Shiatsu - Japanese Massage

A warm welcome to you. Here is a brief explanation on what Shiatsu is and what we will learn during this course. I have prepared some PDFs for you, they are ready to be collected during the course. Remember to take them ok? So let's start this amazing journey together.

In this session we will learn the most important part of Shiatsu: how to give a perfect pressure. A good pressure in Shiatsu is paramount. In this chapter we will learn the three main characteristics of Shiatsu pressure: The two points contact, the equality, and the perpendicularity.

In this lesson we will learn the position that your body needs to adopt in order to apply a proper Shiatsu pressure. We will do some exercises together. You will see that it is very important to have this right since the beginning since we keep this position for 70% of our treatment. If we are not balanced and perpendicular, our pressure will not be even and effective and our receive will notice it immediately. Let's go and see how we do it.

In this lesson, we will learn the first three elements we use in a Shiatsu treatment: the palms, the fingers and  the elbows. These three parts of the upper body are equally important and each one of you will soon grasp the subtile difference between the pressure delivered by the palms, very strong yet gentle. The pressure with the fingers, very precise and deep and the pressure given with the elbows, in my opinion the warmest, the more intimate.

In this lesson we will learn how to prepare a room to have the most relaxing experience possible. Let's just remember that you are not a professional so you are allowed (and advised by me) to do your Shiatsu in any conditions. You can do shiatsu in the park with your children and your friends or in a quite room like I am explaining here. The aim of this course is, of course, teaching you how to give a  shiatsu massage but the main goal is spending quality time with your loved ones. So make it happen anytime you can ;).

Finally we are starting to apply the pressure on a person. In this lesson we will learn how to apply safe and effective pressure to the back with our palms, thumbs and elbows. I reckon that the back is the safest place to start. The back can be delicate but it is generally a good place where we can learn how to dose our Shiatsu. Always remember to ask your partner to let you know if you are giving too much pressure, or too little for that matter. Go for it.

In this lesson we will learn how to apply pressure to the buttocks and to the sacrum. Ahhhh the sacrum, you will see the results. They will LOVE IT... They are both parts of the body with a lot of tensions, especially the buttocks are pure muscles and where there are muscles there is often tension. Let me know how it goes.

In this lesson we will learn to spot the real sign of enjoyment from our receivers. I am not mentioning what is it. I don't want to spoil the surprise. Always look for....

In this lesson we will learn how to apply pressure to the legs with our palms, knees and elbows. The Legs, as you can imagine, are hardworking fellows that deserve a lot of Shiatsu. Here as well we are in an area where we have muscles all over, which means that we can have tensions all over. Take care because despite they look strong they can be very delicate, especially the thighs. 

In this lesson I just wanted to go through some of the condition that professional Shiatsu can help you with. Just for you to know in case you need to see a masseur in future. Just remember that Shiatsu is an holistic therapy. This means that we are looking at the body as a whole. If you have pain in your back, the shiatsu practitioner may concentrate his/her work on the feet or the legs because your pain could start from there. This is one option of course, there are many different conditions and ways of treatment.

In this lesson we will learn some little stretches to do before we are giving Shiatsu. Remember that Shiatsu is very much a question of connection with the other person. Try to take few minutes for yourself before giving Shiatsu, your Shiatsu will have a different quality. To give a great shiatsu massage you need to be in the moment and focus the attention on your movements. I like to think that Shiatsu is a form of mediation. At least it is for me.

Here we will learn how to give pressure to Children and when Shiatsu is counter indicated. Basically the concept is giving Shiatsu only to our Children to avoid any problems. Pregnant ladies love Shiatsu but remember to treat them ONLY AFTER THE THIRD MONTH OF PREGNANCY. Better, as well, not to work on cancer patience or people affected by osteoporosis. You are not professionals so refrain from working on people outside your family or your circle of friends. Better safe than sorry right?

We are now going back to do some Shiatsu work on the legs. We we learn now to work on them in the supine position. Again we need to take care when we apply our pressure to the thighs because the frontal part of the thighs can be very tense and delicate. This time we have to do some rotations of the legs and sometimes can be hard work.. Be strong ;)

In this little lesson we will learn to treat one of the most hardworking part of our body, the feet. Feel free to spend more time on the feet doing what your instinct tells you. Work on the heels and at the roots of the toes, they'll love it. 

Now, we see how to work on the arm and hands. Here as well we have a lot of muscles. Remember to ask for the feedback of your partner from time to time. Generally is not a problem to apply shiatsu pressure to the arms but sometimes it can be painful on the biceps (due to tensions), especially if we are working on elderly people. Everybody loves the work on the hands, you'll see.

This is something they will absolutely LOVE. We are working now on the neck. Always ask if they had any problem with their neck and their spine in the past. In case they say yes, apply only the pressure with fingers but do not apply any stretches. You will see how enjoyable is the exercise with the fingers under the back. 

As a present for being a good student, I want to teach you these two amazing techniques. your partner will definitely melt...