qigong) from a variety of different sources. This was my first course in Chinese medicine and I soaked it in like a sponge. I found was a teacher who was as enthusiastic about the subject as I was.

Now after completing all 4 Levels of Shiatsu offered at OSM, attending workshops by Akira Imai of The Shiatsu Center in Portland, Oregon, much reading and practice, I am excited that a whole new dimension in Shiatsu has opened up for me.  

The world is changing more quickly than ever before. I believe the traditional ways of working can help us heal and shift, but that we also need to revisit and adjust the old ways to suit the rapid changes that are happening now. 

I am an avid reader and just began reading a book by that has changed the way I perceive the work that I do. Because of my training with Tzun Tzun, I have experienced and witnessed altered states and some wonderful shifts during Shiatsu and energy work treatments with clients. The book is called The New Shiatsu Method: Helping the Body to Heal Itself by Ryokyu Endo. I am excited to explore more in depth, this book is opening the possibilities and effectiveness of my Shiatsu work.  Also, more and more of my clients are requesting Shiatsu and energy work.

In Japan people seek out a licensed shiatsu therapist for health reasons, rather than pleasure, and it is considered a form of medical treatment. A quote from The New Shiatsu Method, "The mechanism of Oriental healing described by Master Masunaga occurs when the patient's ki responds to the giver's ki." Both are healed when this happens. A lot of massage therapists burn out after a few years.  I read a statistic that given a group of massage therapists who began in the same year, each year the number still working as massage therapists drops by half. Bodywork doesn't have to be so hard on the giver's body. For me, Shiatsu has been a way of getting great results and preserving, often improving, my own health.