The Benefits of Shiatsu Massage: How Massage Reduces Stress and Pain
7 minute read
The responsibilities of life can cause anxiety, leading to problems both emotional and physical. Stress and pain are often linked and can interfere with your quality of life. Massages have been used for centuries as a way to relax the muscles and the mind, and Shiatsu massages are quickly becoming a more popular therapeutic option than medications.
Even if it wasn’t a Shiatsu massage, the chances are that any massage experience left you feeling very relaxed afterwards. The reduction of muscle tension and the serene environment of massages bring a degree of relaxation that many people need.
Beyond just feeling better, Shiatsu massages can help to reduce stress as well as aches and pains. If that one massage made you feel good, just imaging what regular sessions could do for your overall well-being.
The Shiatsu Massage
Research has shown that massages benefit health in several ways, including pain reduction and the relief of depressive symptoms associated with illness.
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Massages have even been successfully used to improve the moods of people suffering with cancer and AIDS as well as helping children with autism.
So, what is it about massages that are so healing? Most massage studios offer Swedish massages, but once you understand the superior benefits of the Shiatsu massage, you will most certainly seek them out instead.
Shiatsu has been part of Japanese culture for centuries and is the physical therapy that helps support your body’s natural ability to heal and balance itself. The Shiatsu massage incorporates emotional, physical, and psychological well-being into one form of therapy.
Even though Shiatsu means “finger pressure” the massages involve the use of hands, palms, elbows, and even feet to apply pressure to the troubled areas of the body.
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The major difference to traditional Swedish massages, is that Shiatsu is more therapeutic instead of relaxing. Shiatsu is definitely relaxing, but it also focuses on releasing blocked energy in the body in order to relax and encourage natural healing.
This technique also involves acupressure which specifically targets meridian lines that are blocked. By relieving pressure at these lines, energy flows through the body along pathways that reach out to every important organ.
Because the Shiatsu massage differs from traditional massages, you should check with your doctor first. While it is rare that negative effects are reported, some individuals should use caution.
Cancer patients can benefit from the healing and relaxing qualities of a massage, but care needs to be taken not to apply pressure directly to areas where a tumor is or was present. Working with a trained Shiatsu practitioner is the best way to avoid complications.
Why You Need Shiatsu
Less Stress: Shiatsu massages will definitely have you feeling less stress. No matter how bad the week is, one session can undo the stress, and have you relaxed but energized at the same time.
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The stress response of the body can take its toll after an extended period of time. By restoring the body to its natural state and energy levels, Shiatsu massages help your body to recover from stress.
The restoration and balance of healthy energy levels also ensures that stress will be easier to handle in the future. Studies have been conducted using Shiatsu as a form of therapy for certain conditions including autism and childbirth.
Anxiety was significantly reduced in children with autism and the need for painkillers was lower during labor after specific pressure points were addressed with Shiatsu.
Less Pain: Shiatsu massages have long been used to relieve pain, including pains as severe as burns. Research has found that pain is reduced in burn victims and among those suffering with lower back pain or other muscular aches.
Depending on the severity and condition that is causing the pain, Shiatsu massages can be used alone or in conjunction with medications to relieve pains. Once energy flow is restored through the body, it is likely that the massages can continue, but the need for medications will be reduced if not eradicated.
Shiatsu is designed to support the body’s natural ability to heal itself, so you may no longer need pain-relieving medications.
No More Anxiety: Stress is something we all experience, but anxiety is stress that doesn’t stop. Constant worrying and a cycle of irrational thoughts characterize anxiety.
The problem is that even though anxiety is a mental condition, the effects it produces are very physical. Your body undergoes the stress response on a continual and repeated basis even if the threat causing the anxiety is only perceived.
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Over time, anxiety can seriously damage your health. Untreated anxiety not only impairs your mental health, but a great toll can be taken on your body physically.
Anxiety is linked to serious conditions like hypertension, IBS, leaky gut syndrome, and even heart disease. Shiatsu massages help to reduce anxiety and be changing energy flows, your body is better equipped to deal with stress.
Better Energy Flow: Shiatsu massages help your overall well-being by changing energy flow through your body. Blocked energy is believed to cause physical pains and stress. Pressure is applied across the body in a very deliberate way to target specific points that block energy flow.
The Bottom Line
The tradition of Shiatsu focuses on maintaining balance and health by encouraging positive energy flow through the body. The daily pressures of life and physical traumas can impede energy flow, making Shiatsu a necessity for those seeking improved quality of life.
Shiatsu massages can bring comfort from several conditions as well as relief from daily stress. More than just a temporary fix, this style massage changes the energy flow through your body, providing a holistic healing effect.
With reduced pain, a clearer head, and improved energy flow, daily stresses will be easier to bear and your body will be better equipped to battle health threats. A Shiatsu massage can heal mind and body, and leaves you feeling brand new every day.
