In 1988 I studied and became a practitioner of Zen Shiatsu after studying with David Sergel in Boston. This method of body work was developed by Shizuto Masunaga of Japan. Zen Shiatsu, also known as Masunaga Therapy, is a form of meridian shiatsu. A difference between Masunaga’s Zen shiatsu and earlier forms of shiatsu is that Zen Shiatsu uses not only thumbs and palms but also fists, elbows, and knees. Often the massage table is folded down the ground so the body weight of the practitioner can be use in the pressure.
The primary precept of Zen Shiatsu is the importance of remaining in a Zen-like, present state when practicing shiatsu; nourishing weak , deficient or kyo areas and dispersing excess, tight or jitsu areas; using two-handed technique to better feel the flow of qi (life force); working from the hara (belly), which is the body’s energy center; and using perpendicular pressure to access the qi.
With this type of massage the person leaves their clothes on and the acupuncture meridians are stretched and pressure is giving successively down the meridian. The two hands on the body move alternately, giving an energetic connection between both part of the body that are receiving pressure. This is my favorite form of body work.
Qigong (or ch’i kung) is an internal Chinese meditative practice which often uses slow graceful movements and controlled breathing techniques to promote the circulation of qi within the human body, and enhance a practitioner’s overall health. There are more than 10,000 styles of qigong and 200 million people practicing these methods. There are three main reasons why people do qigong: 1) To gain strength, improve health or reverse a disease 2) To gain skill working with qi, so as to become a healer 3) To become more connected with the “Tao, God, True Source, Great Spirit”, for a more meaningful connection with nature and the universe.
In its simplest form, the Chinese character for qi, in qigong, can mean air, breath, or “life force”. Gong means work, so qigong is therefore the practice of “working” with ones “life force”. Qigong can be seen as a set of breathing and movement exercises, with possible benefits to health through stress reduction and exercise. Many practitioners view qigong in more metaphysical terms, claiming that qi can be felt as a vibration or electrical current and physically circulated through channels called meridians Many testify to a reduction or elimination of pain through the use of qigong.
I am trained as a medical qi gong instructor. These are exercises and healing sounds that help to heal the 5 main organs: Liver, heart, spleen, kidney and lungs. You can find the instructions and pictures of these exercises along with their visualizations on my website under “qigong.”
Acupuncture is believed to have been practiced in China for about 5000 years. According to Oriental Medical theory there are meridians or rivers of energy that is circulating throughout the body, feeding and nourishing the tissues and organs along their pathways. If the energy is deficient, excessive or stagnant in the meridians, then their corresponding organs and body parts can become diseased or function poorly.
There are about 365 main acupuncture points on the surface of the body. Manipulation of the energy at these points can influence the energy flow in the meridians. Acupuncture using very thin stainless steel needles inserted into the skin and muscles is very effective to rebalance energy flow in the body. Surprisingly the needles are quite painless, they are so thin and penetrate the skin so quickly, you don’t get the pain you would expect, as you would with a hypodermic needle.
Besides the flow of energy, there are brain chemicals such as endorphins that are released during acupuncture sessions that help explain the deep feeling of relaxation often felt with acupuncture. Often a session will consist of 6 to 10 needles on the front side of the body, while lying on one’s back, perhaps for 15 to 30 minutes, often followed by other needles, mostly along the sides of the spine while lying face down.
Sometimes it take a series of sessions to see result, perhaps once or twice a week for a few weeks to reestablish the flow, but sometimes one session is enough. In the West, acupuncture is often thought of as being helpful for pain, which it is. But since you are balancing out the organs and glands, it can really help almost all conditions, from female hormone balance to dizziness, headaches to allergies, depression to insomnia.
Last year I treated a woman who was told she would need to have knee replacement surgery. Miraculously her knee pain was gone after just one session of acupuncture. Although that result may not be typical, it does show the power of this technique.
