What is Shiatsu?

Shiatsu is a Japanese style of bodywork done clothed on a padded floor mat. Practitioners use thumb and palm pressure – sometimes knees and elbows – along channels in the body to encourage organ health, emotional balance, and increased range of motion. Shiatsu also utlizes stretches that might remind you of yoga or Thai Yoga Massage.

Accessibility

Some shiatsu practitioners do practice on massage tables; I may someday, but my training is on the floor. I’m happy to chat more about this, or other accommodations, and discuss if it’s an option for you to come down to the floor and up using a chair.

What’s a session like?

The session takes place clothed, so wear clothing that allows you to move easily (yoga pants, sweat pants, loose shirt; probably not jeans or skirts/dresses). I’ll check in with you about pressure and do my best to find a satisfying level. That said, shiatsu is different than deep tissue massage. Pressure does not have to be intense to be beneficial. We’ll also discuss any physical issues you’d like to work on. Shiatsu typically addresses the whole body, as the channels run through the whole body.

The work I’ve done offering yoga in shelters and the jail has influenced me a lot – my intention is to provide a typical shiatsu session but I am to give you a maximum amount of agency and control over how the experience unfolds, which can fall under the heading of “trauma-informed“.

What makes shiatsu holistic?

I love that Shiatsu takes the whole person into account – body, mind, and spirit. What drew me in the most was my impression that shiatsu shared something with the approach I bring to my yoga teaching: we are already whole, and no one is “fixing” us with bodywork. Instead the bodyworker is just helping us heal ourselves.

What does it feel like?

Many people find shiatsu calming to the nervous system or energizing like a mindful yoga practice. You may find relief from a particular pain pattern you’ve experienced. That said, we can never know what another person feels, at least not in the way we can know what WE feel. Every person is different, every day is different, and there is no one “right” way shiatsu “should” feel.

You can read client reviews here, but perhaps the best way to find out what shiatsu feels like? Book a session yourself! 🙂