Shiatsu is a traditional Japanese healing art that literally translated means "finger pressure".
The Shiatsu practitioner uses her fingers, palms, elbows, knees and feet to press along meridian lines on the body. These meridian lines, which have been described as "channels of living magnetic energy in the body," pass through the body and connect the vital organs. Although named after the vital organs, the functions of the meridians are much wider and encompass the whole being, at the emotional, mental and physical level. An imbalance in a person's vital energy may manifest itself as a back problem, a headache, a mental depression, or in many other ways. By working along the meridians the practitioner summons energy to the places most in need and disperses the energy from the areas where it is congested, thus restoring balance to the whole body. Shiatsu is primarily a preventive therapy, which helps to maintain a person's health, vitality and stamina. It also strengthens the vital organs and prevents energy from getting blocked in the body. Shiatsu can help in a wide range of disorders and chronic conditions including depression, migraine headache, backache, injuries and other stress-related conditions.
