Online Portion for Shiatsu I

Contents

Online portion for shiatsu I

Shiatsu and oriental medical theoryWhat is shiatsu? ............................................................................ Concepts of shiatsu ....................................................................... General theory of traditional Chinese medicine ........................ Five element theory ...................................................................... The meridians and elemental systems ........................................ Wood: the liver and gallbladder meridians Fire: the heart, pericardium and san jio meridians Earth: the stomach and spleen meridians Metal: the lungs and large intestine meridians Water: the kidney and bladder meridiansPoint location for common aliments ..........................................

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WHAT IS SHIATSU?

Shiatsu translated means “to apply pressure on the body with the fi ngers.” Shiatsu uses the same Oriental map of meridians and points (known as tsubos) as does acupuncture, although the focus of treatment can be different. The healing techniques of shiatsu originated in Japan with a fusion of the principles of TCM, anma (traditional chinese massage), and Japanese cultural practices like judo and Zen meditation.Shiatsu is a form of bodywork designed to promote balance and enhance the fl ow of Qi throughout the body.

According to TCM theory, everything in the universe is a manifestation of the vital intelligent force, Qi. In the body the Qi fl ows through twelve primary meridians and two vessels. The two vessels are the original channels from which fl ower the other twelve. The 12 channels are associated with the bodies organ systems, and are categorized into the Five elements, metal, water, wood, fi re(containing two pairs), and earth. Five element theory represents these manifestations of Qi as constantly transforming into each other and describes their relationships and interdependence. A person’s health depends on the uninterrupted fl ow of Qi through this sequence of channels. The fl ow of Qi can be affected by many factors, such as environmental stress, emotional stress, diet, illness, or injury. When the natural fl ow of Qi is blocked, it can become stagnant along the meridian channel, altering the fl ow of Qi. Disruptions along a meridian are felt as an excess of Qi, or a defi ciency of Qi. Shiatsu uses unique methods to affect the fl ow of Qi throughout the body. It accesses these rivers of Qi by using fi ngers, hands, elbows, forearms and feet, to stimulate the meridians and points to facilitate the natural fl ow of Qi, allowing the body to heal.

Around 1920, Shiatsu practitioners in Japan began to infuse some of the more popular forms of bodywork in America and Europe, including chiropractic and occupational therapy, into shiatsu, creating a dynamic and adaptable modern form of bodywork. Shiatsu is a continuously evolving bodywork form and is well suited for integration with other bodywork modalities. Since the movement of Qi involves the intention of the practitioner, even with limited knowledge of its application, its use is always benefi cial. It is a very rare scenario that one could harm a recipient. All the energy meridians infl uence each other, affecting any of the fl ows can have a positive effect on the recipient. All that is required is compassion, a desire to help, and focused intention.

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WORKING CONCEPTS OF SHIATSU

Working concepts of shiatsu:

Qi - Is the Chinese word for life force. In TCM, Qi is believed to be the essence that gives the world, and the individual body, life. Qi moves blood through the body and energizes the organs.

Tsubo - Japanese term for pressure point. These are specifi c points, or wells, used for treatment. The points are gateways to the meridian. By stimulating them trapped or blocked Qi in a meridian can be accessed.

Meridian or Channel - a specifi c pathway that runs though the body where Qi fl ows. Each meridian is associated with an organ system and element Vessel-specifi c to the conception vessel (the du meridian) and the governing vessel (the ren meridian). These vessels run through the mid-sagittal line of the body. The CV feeds the yin meridians and the GV feeds the yang meridians.

Yin/Yang - the literal translation is ‘the dark and light side of the hill’, yin as the shade and yang as the light. In taoist theory it is believed that creation arises from the universal QI (Tao), and in order for life to manifest, this energy must step down. The fi rst step is the separation of this universal Qi into yin and yang components. These are complementary opposing forces. The interplay of these forces is present in all things. Yin and Yang step down again to form the fi ve elements. Five Elements - the elements, wood, fi re, earth, metal and water, of TCM medicine.

Cun - The width of one thumb. Used for point location. Hara - This is the center, the area around and below the navel. The hara is the home of the tan den or sea of Qi, where Qi is both generated and stored. This is the place that unites body, mind and spirit.

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YIN & YANG THEORYGeneral Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine

The theory underlying Chinese medical theory is dialectical - a logic that assumes that a part can be understood only in relation to the whole. This dialectical logic, that explains relationships, patterns and change is called Yin-Yang theory. The concept of Yin-Yang theory is based on the philosophical construct of two polar complements, Yin and Yang. They are not forces, material entities, or mythical concepts that transcend rationality. They are convenient labels used to describe how certain things function in reaction to each other and to the universe.

The character for Yin originally meant the shady side of the hill. It is associated with such qualities as cold, rest, responsiveness, passivity, darkness, inwardness, and tranquility. The character for Yang originally meant the sunny side of the hill, and is associated with qualities like heat, stimulation, movement, activity, excitement, light, outwardness, arousal, beginning, and dynamic potential.

Yin and Yang oppose each other but at the same time have an interdependent relationship. Without Yang there is no Yin, without Yin there is no Yang. TCM has developed fi ve principles of yin and yang.

1) All things have two facets: a Yin and a Yang aspect.

2) Any yin or yang aspect can be further divided into yin and yang.

3) Yin and yang mutually create each other.

4) Yin and yang control each other.

5) Yin and yang transform each other.

Yang is the heaven force moving into form, a contracting force, although Yin is the contracted state. Yin is the earth force moving into spirit, or dematerialization, expansion, although Yang is the expanded state. This helps us to understand how the two can never be separated, and are always moving in one direction or another.

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YINPASSIVEEARTHSUBSTANCEINSIDEBODYDARKSPACECOLDBLOOD, BODYFLUIDS AND TISSUESDEFICIENCY ANDCHRONICCONDITIONSINTERIOR ANDDEEP IMBALANCESCONTRACTIONFEMALE

YANGACTIVE

HEAVENFUNCTION

OUTSIDEMINDLIGHT

TIMEHEAT

ENERGY OFTHE BODY

EXCESS ANDACUTE

CONDITIONSEXTERIOR AND

SUPERFICAL CONDITIONSEXPRESSION

MALE

EXAMPLES OF YIN/YANG PAIRS

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The fi ve phases, fi ve elements or fi ve transitions theory views the universe and its working as being cyclical and interactive. There are fi ve different modes (elements) that Qi energy may manifest itself in. The fi ve elements Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water are arranged in a cyclical sequence that represents the fl ow of energy between these elements as phases. The characteristic of each phase is determined by the ‘energy’ dynamic personifi ed as the never ending cycles found in the seasons of the natural world. Thus the theory is basically an observation on natural, creative change, i.e the transition from one season to the next. So each phase is an emblem that denotes a category of related functions and qualities.

The element Wood begins the cycle of wu xing. The Wood cycle is associated with functions that are in a growing phase and is paired with active, yang functions. The wood-element organ’s, the liver and gallbladder, are perhaps the most overburdened of any organ system in the average person.

In TCM the liver is considered the ‘general’ of the body, involved in “the 10,000 things”, or, it is involved in many of the bodies functions, and plays a key role in the smooth fl ow of Qi throughout the body. Symptoms of liver imbalances range from the physical to the emotional realm. Emotional imbalances of the liver are related to emotional diffi culties around anger: including, impatience, frustration, resentment, violence, rudeness, edginess, arrogance and an impulsive or explosive

personality. Physical signs vary and canbe lumped into constellations or syndromes.

Here we will cover the more common syndromes of the wood phase. Liver stagnation: often involves excess, of one kind or another, especially the over-consumption of food, mainly rich, fatty foods. When the liver is overburdened with too many rich foods or intoxicants it becomes swollen and sluggish as it attempts to circulate Qi smoothly through the body. Swelling will occur in certain areas of the body with liver stagnation, mainly along the meridian channel its self.

The liver rules, the tautness or slackness of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The liver also rules the eyes and eye syndromes are related to liver stagnation. Cataracts, glaucoma, infl amed, red dry eyes, night blindness, near-or far sightedness mirror the condition of the liver. The gallbladder is also affected by stagnant liver Qi, causing sediment to settle in the gallbladder eventually causing gallstones, symptoms include: tension in the shoulders and back, indigestion, fl atulence, pain below the right rib, bitter taste in the mouth, chest pair.

The second phase is associated with the element Fire, which has reached a maximal state of activity and is about to begin a resting period, and is related to summer, also a yang season. The Fire element rules the heart and small intestine, the pericardium and the san jaio. In TCM, the heart, is not only the organ itself but also the concept of the heart as the emotional/spiritual center. The heart houses the shen or waking consciousness. Xin is the Chinese word for heart and translates as

FIVE ELEMENTS

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“heart-mind”. The heart not only regulates the circulation of blood but also controls the spirit, sleep, memory, and houses the mind.

The third phase is the Earth phase and is represented by the change of seasons from summer to fall, when the Qi transforms from a Yang orientation to a Yin one.

The Earth element organs are the stomach, spleen and pancreas and are primarily involved in the digestion and distribution of nutrients. Dampness, a Yin disorder, primarly associated with the Earth element, includes any overly wet or moist condition in the body. It can be caused by the environment, poor diet and internal organ weakness. Damp excess symptoms include: various types of muciod deposits, moist accumulations like edema, cysts, tumors, and an over growth of yeasts, bacteria, and parasites. Dampness invades the joints and meridian channels, effecting every part of the body, movement can become diffi cult, numbness can be present, and pain caused by damp accumulation is often fi xed in one place.

The fourth phase is Metal, associated with the autumn, a yin season. The lungs and large intestine are the Metal element organs. The lungs receive the Qi vital force of the air and fuse it with the vital Qi created by the digestion of food. The lungs are involved in the production of wei chi, the Qi that protects the body from external invasion. Symptoms on lung-large intestine imbalances include: Excessive dryness or mucus in the membranes, sinus problems, nasal congestion, lung and bronchial conditions, frequent colds.

Water is the last element in the fi ve element system, and is the last Yin phase before Wood begins again. Winter, is the Water element’s season. The bladder and kidneys, adrenal gland, brain and bones are ruled by the element Water. The kidneys open to the ears, and issues related to hearing involve the bladder/kidney complex. The Water element rules the sexual organs and there reproductive functions. The kidneys represent the root of the body, the ancestral Qi, and are the foundation of all the Yin and Yang qualities of the body. General symptoms of kidney imbalance include: all bone problems (especially the knees, lower back and teeth) hearing loss, ear infections, head-hair problems, any urinary, sexual, reproductive imbalances, poor growth, premature aging, excessive fear and insecurity.

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Begins

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THE HEART GOVERNOR MERIDIAN (The Pericardium)

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THE TRIPLE HEATER MERIDIAN (The San Jiao)

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Note: This is for your information only and you do not need to know any of this on a test.

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