Shiatsu means “finger pressure” in Japanese, it originated in China around 2,000BC but was adopted and defined by the Japanese.   

Although the systems Shiatsu is based upon go back many thousands of years it fully came to light in two books by Tamai Tempaku in 1915 and 1919.     It has a firm foundation in the Japanese form of massage – Anma and oriental medicine, traditional Chinese Medicine works on the theory that there are 12 meridians - a series of channels in the body through which vital energy (Qi in Chinese, Ki in Japanese) flows.    If this flow of Ki becomes blocked – symptoms of ill health will manifest themselves.

Shiatsu can be beneficial for a wide range of health problems from specific injuries to more general symptoms of poor health, a treatment is restful and restorative and regular Shiatsu sessions help to prevent the build up of stress in our daily lives. 

Shiatsu is in some respects a form of massage, but there is far more to it than that, techniques include gentle holding, pressing with palms, thumbs, fingers, elbows, knees and feet on the meridians, and dynamic rotations and stretches.   A treatment will last around an hour and is on the whole very comfortable, although you may feel some mild discomfort if you have a blocked meridian.   Shiatsu is always applied through clothing usually taking place on a mat on the floor. 

There are several different styles of Shiatsu, most practitioners will be trained in more than one method and will incorporate the different styles.