Japanese Massage
The Basics of Japanese Massage
Over the years many different schools of have developed, each one displaying a variety of techniques to help people to relax, feel better, and live healthier. At the same time, an interest in medical techniques and theories from Asia has developed in the United States. Because of this, people are giving Chinese and Japanese techniques a try. Japanese incorporates theories about pressure points and the way energy flows through the body, and uses these ideas along with techniques in a philosophy of preventative medicine.
Shiatsu
Shiatsu is perhaps one of the newest forms of Japanese massage, originating in the early 1900s and born out of older techniques. While other techniques might use the forearms, elbows, and even the feet to accomplish various healing and relaxing motions on a patient, Shiatsu involves techniques using only the fingers and the palm of the hand.
A skilled practitioner of Shiatsu can not only relax someone, but can use his sense of touch to explore a person's body and find the points that need treatment the most. Like many Japanese and medical techniques, the theory behind Shiatsu is to help stimulate the body's natural immune response and ability to relax as a means of
preventative medicine.
Nihon Kaifuku Anma
Shiatsu is actually a subset of a larger range of Japanese techniques known as Nihon Kaifuku Anma. This form of came to Japan over 1300 years ago, and had already been practiced in China for years prior to this.
This Japanese school works with deep tissue that is based on kneading motions. Unlike Western techniques, this Japanese technique is performed without the use of oils to reduce friction. Two techniques are unique to Anma, and these include kneading the body and the use of percussive techniques, which work by gently striking areas of the body.
The theory behind Anma is that the body's energy flows along particular pathways, and stimulating certain areas will influence the workings of the body's organs, leading to greater overall health. These concepts are similar to those used in acupuncture and other Eastern medicines. The purpose of Japanese is to help improve the way the body functions before problems show up, not after. This is a common feature in Japanese massage, whether the techniques originated thousands of years ago or merely one hundred years ago. If you want to try preventative medicine with a long history of success and many devotees, give Japanese a try.
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