“The heart of Shiatsu is like pure mother love. The pressure of the fingers causes the springs of life to flow”. Tokujiro Namikoshi

The Shiatsu is a wonderful tool to limber the body and reduce the stress level.

What is Shiatsu?

Shiatsu is a form of bodywork created in Japan in the early 20th century by Tokujiro Namikoshi. The word Shiatsu “指圧” can be translated as pressure with fingers. During the treatment, I’m going to apply pressures with hands and thumbs, over specific points and areas of the body.

The aim of Shiatsu is to relieve tensions and blocks from the body, so to increase and maintain the state of well-being. In the same time, the stimulations provided by the pressures enhance the body’s natural self-healing ability.

The Shiatsu follows a holistic approach in more than one meaning. First, it considers the body as a whole, in which every part is interconnected and influenced by the rest. More than that, the physical part is considered as inseparable from the emotional, rational and energetic ones.

For this reason, I usually treat the whole body, not just the part that is showing the symptom(s).

  • Limbers muscles, removing contractures and blocks, facilitating the proper alignment of joints
  • Improves blood and lymph circulation, for a better nourishment supply and waste removing from cells
  • Stimulates the nervous system, contributing to pain and stress level reduction
  • Contributes to the spine’s well-being, facilitating a correct posture and skeletal alignment
  • Encourages bowel movements for increased absorption of nutrients and more regular evacuation
  • Vitalizes and strengthens the skin
  • Promotes a better mind-body awareness, and stimulates the body’s self-healing ability

What to expect of a Shiatsu treatment?

I mostly practice Shiatsu on the massage table. Besides this, I work on the massage chair, for short treatments, or on the futon (a Japanese traditional massage mat laid on the ground) for the longer complete Basic Technique.

During a Shiatsu session, the receiver can either wear soft and comfortable clothes (best if in a natural fabric like cotton, linen, wool, etc) or the underwear.

Every treatment is adjusted to match the receiver’s needs, considering the physical, emotional and energetic state. Likewise, every pressure is adjusted as depth and rhythm for every point treated, to obtain the best results. I can possibly integrate other techniques to the Shiatsu when I think it can be beneficial for the receiver. For example the Sotai-ho or the Reiki.

It is important to communicate to me any situation of discomfort you may eventually feel, in any moment of the treatment. Indeed, overtly intimate/sexual areas of the body are not going to be touched or treated.

• A normal session lasts around 1 hour. During this treatment, I will focus on your complaint, while of course taking care of your body as a whole.

• The Shiatsu Namikoshi complete Basic Technique, as created by Tokujiro Namikoshi, lasts around 90 minutes. During this session, the entire body will be treated, and more than 600 points will be stimulated. This is a general work for a complete body rebalance, that is not focused on a specific complaint.

• The Shiatsu on the chair lasts around 25 minutes. It is a short, and effective treatment in which I will work just on the neck, shoulders and upper back.