How an Eastern Massage, Shiatsu session, can help with your imbalances

So, now you, know which elemental types are your dominate ones, and can see how your imbalances relates to those elements. What next?

Well, what a shiatsu session is, is a balancing of the elements and their energy. Shiatsu is an accupunture session without needles. Instead, the therapist uses their palms and thumbs to create the energy changes in your body. A shiatsu session is done with both the client and therapist dressed in loose clothing and clean socks. It's done on a dense cotton mat. The client lays on their back and the therapist does a hara session. Your hara is the area from the edge of your rib cage, along the sides, and down to the pubic bone. The therapist sits in seiza. They lightly place their fingertips in different areas in the hara that represent the meridians in the elements. When you exhale their fingertips "read" what that element needs. This is about feeling that spot, is it hot, cold, does it feel hollow or hard, is it pulsing? Looking at these examples, you can see where it would fall in the Yin/Yang circle.

What the therapist feels in the hara, will tell them what is going on in the body at that moment. So you can walk in and get a session. Ideally, if you have a good therapist, when you schedule the appointment, they should send you an Eastern Intake form. It should also include a COMPLETE, health form. Mine is more than you fill out for your doctor. The eastern part will ask a bunch of questions that seem irrelevant and you might not think isn't anyone's business, or it's embarressing. It's all important. It goes back to the elements. I need to know which elements are the strongest and what imbalances you have to get to the root of the problem.

In the session after the hara, the therapist starts with opening up your energy channels, or meridians. It's so wonderful. You get stretched in ways you've never been stretched before. Your job is to lay there and breath.

The therpist begins working the elements and points themselves. First we start by lightly palming the merdian. Remember, this is energy work, so there doesn't need to be a lot of pressure. The points can be tender though, especially if there's something going on then within that meridian. Then the points get worked with the thumb. As the therapist works the elements, one hand stays in contact. It's known as the mother hand. The other one works the energy. The therapist leans into the points. They shouldn't push. Some points need tonifying and others need to be dispersed to help clear the energy channels that are creating your imbalances.

The therpaist will turn you over and work your back and end the session with another hara evaluation to see about changes in the energy. It's important to note, if you've never had energy work done before, you have to almost retrain the body to pay attention to it's self. The more you work the meridians and the points, the faster things happen. I used to have to hold points like 2 hours and might get some relief. Now, I hold a point maybe 20 minutes. Some things there are point sequences for and I rarely have to go beyond the first few points to get, rid of something like hiccups. I would eventually like to post things like sequences for common conditions/ ailments like: neck and shoulder tension, back pain, migrains, hangovers, period cramps, hot flashes, depression, general wellness, immune boosters. I could go on and on. These are things that will help open your energy channels and take care of the your own imbalances without medication, and to just feel good. I'd also like to post partner makko's- the stetches.

Your whole body gets stretched and touched for about an hour and half to two hours. It's very relaxing. There's nice music playing, I like to play eastern music to help set the mood. The best part is, as it should be in all your sessions, it's all about you! And how much time do you spend on no one, but yourself? Probably not enough. In the end remember, if you don't replenish your own energy, jing, than you will burn out and have nothing to give and won't be any good to any one. So take care of yourself and get a massage!

By the way, most people feel guilty about doing something for themselves. I hate this about our culture. We are just as worthy of treats and taking time out for ourselves as any one else we're doing things for. We aren't Superman or Wonder Woman. We get sick, tired, run down, and stressed. Yet, what do we do? We go to work anyway, the kid's still need to be fed and bathed, homework needs to get done, laundry...the list goes on and on, I know. That's the point. If you only stop and take care of yourself when every thing else is done/ taken care of, then you won't have time for you until your dead; or your on your deathbed. ENJOY life. Value YOUR life. REALLY, take care of YOURSELF! And, Have a wonderful day!