There are two main schools of Shiatsu:

1. Nippon Style Shiatsu, developed by Tokujiro Namikoshi, which in Japan is based exclusively on Western medical concepts but in Europe and the USA incorporates some aspects of Traditional Oriental Medicine.
2. Zen Shiatsu, developed by Shizuto Masunaga, which is based on the principles of Traditional Oriental Medicine but integrates Western physiology and psychology.

There are also other methods of Shiatsu that incorporate aspects of both of the above methods in varying degrees.

The method that I practice is Zen Shiatsu.  It differs very much from Western style massage as it is practiced on mats on the floor rather than on a massage table, no oil is used, and the recipient wears loose comfortable clothing.  The technique involves stretching and leaning body weight onto areas of the recipient’s body.  Pressure is mainly applied using hands, thumbs and fingers, and occasionally the forearms, knees and feet are also used. The treatment is focused along the acupuncture channels known as meridians.  

These meridians carry the subtle body energy known as Chi or Ki.  There is no accepted equivalent of Chi in Western Medicine;  Chi is roughly translated as ‘essential life energy of the body, mind and spirit’.  According to Traditional Oriental Medicine, the effective flow of Chi within the body is the basis of health.  All illness, disease, pain and tension is a result of blockages in the flow of Chi.  The existence of Chi has yet to be recognised by Western Medicine mainly because it is so subtle that the technology required to measure it has only recently been developed.  As this technology further develops Western Medicine will eventually be revolutionised by the recognition of Chi and the combination of traditional techniques with these new technologies.

Shiatsu releases blockages in the flow of Chi, and thus heals and relaxes the whole person to a very deep level.  The first time I received a Shiatsu massage I remember telling the therapist afterwards that although I had felt very relaxed after various Western-style massages, Shiatsu had left me feeling peaceful.  This is due to its holistic qualities – it calms the mind, emotions and spirit a well as the body.

Shiatsu is a full-body treatment normally lasting 50-60 minutes and often includes a head and face massage.

The essential oils work in 2 ways:

1. During the massage they are absorbed through the skin directly into the bloodstream.  This is more effective than taking medicines or herbs orally as it bypasses the digestive system.
2. The aromas are sensed through the nose, that is attached to a part of the brain called the limbic system.  The limbic system influences the nervous system, hormones and emotions, and helps to regulate heart rate, breathing, memory, digestion and stress levels.

Aromatherapy massage therefore is more holistic than normal massage, as the oils have a direct positive effect on the mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of the recipient.   Combined with the physical benefits of a relaxing massage this makes aromatherapy a healing, uplifting and sensual experience.

Today Swedish Massage is practiced by thousands of therapists all over the world, each of them with their own distinctive style.   Generally it is medium-strength massage, not as deep as a Sports Massage, but stronger than a relaxation-oriented massage such as Aromatherapy.  It is usually a 45-60 minute full body massage, or 30 minute massage just for the back and shoulders.  It doesn’t normally include a head massage.  It is performed on a massage table using oil.

The aim of Swedish massage is to relax most of the major muscles of the body.   This brings many other physical benefits:

• Release of muscle tension, thus improving flexibility and ease of movement and decreasing muscle fatigue
• Relief of cramps and muscle spasms
• Stimulation of weak and inactive muscles
• Stimulation of blood flow which improves circulation and brings more oxygen to the cells of the body
• Strengthening of the immune system due to increase of white blood cells
• Elimination of toxins due to drainage of the lymphatic system
• Calming of the nervous system

As well as mental and emotional benefits:

• mental relaxation
• relief of stress, depression and anxiety
• a feeling of positive well being
• better quality sleep
• better concentration levels

There are five main techniques used in Swedish Massage:

1. Effleurage is the most used stroke.  It is a free-flowing and gliding movement using the palms of one or both hands, following the contours of the muscles.
2. Petrissage is a movement similar to that of kneading dough. It involves lifting, rolling, and squeezing the flesh under or between the hands. 
3. Friction strokes are for work on deeper muscles, applying pressure with thumbs, knuckles and/or fingers, using the weight of the therapist’s body.  This movement is either a continuous sliding motion or a group of alternating circular motions.
4. Vibration, gently shaking or trembling the flesh with the hand or fingertips.
5. Tapotement, or tapping and percussion, is a quick choppy rhythmic movement that has a stimulating or toning effect.  This movement is the one least used.

In a one hour Swedish Massage I normally spend at least half of the time working on the back and shoulders.  This is generally the area where most people have problems, and as the central nervous system is located near the spine, it has the effect of relaxing the whole body.  I spend about 10 minutes working the back of the legs, 10 minutes on the front of the legs and the feet, and 8-10 minutes on the arms and neck.

I combine my professional training and 10 years of experience with an intuitive feel for finding and releasing the source of a muscular problem.

I usually use sweet almond oil, and sometimes grapeseed oil.  These oils contain nutrients such as vitamins and minerals. They do not clog the pores as mineral oils (eg. baby oil) often do.

The most common element that nearly all of these methods share is a focus on conscious breathing, usually as a tool to help you relax before going into the method’s actual practice.  Despite this ubiquity, breathing itself is often underrated.  Having used many self-help methods over many years, I am convinced that ultimately the most valuable self-help tool is breathing itself. One of the reasons that I was drawn to the teachings of the Crimson Circle is the fact that conscious breathing is the main method that they recommend above all others.  

As humanity begins to move into new energy, many methods that may have worked well in the past are no longer as effective as they once were.  In some ways much of the new age movement can get stuck in a similar mindset to the religions that it claims to supersede, as they emphasise and hang onto their methods as gospel, when a lot of these methods were only meant to be stepping stones on the evolutionary path.

Breathing is one of the few methods that continues to be important in the spiritual realms.  This may seem surprising, as even those of us who have a conscious spiritual awareness probably tend to think of breathing as being a mainly physical exercise,  and that once we let go of this mortal coil it is no longer needed.  Apparently this is not so, as a form of breathing continues with our consciousness after death.  This should give us a clue that when we breathe there is a lot more happening than just the intake of oxygen and nitrogen and the expulsion of carbon dioxide.  Yoga and other Eastern philosophies teach that what we breathe in is the essential spiritual life force that is the connecting and empowering energy for the whole universe.  In India it is known as prana, and in China as chi or ki.   The philosophy of Breatharianism is based on this idea, such that conscious breathing of prana energy can be utilised to sustain the physical body without the need to ingest food.

Breathing consciously is the most powerful way to move stuck energy.  This can work in all four of the aspects of our beings:  physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.  Physically it releases stress and tension and helps to increase body awareness.  Due to the influence particularly of science and also Western society in general, we tend to believe that it all happens in our minds, such that we become captive to our minds and lose contact with the body.  While breathing consciously it is difficult to keep a mental focus.  This is very useful because to take away the focus on the mind for just a few minutes on a regular basis both releases mental tension and begins to break the hold that the mind can have on us to the detriment of the other three equally important aspects.  Breathing is also one of the best tools for releasing negative and blocked emotions, and it facilitates spiritual awareness.  By inhaling consciously we draw the essential life force into our whole being more effectively.  By exhaling consciously we express this divine energy out into the world.

As breathing is something that we’ve all done all our lives, you would think that we would at least know how to breathe properly.  But I have found through my massage practice – particularly shiatsu massage – that many people don’t breathe properly, including some who have practiced yoga or tai chi or similar methods that normally place a heavy emphasis on the breath.

As our lungs are located in the chest area, it is natural to think that breathing by expanding the chest is efficient.  But this is not so.  The lungs are pear-shaped, and chest breathing only draws air into the top one-third of the lungs.  To actually fill the lungs with air requires you to breathe using the diaphragm and the belly.  The diaphragm is a dome-shaped muscle that sits below the lungs, and is one of the most important and underrated muscles in the body.  It is the only muscle that works both vountarily and involutarily, keeping us breathing while asleep.  This dual ability means that the diaphragm is a link between the unconscious and the conscious mind.  The lungs themselves have no muscles, so require the diaphragm to contract downwards, creating space in the lungs which draws in air.  If you rely on expanding your chest to breathe deeply, the diaphragm does not contract downwards much, so less air is drawn into the lungs.  It is also more work to expand the chest than it is to contract the diaphragm, so the lesser amount of oxygen that is drawn in when chest breathing is also utilised less effectively.

A useful exercise is to sit or lie comfortably, with one hand on the chest and the other hand on the belly.  Loosen the clothes around your waist.  Breathe deeply, and take notice of which hand moves more as you breathe in and out.  If the hand on your chest is moving more, then you are not breathing deeply or filling the lungs with air.  Practice pushing your belly out as you breathe in, until the hand on your belly moves more than the hand on your chest.  It might feel strange at first, but you will be filling your lungs with air and providing your body with as much as 200% more usable oxygen.

This belly breathing might need to be practiced on a regular basis for quite a time before it becomes second nature, as the bad habits of a lifetime do not usually break easily.  Western fashion and social norms are not helpful, as we are all encouraged to hold our belly in and stick our chest out.  Many types of clothing do not make belly breathing comfortable.  Since I have practiced conscious breathing I tend to favour clothes that are looser and have elastic waists.

But these minor inconveniences are far outweighed by the benefits of conscious breathing :  

Over time you will find that you will be more relaxed and calm in the face of stress.  

Breathing consciously and regularly will give you some emotional detachment from other peoples’ dramas, enabling you to act from a place of true compassion rather than being dragged into an expected emotional reaction.

You will begin to feel a stronger connection to your body and will become more aware of its needs.

In moments when your mind is overwhelming you with repetitive and negative thoughts and their accompanying fear-based emotions, being able to stop and breathe deeply will help to release such thoughts and emotions, so you will become more aware of your deeper feelings.  The diaphragm is the physical bridge through which your gut and your heart communicate.  It enables your intuition and true feelings to connect with one another. 

Conscious breathing connects us to the present moment.  When you maintain a focus on your breath it is difficult to dwell in the past or worry about the future for any length of time.

Deep breathing facilitates spiritual growth, particularly if combined with meditation.  This will become more important for all of us, as one of the results of the current acceleration in the evolution of human consciousness is that the veil between the physical and spiritual dimensions is getting thinner. More and more people are beginning to have experiences of the spiritual realms.  To be able to breathe consciously and deeply at will is the best tool for integrating such experiences.

Complementary therapies include health practices that are not presently considered part of conventional medicine.  They are also known as alternative therapies, and can often be used in conjunction with traditional allopathic medicine.

I have ten years experience as a practitioner of various therapies including Swedish massage, sports and deep-tissue massage, aromatherapy, reflexology, shiatsu and reiki.

I hold the ITEC Diploma of Complementary Therapies (Anatomy, Physiology and Massage, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Stress Management, Diet and Nutrition), the European Shiatsu School Initiation Course Certificate and Osho Reiki First Degree.

I am available for home treatments around the Coín area and inland Costa del Sol, Spain.  If you would like further information or to book a treatment, contact me via the Contact page.