Shiatsu

Seminar Workbook

by Shizuko Yamamoto & Patrick McCarty

Contents Bar efoot/ Macrobio tic Shiatsu ...........................................................................1 Fund am en tals of H ealt h ....................................................................................7 Macrob iot ics ........................................................................................................8 Life-sty le Gu id elin es ........................................................................................ 11 Cau se of Illness .................................................................................................12 H ealth ............................................... ............................................... ...................15 Ch in ese Med ical Fou nd at ion s ........................................................................16 Energ y Flow Wit hin The Bod y........................................................................24 Spir al of Creat ion ..............................................................................................24 Face Diagnosis...................................................................................................25 Inter na l Or gan s, Emo tion s, an d Facial Diag no sis........................................26 Back an d Front Points ......................................................................................27 Major Ene rg y Center s (Ch ak ras) ....................................................................28 Shiatsu Techn iqu es ...........................................................................................29 Ab d om inal Or ga ns ...........................................................................................30 Barefoo t/ Macro biot ic Shiats u Treat m ent ......................................................31 Self-Shiats u Treatm en t (Do-In) .......................................................................38 Mer id ian s ...........................................................................................................40 Lung..............................................................................................................40 Lar ge Int est ine.............................................................................................45 Spleen ......................................... ............................................... ...................47 Stomach........................................................................................................50 H eart ........................................... ............................................... ...................53 Sma ll Int est ine.............................................................................................56 Kid ney ............................................... ............................................... ............58 Blad d er .........................................................................................................62 Liver..............................................................................................................64 Gall Bladder.................................................................................................68 H ear t Gov ern or ...........................................................................................71 Trip e H eat er (Sanjiao ).................................................................................73 Gov ern ing Vessel ........................................................................................76 Con cep tio n Vesse l.......................................................................................78 Summary of Meridian Pathology...................................................................80 Circulating Direction of the Meridians..........................................................81 N at u ra l H om e Remed ies .................................................................................82 Acu p oin t N am es ...............................................................................................98 Copyr ight © 2002 Shizuko Yamam oto & Patrick McCarty All Rights Reserv ed

Macrobiotic Shiatsu Workbook

Macrobiotic Shiatsu The M acrobiotic/Barefoot Shiatsu In tensive is an edu cational forum an d a transformational healing w orkshop. This program is design ed to give essenti al skills to

practitioners for

professional and family-style treatment. Macrobiotic Shiatsu includes sp ecific techn iqu es and exercises wh ich stimulate th e ph ysical structure, nervou s and circulatory systems, and all the major intern al organs to focus on d eveloping refined strategies for self-correction and imp roved, vibran t health. Link ing m ind and bod y awareness encourages the ability to perceive obvious and subtle b ody movements and rhythms, awareness of one’s tension , and respiratory pattern s. The goal is to develop lifetim e skills to promote health, happin ess, and w holeness.

THEORY OF SHIATSU & PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE When som eone is hurting either ph ysically or emotionally our hu man instinct is to reach ou t and comfort that p erson. This intuitive response is the foun dation of shiatsu — instinct comes first, techniques follow. Given the proper attitude of caring, technique will alw ays natur ally develop. In Japan ese the word shi mean s finger and atsu mean s pr essure. Shiatsu , also called acupressure, is an Asian h ealing m ethod in w hich specific points on the sur face of the body are pressed. Energy (Qi or Ki) tend s to stagnate in sp ecific points along th e meridian (path way of energy) called acup oints. There are hu nd reds of acup oints on the hu man body. When

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energy is blocked in an acup oint, it becomes sensitive to pressure. In shiatsu th e acupoints are pr essed to stimu late the movement of stagnated energy as w ell as to diagnose the presence of disease. Symp toms of illness are protective mechanisms. If we listen and heed th e warn ing then further d evelopment is avoided. Shiatsu n ever cures the p atient. It is the patient w ho h eals himself. The p ractitioner is the stimulus to aid the patient in assu ming a prop er direction. The practitioner serves as a mirror for the p atient, allowing th e patient the op portu nity to self-reflect on th e true cause of his or her cond ition. Our app roach is edu cational. Shiatsu creates a deep feeling of well-being, vitality, and relaxation, and is an effective tool in p reventing d isease. Shiatsu can be a p leasurable experience. It encourages commu nication betw een family m embers, coup les, and friend s. It requ ires no special equipm ent, oil, or the remov al of clothes. It can be d one any wh ere, at anytime.

ORIGIN OF SHIATSU Since the beginning of time p eople have u sed variou s styles of touch to try to soothe and heal family an d friend s. While scholars feel that massage originated in China it is certain that each country throughou t the world h ad d eveloped and passed dow n their method s for treating th e body with the han ds. Ancient writings of Egypt, Persia, Greece, Rome, and Asian countries mention the p ositive effects from th e use of m assage. We instinctively ru b, press, pat, or in some w ay tou ch wh en w e ache, feel pain, or just don 't feel right. Intuitively w e are ap plying self-treatment to try to create a more balanced state. Everyone is qu alified to help themselves and with a little effort, are able to help others too. The simple und erstanding that h um ans are equipped to heal themselves, and th at w e can also help oth ers, is the u nd erlying foun dation of shiatsu. If we live according to n atural laws w e really shouldn 't have man y troubles. Unfortun ately we d on't consistently live that way and hum ankind has h ad to d evise ways to deal with 4


the suffering that w e experience. Ultimately to regain w holeness we mu st change our way of living. There are m any tools that we can u se in this process. Shiatsu is one of them. The origin of the Japan ese word "shiatsu" is not certain. Over th e centuries, information that makes up the shiatsu techniqu es was gathered throu gh trial and error. The healing techniqu es that are fun dam ental to shiatsu probably originated in ancient China , and later cam e to Jap an. Shiatsu is a synth esis of Jud o pr inciples, Do-In (self massage), and ancient m assage. In 1955, the Japan ese parliament ad opted a bill on revised Amm a treatment (ancient Asian massage). Thus, for the first time in Japan, shiatsu was given official endorsement. Neither a thorou gh p hysical checkup by a doctor of Western m edicine, nor a complete laboratory analysis, can ad equately diagnose and cure symp toms caused by n ervous an d m ental disorders and the imbalance of the auton omic nervous system. Shiatsu is a system that has d eveloped from centu ries of experience, and has p roven effective in curing man y symp toms. Among these symp toms are headaches, dizziness, ringing in the ears, eyestrain, general fatigue, stiff neck and shoulders, lower backache, constipation, numbness of limbs, chills, flushes, insomnia, and lack of appetite. Shiatsu and related techniqu es have also p roven effective for curing chronic and painful cond itions such as high blood pressure, rheum atism, and general neuralgia.

THE DEVELOPMENT O F MACRO BIOTIC SHIATSU

Shiatsu p ractitioners have long been considered au thorities on treating m inor diseases in Japan. In general, the Japan ese pub lic favors shiatsu treatment an d, for man y years, these practitioners have p layed a m ajor role in health m aintenance. The practice of eating large am oun ts of animal food has created bod ies that are very

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Face Diagnosis

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Back & Front Points

IN TERN AL O RG AN S

BACK PO IN TS

FRO N T PO IN TS

Lu n g

BL 13 (Thoracic 3)

LU 1

H eart G overn or

BL 14 (T4)

CV 17

H eart

BL 15 (T5)

CV14

Liver

BL 18 (T9)

LV 14

G all Blad d er

BL 19 (T10)

G B 24

Sp leen

BL 20 (T11)

LV 13

Stom ach

BL 21 (T12)

CV 12

Trip le H eater (San jiao)

BL 22 (Lum bar 1)

CV 5

Kid n ey

BL 23 (L2)

G B 25

Large In testin e

BL 25 (L4)

ST 25

Sm all In testin e

BL 27 (Sacrum 1)

CV 4

Blad d er

BL 28 (S2)

CV 3

* Back Points are known as Yu points in Japanese and Shu points in Chinese. Front Points are known as Bo points in Japanese and Mu points in Chinese.

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Major Energy Centers — Chakras Heaven ’s Force Enters Body from Crow n

Seventh or Crown chakra Sixth or M idbrain chakra

Fifth or Th roat chak ra

Fourth or Heart chakra

Third or Solar Plexus chakra

Second or Abdomin al chakra First or Base chak ra

CH AKRA

7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st

Earth’s Force Enters Body from Feet

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PRIM ARY

SECO N D ARY

Cor res p on d en ce

Cor re sp on d en ce

Pineal Pitu itary Thyroid Thym u s Pancreas Ad renal Ovary/ Testis

H yp othalam u s Central N .S. Parathyroid H eart/ Lu ngs Digestive Kid ney Blood


Macrobiotic Shiatsu Treatment Barefoot/ Macrobiotic Shiatsu takes betw een 45-60 minu tes to comp lete a full session. The session is don e with clothes on. Both p ractitioner and receiver should wear loose fitting cotton clothing. And throu ghou t the treatment session both practitioner and receiver should coordinate th e breath so both are breathing together. This strengthens the pow er of the session.

Basic Macrobiotic Shiatsu Steps

Receiver is seated on the floor or in a chair.

1. Loosen up shou lders.

2. Poun d across shoulders.

Receiver lies face down. A rms extended out at the sides, palms flat.

3. Foot on hip bon e, roll the pelvis.

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Meridians LUNG

In trad itional Asian m edicine, metal ph ase, the westerly direction, the season of autum n, the dr y climatic condition, the color white, the emotions of sadn ess and w orry, the pu ngent taste, and th e sound of crying. It’s opening is the nose, and it governs the skin.

The function of all organs in classical med icine is based on clinical observations of patients over hu nd reds of years and not n ecessarily the physical structure of the organ in w estern med icine. Most of the Lung functions have a comm on character: they are dispersing and descending in natu re, that is they send energy aw ay in different directions and especially d own ward . The Lung dislikes cold.

When a w estern anatomical description is explained the organ n ame is written with a lower case letter e.g. The liver filters the blood . When an A sian m edical description is given the organ nam e is written with an up per case letter e.g. The Liver is responsible for an unrestricted flow of energy.

1. The Lung G overns Qi and Respiration. The term “Ki” or “Qi” is often explained as vital energy. Although this term is n ot totally accur ate, and there ar e different ty pes of Qi, it is sufficient for this p ur po se. Governing Qi and respiration is the most imp ortant fun ction of the Lung, because it extracts “clean Qi,” energy from the air for the body, which combines with “food Qi,” energy extracted from food by the d igestive system. These two forms of Qi combine in

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the chest where they form Gath ering Qi.

The Lun g spread s this newly formed Qi all over the body to nou rish the tissues and prom ote all physiological processes. This Qi also aids th e Lung and Heart functions, as well as prom oting good circulation to th e limbs an d controlling the strength of the voice. The strength , tone, and clarity of voice are all dep enden t on the Lun g. The Lungs ar e the most extern al of the Yang* organ s, they are the connection betw een the bod y and the ou tside w orld. Therefore the Lungs are easily affected by exterior pathogenic (disease-causing) factors, and are vulnerable to invasion by climatic factors.

* The Lun g is classified as a Y ang organ wit hin M acrobiotic teaching. It is considered a Y in organ by classical A sian M edicine. Both philosophies considered the organ to be solid.

2. The Lun gs Control Pathways an d Blood Vessels. While the Heart controls the blood vessels in trad itional Asian m edicine, the Lungs p lay an imp ortant p art in maintaining their health. The path way s refer to where energy flows in th e meridians that h elp nou rish the vessels along with th e blood flowing w ith them. When the Lung Qi is strong, the circulation of Qi and Blood will be strong, so the limbs w ill be wa rm . While if it is weak, the limbs, especially the han d s will be cold.

3. The Lungs Control Dispersing and Descendin g. The Lun gs have th e function of dispersing Defensive Qi and body fluid s all over the body to the sp ace between skin and mu scles. This ensures th at ones resistance to external illness is equally distributed all over the bod y un der th e skin, performing its function of war ming the skin and mu scles and p rotecting the body from external path ogenic factors. A comm on cold usu ally man ifests as an impairmen t of the Lun g d ispersing action. If this defensive energy is chron ically weak th ere are exercises, foods an d h erbs

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that can build up th e body’s strength .

The Lun gs have a descending function because the Lungs are the u pp ermost organ in the bod y. The Lung Qi descend s to interact w ith the Kidney, while the Lungs d irect fluid s dow n to th e Kidn eys and the Bladd er. If this fun ction is impaired, cough, breathlessness, and stuffiness of the chest m ay resu lt.

4. The Lun gs Regulate Water Passages. After receiving refined fluids from the d igestive p rocess, the Lungs sp read them throu ghou t the body in the area und er the skin and controlling the bodies fluid loss throu gh sw eating. The Lun gs also direct fluid s dow n to th e Kidn eys and Bladd er. An impaired Lun g fun ction could result in urinary retention.

5. The Lungs Control Skin and Hair. The fluids that th e Lun gs receive from the digestive process and sp read th rough out th e body u nd er the skin gives the skin and hair nou rishment. Thu s if the Lung function is norm al, the skin w ill have luster, the hair w ill be glossy, and the open ing and closing of the p ores and sweating w ill be normal. Also if this function of the Lung is imp aired, besides affecting the qu ality of the skin an d hair, the pores are often open with sym ptoms of spontaneou s sweating. A person with these symp toms is often more vu lnerable to attack from extern al disease causing factors, like catching a cold.

6. The Lungs O pen In to the Nose. It is said that the nose is the opening of the Lun gs to the ou tside w orld. If the Lung Qi is weak, or if the Lungs are invad ed by an external path ogenic factor, the nose w ill be blocked, and there may be loss of the sense of smell and sneezing.

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Diet Excessive consum ption of cold an d raw foods is said to affect th e Spleen causing it to generate Phlegm that end s up being store in the Lung s. An excessive consu mp tion of milk, cheese, butter, and other d airy prod ucts can have th e same effect on the Lungs.

Emotions The emotions that can effect the Lun gs if they persist over a long p eriod of time are sadn ess and worry. Prolong sad ness disperses Qi, which results in a d eficiency of Lung Qi. Prolonged worry causes stagnation of Qi in the chest that affects the Lungs.

Posture Sitting for long p eriods of time over a d esk to read or w rite can w eaken Lung Q i, because the chest is imped ed and prop er breathing is impaired .

The Lung Meridian of the H and (Yin Meridian) There are 11 points on the Lun g merid ian. The Lung Merid ian pertains to the Lun g and commu nicates with the Large Intestine through the d iaphragm . The merid ian also associates itself with the Stomach and the Kidney.

Symptoms and Signs External—Meridian: chills, fever, hidrosis or anhidrosis, nasal obstruction, headache, pain in th e chest or of the shou lder and the back, decrease in temp erature, and p ain of the forearm and the hand .

Internal—Organ: cough, asthma, dyspnea (difficulty breathing), fullness of the chest, expectoration, dryn ess of the throat, color chan ging of the u rine, increase in temp erature of the p alm, distress or hem optysis (vomiting blood), accompany ing occasionally with fullness of the abdom en and m ild d iarrhea. 13


LUNG MERIDIAN

Active 3-5 am 14


Natural Home Remedies Index Brow n Rice Crea m .............................. 83

Salt Bat h ................................................90

Pearl Barley (semen coix) .................. 83

Salt Pack ................................................90

Miso Sou p ............................................ 83

Salt Water Wash ...................................91

Shr ed d ed Kombu Sou p ...................... 84

Banch a (Ku kicha) Do u che ................. 91

Car p Sou p (Koi Koku )........................ 84

Kombu Water ...................................... 91

Ad uki/ Kombu/ Squ ash..................... 85

H ijiki-Vegetable Sau té ........................ 91

Carrot/ Daikon Mixture ..................... 85

N ori Con d im en t...................................92

Um ebo sh i ............................................. 85

Shio Kom bu ......................................... 92

Baked Umeboshi or Ume Pits ........... 85

Roasted Sea Vegetable Pow der ......... 92

Shiitak e Mu sh roo m ............................ 86

Seaweed Powd er w / Seeds................ 93

Black Soy Bean s................................... 86

Bro w n Rice Tea.................................... 93

Gom asio (Sesam e Salt) ....................... 86

Bar ley Tea............................................. 94

Tekk a..................................................... 87

Barley/ Ad u ki Tea ............................... 94

Shiso ...................................................... 87

Ad u ki Bean Tea ....................................94

Sm all Dried Fish (Chirim en) ............. 87

Kom bu Tea........................................... 94

Rice or Barley/ Greens Plaster........... 87

Sweet Vegetable Drin k ........................95

Bu ckw hea t Plast er .............................. 88

Daik on Dr ink N o. 1 ............................ 95

Gree n Plast er ....................................... 88

Daik on Dr ink N o. 2 ............................ 95

Miso Plast er ......................................... 88

Lotu s Tea ...............................................95

Taro Plast er .......................................... 88

Kom bu / Shiitak e Brot h........................96

Potato Plaste r....................................... 89

Shiitak e Tea...........................................96

Gin ger Com p ress ................................ 89

Um e Con cent rat e .................................96

Gin ger Oil ............................................ 89

Reishi Tea ............................................. 96

Sesam e Oil............................................ 90

Ume/ Sho/ Bancha Drink................... 97

Bod y Scru b........................................... 90

Umeboshi Kuzu Drink........................97 Am e Ku zu Drin k .................................97

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Natural Home Remedies Brown Ri ce Cream In a cask iron sk illet dr y roast 1 cu p of brow n rice unt il it is golden color. Do not u se oil. Put rice in a p ot, add 7-10 cups of pu rified w ater (not chlorinated tap water) and bring to a boil. Cover, lower th e flame an d simmer 3-4 hou rs. It is quicker to use a p ressure cooker. Redu ce water to 5 cup s and pressure cook for 2 hou rs. Squeeze cooled contents throu gh a cotton cheese cloth (or a Foley food mill) and save. Add sea salt to your portion as you use it. It can be eaten as is or topped with sesame salt or nori. Uses: recovering from sickness, fatigue, and lack of ap petite.

Pearl Barley (semen coix) Make a soup using 1 cup cooked Pearl Barley, carrots, onions, wakame sea vegetable and enough water to m ake soup consistency. Season to taste. Eat 1 bowl p er day. Another m ethod of using pearl barley is to add 10 percent pearl barley to brown rice. Eat regularly. Uses: hemorrhoid s, warts, moles, some cancers, and the side effects of chemoth erapy

and radiation. Pearl barley, know n as Job's Tears and Hato Mu gi in Japan ese has been used to redu ce tum ors, swelling, inflammation, and h eat in the body.

Miso Soup 4 cups water 6 inch piece wakame sea vegetable 1/4 cup each of onion, carrot, green vegetable or wild greens 1/2 inch slice tofu (cubed) 1/4 cup barley (or brown rice or hatcho) miso

Place sea vegetable and w ater in soup p ot and bring to boil. Simmer w hile cut th e vegetables to similar size and shape. Remove sea vegetable, cool briefly and cut. Return chopp ed sea vegetable to pot. Add all ingredients to soup pot except m iso and slow boil un til don e, up to one-half hour, depen ding on how vegetables are cut. Soup vegetables 16


Chinese Medical Foundations Shiatsu, as well as other natu ral healing m odalities such as acupu ncture and herbalogy perform certain functions in Traditional Chinese Medicine. They regulate the flow of Qi throu gh th e meridians and Organs, remove blockages, strengthen th e body’s protective energy (Qi) and lessen the n oxious effect of excesses.

FUNDAM ENTAL PRIN CIPLES

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Shiatsu

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