Shiatsu

Renée practices a form of shiatsu known as Ohashiatsu.  It was developed by her teacher, Wataru Ohashi, who was taught by Shizuto Masunaga.  This form of shiatsu is at once gentle and deep, comforting and revealing.  It is a whole-body experience and relies on the use of pressure and stretching to help restore movement in the body.

The practitioner’s continuous contact with the receiver, using both hands, is a vital aspect of Ohashiatsu.  It allows the practitioner to sense the subtle responses of the receiver and it enables the receiver to relax more fully.

Shiatsu is a deeply meditative and restorative experience for both giver and receiver.

How is a Shiatsu Treatment performed?
Shiatsu is done on the floor on a padded mat called a futon.  Shiatsu involves a great deal of stretching throughout the treatment.  Working on the floor allows the practitioner access to deeper stretches and more importantly, the use of her own body weight to effortlessly “drop” when applying pressure to the body.

How does Shiatsu Differ from Massage?
Shiatsu has more in common with acupuncture than with massage.  A shiatsu treatment moves along Meridians with direct pressure, using hands, fingers, knees and forearms, to points called tsubos.  These Meridians comprise 14 primary channels of energy-flow through the body, most of which correspond directly to organ systems.  In Japan, Shiatsu is regarded as a medical treatment because of its’ ability to interpret disharmony between internal organs and alter the path of disease.   Effective treatments rely on accurate diagnosis; the diagnostic process involved in a Shiatsu treatment is extensive and will include: abdominal (Hara) diagnosis, facial diagnosis, odor and sound diagnosis as well as meridian palpation diagnosis.