Asian Institute of Medical Studies Zen Shiatsu Seminar, the next step to becoming a Zen Shiatsu practioneer

Unit 1: Introduction to Zen Shiatsu

Lesson 3: Principles of Zen Shiatsu Bodywork

Consistent with the basic concepts of Traditional Chinese medicine, Zen Shiatsu is grounded in that health theory that health problems are attributed to or involve:

imbalances of yin and yang
disharmonies between the internal organs
blockages of the circulation of ki (in Chinese: qi; in English: chi) through the meridians

The unique features of Zen Shiatsu, compared to Traditional Chinese medicine techniques such as acupuncture or other shiatsu techniques, are these:

For diagnosis, abdominal palpation is the primary technique used. Abdominal diagnosis (in Japan: hara diagnosis) is an ancient Chinese technique that had been largely abandoned in China, but became important of Kampo (the Japanese practice of Chinese medicine) around the beginning of the 18th century. Abdominal diagnosis is used in Japan for herbal medicine prescribing, acupuncture, and Zen Shiatsu. The diagnosis is primarily aimed at determining whether each meridian is relatively empty (Japanese: kyo, Chinese: xu) or relatively full (Japanese: jitsu; Chinese: shi). At the end of each treatment the abdominal diagnosis is performed again to ascertain improvements that have occurred.

Pressure is applied at intervals along the meridians that were described by Masunaga. He presented 12 meridians, corresponding to the 12 basic organ-affiliated meridians of the Chinese system. The meridian pathways are similar to, but not the same as, the Chinese ones; the main difference being an extension of each meridian to a range from legs to arms, passing through the associated diagnostic region of the abdomen.

To attain the proper combination of pressure and movement along the meridian, the practioneer may move frequently around the recipient's body and may even move the recipient (who is instructed to remain passive), such as lifting the head or arms. The actions may include turning or bending over the recipients body parts with the purposes of gaining access to essential points, stretching the meridians, and using gravity or leverage to attain the needed pressure at certain points. The therapy does not focus on one part of the body, even if the health problem is localized; the whole body becomes involved.
The practioneer works within a meditative state, focusing on the responses of the recipient so as to properly direct the therapy, as opposed to focusing on selection of pressure points by a theoretical

system. To develop this condition of heightened awareness and clear intention, the practioneer practices meditation regularly.

Because of its connection to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Zen Shiatsu serves as an excellent adjunct to acupuncture therapy as well as Chinese or Japanese herb prescribing, fitting well with the theoretical framework. Further, it serves as a complementary therapy for Western methods of manipulation, including chiropractic or standard massage (e.g., Swedish style), providing an entirely different stimulus to the body.

Although Masunaga's Zen Shiatsu is considered essential reading for practioneer, the main textbook of Zen Shiatsu used today is Shiatsu Theory and Practice by Carola Beresford-Cooke (first published 1996; revised edition 2002). She has outlined five basic principles of Zen Shiatsu as follows:

Relax The practioneer must be in a comfortable physical and mental condition to convey comfort to the recipient; the arms, hands, neck, and shoulders must be relaxed, not tensed, to give the proper treatment and to perceive the recipient responses.

Use penetration rather than pressure. It is understood that the body has spots (called tsubo) that can receive the pressing by the practioneer; the muscle gives way to the penetrating force to let it enter, rather than being pushed away by pressure. The result is an entirely different experience than the mere finger-pressing, and requires that the practioneer have the correct position in relation to the recipient and be mindful of the technique being used.
Perpendicular penetration without side-to-side motion. Unlike many massage techniques where movement across the surface is emphasized, Zen Shiatsu involves penetration at each point, perpendicular to the body surface. Although there are a few exceptions, the treatment does not involve rotations, back-and-forth, or wiggling movements of the hands, but simple direct inward-directed movements.
Two handed connectedness. The Zen Shiatsu practioneer maintains two hands on the recipients body; one hand may be still and holding a part of the body in position, while the other is active, penetrating points on the meridians. The practioneer is advised to give attention to the role of both hands, not just the mode active one.
Meridian continuity. The focus of the therapy is to treat an entire meridian, not just individual points or regions. This is based on the theory that the imbalances to be addressed are based in the meridians, which require a free flow of ki throughout.