| Shiatsu Massage: The Treatment That Marilyn Monroe Had It is 1953, a well known American actress is in Tokyo on her honeymoon with husband number two. She becomes seriously ill, and she fails to respond to Western Medical Treatment. As a last resort Namikoshi Sensei is called in. He treats her every day for a week, after which she has a remarkable recovery. Who is this Namikoshi and what exactly did he do? Tukujiro Namikoshi was seven years old when his mother became very ill, using his hands Namikoshi massaged and pressed the parts that hurt, and over time managed to bring about a complete cure of what we would now call rheumatoid arthritis. And he was treating her with, “shi” -finger and “astsu” -pressure, with what is now known as Shiatsu. Namikoshi went on to study formally this ‘fingerpressure’ that was a folk tradition practised in Japan for thousands of years and in 1925 he founded the Clinic of Pressure Therapy. His clinic favoured a more ‘scientific’ and western approach to Shiatsu than the folk tradition. It was this approach and the treatment of Marilyn Monroe that brought Shiatsu to the West. Shiatsu Massage has continued to evolve and today we see a number of styles, some draw upon the link with Traditional Chinese Medicine and focus more on meridians and the flow of energy through the body, others focus on yoga like stretches to open pathways of energy in the body and yet others focus on the physiological and anatomical pressure points. However all styles of shiatsu hold in common the principle of stimulating the body’s own natural powers of healing, the aim of shiatsu massage therapy is to encourage the body to heal and to improve health and well-being. While different practitioners may have their own style there is an underlying core structure that has been evolving for thousands of years A Shiatsu session usually takes place on a futon or low massage table, it is fully clothed and typically lasts an hour. The practitioner applies gentle rhythmic pressures to specific points on the body and may move your body into gentle stretches during the treatment. Some spots may feel tender, or painful in a ‘hurt so good’ way. Most people find Shiatsu a deeply relaxing treatment and after the session find themselves with more energy and vitality. Shiatsu can be used as a one off relaxation wellbeing session to maintain and promote good health, or a series of treatments can help manage chronic conditions, such as: - Back pain
- Migraine and headaches
- Recovery from injuries
- Digestive problems
- Arthritis
- Stress
- High blood pressure
So if you feel your body needs the kind of balancing and support that a Shiatsu treatment can offer, or if you would just like to experience the treatment that helped Marilyn Monroe then give us a call today on 020 7000 1900. We will send one of our Shiatsu trained practitioners to come and give you a treatment that will leave you feeling balanced and energised, relaxed and rejuvenated! We look forward to hearing from you and giving you the treatment fit for a movie star!
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