Zen Shiatsu

The word Shiatsu literally means finger (shi) pressure (atsu). Invented by Shizuto Masunaga, Zen Shiatsu is rooted in the theories of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Five Element Theory and is a modernized form of the ancient art of acupressure or "acupuncture without needles"; it is used to stimulate the body's innate healing mechanisms.

Zen Shiatsu is based on the principle that energy flows like water through the body in a series of pathways, called meridians, which are similar to rivers and canals. Sometimes the energy (ki) flow is disrupted or diminished and we may experience discomfort including but not limited to muscular pain, headaches, digestive disturbances, swelling, skin irritations, excess mucous, foggy headedness, memory loss, stress, anxiety, irritability and other emotional imbalances.

These symptoms generally may occur with no organic problem, which means that a western medical doctor will not be able to find anything physically wrong with the body. That's where Traditinal Chinese Medicine (TCM) and other eastern healing modalities such as Zen Shiatsu can help. These modalities look at the body as a whole and group symptoms into categories that point to imbalance in the organs. Symptoms that are indicative of imbalance in chinese medicine occur long before an organic problem arises which is why western medicine often cannot find anything physically wrong. For example, gas and bloating after eating, along with loose stools and fatigue points to an imbalance in the spleen meridian.

Your body does speak to you and tells you what is going on -- you may just not know how to listen to it. Most people know that something is going on with their body but they don't know what. Its a language that we have lost the ability to translate in the west. Zen Shiatsu and TCM give us a way to listen to the language of your body and treat the imbalances.

In order to treat those imalances...

Zen Shiatsu (ZS) combines stretches, joint rotations and gentle pressure to stimulate, sedate, and unblock disrupted energy. ZS also stimulates the circulatory, lymphatic, hormonal, neuromuscular, musculo-skeletal, respiratory, digestive, and autonomic nervous systems. ZS done on a regular and consistent basis can also strengthen the immune system and allows the body to shift into balance and addresses the root of the problem, not just the symptoms.