ENERGY BASED BODYWORK SHIATSU MASSAGE THERAPY

Traditional Asian medicine differs from Western medicine in that it include all parts of the body, mind, and spirit, in addition to the individual's harmonious interaction with nature and the cosmos. Western medicine relies on the scientific method of reduction to find the treatment of a specific sickness. There is an emphasis on individual body parts to determine the symptoms and treatment of a disease. As a result, in Western medicine, there is a specialist for different organs of the body. This system may sometimes lead to different physicians treating the same person for different things and sometimes suggesting conflicting treatments. Asian medicine looks at the system as a whole before treatment, resulting in changing the person not only in the physical level, but the emotional level as well. By studying Asian bodywork therapy, you will be equipped with the knowledge and methods to determine and understand changes beyond the purely physical.

ASIAN BODYWORK THERAPY

The American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA) defines Asian bodywork therapy (ABT) as the "treatment of the human body, mind, spirit, including the electromagnetic or energetic field, which surrounds, infuses, and brings that body to life by pressure and or manipulation." In traditional Asian medicine, energy or Ki (in Japanese), is what creates and connects everything in the Universe. This composite is made up of everything that is physical in nature, the human body, as well as emotion, thoughts, and spirit. Energy manifests itself through the movement and vibration of atoms that forms all things in nature, including inanimate objects. This movement and vibration originates from the spinning and colliding of the forces between electrons and protons that releases energy. Pauline Sasaki, creator of Quantum Shiatsu, states that the faster the vibration is, the harder it is to observe. As a result, by developing our sensory system, we are able to sense these vibrations.

KI FLOW

Our main focus in ABT will be on Shiatsu, a Japanese bodywork therapy, that uses pressure on the surface of the skin along meridians, or energy channels, to gain and maintain a harmonious flow of energy in the mind, body, and spirit. Tsubos are energetic vortices on the surface of the skin where the energy of the meridian can be accessed. Although the word shiatsu literally means "finger pressure," other parts of the body such as hands, elbows, and feet can also be used. According to Shiatsu practice, poor health is a result of an imbalance of energy or Ki flow. Once the Ki flow is improved, one will see positive changes in pain relief, digestion, breathing, sleep patterns, mobility, and reduced anxiety and depression. Shiatsu therapy is extremely versatile and can be useful in many different circumstances such as during pregnancy and labor, the critical care of patients, and during emergency relief support.

CONCEPT OF COMPLETENESS

The creation of Ki is illustrated in the form of Yin and Yang. This symbol represents the concept of completeness (with the Circle), the struggle between opposites (two sides, one black and one white), and the non-absolute quality of all things (each side contains a small circle of the opposite color). There is a constant movement towards each other in a circular way. It is this movement that creates Ki. In Chinese, Yin and Yang literally mean, "the light (sunny) side of the hill and the dark (shadow) side of the hill. This duality and concept of pairs is present in everything in Nature. For example, male/female, light/dark, cold/hot, and slow/fast. When studying the concept of Yin and Yang, it is important to realize that that one is not better than the other, and that one is not right and the other wrong. Instead, keep in mind they are simply the same aspects of the same thing which results in a harmonious balance. In ABT, a symptom such as pain can be treated by improving the imbalance of Yin and Yang. By using a bit of the opposite quality as needed, one can help restore movement between Yin and Yang which in turn helps the individual regain balance both physically and emotionally.