Benefits of Shiatsu Massage
What is a Shiatsu Massage?
Shiatsu is a massage technique with its roots deep in Asian history. It heavily relies on a Chinese belief that disease occurs due to an imbalance between the body and its surrounding. Therefore, it focuses on restoring this balance. There are other types of massage too. These include Swedish massage, kneading massage, deep tissue massage. But nothing beats the importance of famous type of massage i.e. Shiatsu.
While it is similar to acupuncture, it mainly works by regulating the flow of energy through the body. It involves maneuvering of the body’s energy, or Qi, with the use of finger and palm pressure by the Shiatsu therapists.
Qi, pronounced ‘chee’ is a word you have probably heard of. It is the energy that flows through the body and it underlies all functioning. The Qi flows through natural pathways through the body called meridians. And restoring a balance of this Qi is what Shiatsu is all about.
Benefits of Shiatsu Massage
Relieves Muscle Aches
Shiatsu can work on spasm and tension out of muscles. This is only possible due to the manipulation of the skin and underlying muscle with the utmost precision. We are all aware that our body has many pressure points. The massage therapists can use these pressure points to release the tension and reduce stress of the body. This forces the muscles to relax. It can even help to eliminate muscle aches by improving circulation and this helps to accelerate healing of the affected part of the body. These pressure points can be manipulated by an expert to relax your muscles and helps to relieve them from the stress.
Relieves Constipation
People highly regard Shiatsu for its role to cure constipation. It is especially useful for elderly people who frequently suffer from constipation. Constipation in people mostly occurs due to the inability of the intestines and colon to move.
Shiatsu can be both generalized and focused. When focused on the abdominal area, it can help to stimulate the gut. Shiatsu of the abdomen mostly involves the stretching of the abdomen and the movement of the internal organs. This stretching and pulling motion helps to activate the underlying gut. It thus helps to relax the intestines and colon and loosens the muscles.
Once the muscles of the gut are loosened, they can move more easily and this means that the obstruction is removed. This allows the fecal matter to move inside the gut so that it can easily be expelled. And thus it relieves constipation.
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Cures Migraines
Migraines are severe headaches caused by spasms of the arteries in the brain or head. The rapid and unregulated widening and narrowing of the arteries can cause intense irritation and great pain. It can be a reaction to stress or a spontaneous occurrence.
Shiatsu works to decrease the occurrence and severity of migraines. Shiatsu works to relax the body, this helps to disrupt the self-fulfilling cycle of stress leading to arterial spasm, leading to more stress. Once the body is sufficiently relaxed, it can regulate the arterial spasms. This further helps to decrease the pain. Shiatsu massage training is also well known for its ability to increase blood flow and circulation through the body.
Calming Effect
Other than its obvious and time-proven physical benefits, Shiatsu has well known psychological benefits. These include a reduction in stress, decreased tension, anxiety, and depression. It helps to remove all negative emotions from your mind, leaving it open and a welcome space for positive thoughts. Its psychological benefits are attributed to the flow of energy and the concept of Qi.
A much-required redirection of Qi helps to regulate the body's energy and helps the mind get rid of the negative and focus more in the positive. This calming effect is also because of the increase in circulation that in turn helps to remove chemicals from the brain that induce negative emotions.
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Decreases Inflammation and Chronic Pain
The Shiatsu massage helps to relieve pain and has been used for centuries. It is especially beneficial for the relief of chronic pains and other inflammatory conditions. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease of the joints where the body attacks its own joints.
This is a prime example of the Chinese ideology where they say that the body's energy is in conflict with itself. An acupressure approach to this condition can help to improve circulation to the joints. Joints have fairly limited circulation and so the added circulation helps to relieve pain and stimulate healing.
A pressurized massage by hand to the hands, feet or any area of the body that is affected by arthritis can help manage the symptoms. It further improves nutrition that is available to the muscles, accelerating healing and reducing inflammation. This all contributes to a very significant reduction in joints pain.
Increased Circulation and Skin
As we have already discussed, Shiatsu improves circulation and this leads to a number of advantages, including relief from migraines, decreased muscle pain, reduced inflammation and many more.
What else can improved circulation do? It makes your skin younger, healthier and fresher.
This is because the increased blood flow to the skin gives you a blushed complexion and stimulates sebaceous glands. These glands then produce their secretions that help to keep the skin moist and smooth and decrease signs of aging. It also prevents wrinkling of the skin by giving the skin increased strength and resilience.
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Metabolic Benefits
Along with improved blood circulation, Shiatsu has a very important role in improving metabolism and digestive problems. It activates the digestive tract and stimulates faster and easier digestion and absorption of food. It also enhances metabolism on a cellular level so that every cell in the body works at maximum efficiency. This further helps to remove toxins and other metabolic wastes from the body faster that allows your body to work faster and better.
Shiatsu makes a difference, you can notice in yourself very easily. It also helps to increase your stamina by regulating energy within the body. It also regulates the amount of fat stored in the body and tries to remove the harmful fats.
Gynecological and Obstetrical Benefits
Shiatsu helps female big time with gynecological and obstetrical problems. Many experts and therapists prefer it for its ability to reduce cramps from monthly menstrual cycles. Furthermore, it is a well-established method of inducing labor in females that are overdue for delivery.
It can also help to reduce morning sickness in the early months of pregnancy. Many women use this massage during labor. This massage technique is very effective in turning babies within the womb, especially with a breech presentation. It can also alleviate other distasteful symptoms often associated with pregnancy including morning sickness and swollen hands and feet.
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Conclusion
We have only scratched the surface of the benefits of Shiatsu massages. The experts have researched and recognized that there are plenty of benefits of this massage type that remain undiscovered. The massage techniques are as old as time, quite literally, with shiatsu massage techniques history going back as further as 530 B.C.
How frequently you should get a Shiatsu massage is a question that you need to answer for yourself depending on your lifestyle, stress and anxiety levels and if you have any chronic medical conditions.
The therapist can alter the massage session based on your requests as to what you require out of a particular session. Its effects can be stimulating, invigorating, therapeutic, preventative or remedial, as required.
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