As I write this we're in the second covid lockdown in November 2020, I haven't hugged anyone since early March, apart from the dog and the cat, and then they shake that off!! It becomes difficult to spend so long not receiving and giving body contact, and for me I believe a major part of that is the energetic pick-me-up we get from hugging and being hugged.
Shiatsu is based on the 12 chinese meridians that flow up and down the body and along the arms and legs. The meridians closest to the body, on the insides of the arms and down the chest are called Yin Meridians, they're the more sensitive, emotionally attached meridians, and they're the ones that can hold the silent imbalances we don't necessarily notice or may not understand in physical terms.
On our backs we have Yang meridians, these protect us, they're our defense against the world and when they grumble, you know about it! Aching shoulders make you seek out a therapy to help you ease the aches and pains, whether it be acupuncture, a massage, or shiatsu, you just know you feel better after you've had a good session, things are working again, and don't feel so achy now.
In a traditional massage what you're less likely to get is a massage on the Yin meridians as they're on the insides of your arms and down through your chest , belly and groin; so they don't tend to get a treatment.
Aches in these meridians are less noticeable, they're more emotional, and they can be sensitive to the touch, but they don't cry out like the meridians on your back, and you don't seek out therapy for them.
And.... would you even know what therapy to have for them, you may think it needs to be a talky one as you know that what you're feeling is emotional, but I can tell you, that Shiatsu will be excellent for these feelings.
IT'S ALL IN A HUG
When you feel 'I want a hug', it can be these meridians silently asking for help. It's not an energy most of us are tapped into and understand, you just know you feel as you do, and you want to do something about it, and you know that a jolly good hug will really help how you're feeling.
There's a reason why hugs work! You're applying pressure and warmth, and another persons energy to places that appreciate this gentle way of being brought back into balance. These meridians are easily knocked out of kilter by emotional situations, and we've had a year of those. It's especially painful if you've not been able to hug a loved one for months on end, or not even being able to see them. They love being held, to help them rebalance, and a hug is gentle, supportive gesture. I bet you've had one of those hugs that you just don't want to end? That'll be those energies saying 'stay there, I'm getting what I need right now, just a little longer.'
In hugging someone we're opening up our energetic and emotional fields to embrace someone within. It feels so good to have that contact. Just tune in for a moment as you read this, where does that hug feel good? The pressure and connection on the chest and the inner arms, where we hold someone, these are all the great pressure points in the Yin meridians, for energies like the Heart and Heart Protector, and Stomach and Spleen; which are very much to do with home and family and being happy in this area.
SHIATSU IS A THERAPEUTIC HUG
With a massage they Yang meridians get pummeled into submission but we can't do the same with the Yin meridians. Can you imagine having a deep tissue massage on the insides of your arms, just trying using your own hand (the palm), and seeing what kind of pressure you want, it's going to be a firm connection but not a deeply intrusive one. You'll find you don't like pressing your fingers/thumbs in, its better to have the broad pressure of the flat of your hand.
Over the months we've been in lockdown and I've been helping people with Self Shiatsu via zoom they've been amazed at the comfort they've given themselves from massaging the same points that would be stimulated by hugging. This includes applying a firm pressure to the upper and lower belly, and at various chest points. Also we've worked the yin meridians along the arms that have felt good to them, Lung is another one, very much associated with grief and feeling comfort in that way.
"Shiatsu reaches parts of the body that no other therapy reaches..."
This is why Shiatsu is SO POWERFUL, it gently and therapeutically treats parts of the body that no other therapy reaches. I know a lot of people love reflexology and it can help with these emotional imbalances, but nothing beats holding directly with warmth and compassion the tender points that won't ever be reached; unless you're having a hug.
A hug is therapy, both emotionally and physically. We're all as one in mind and body, when we repress emotions we push them into our body and we hold them in the yin and yang meridians. In getting a massage we may deal with some of them, but others will be left untouched, and you may still have an energetic dissatisfaction that you can't quite put your finger on. Until the yin meridians are happy you won't feel completely at ease physically, and with that emotionally.
The great thing about having a shiatsu is that you can leave feeling emotionally very satisfied, because these needs have been met, you may not have attended thinking this way, but this is your mind and body, all in one, and you can't treat one without the other.
So if you're feeling like you NEED A HUG, what you need is a positive, emotional and physical rebalancing, and Shiatsu does this beautifully.
Book a Shiatsu, you don't need to have a health ailment, yes we take all of that into consideration, but be brave book a treatment and say, I just feel like I need a hug... your Shiatsu practitioner will do the rest :)
SHIATSU IN CHELTENHAM AND GLOUCESTER
Andrea has been practising Shiatsu here for 10 years, helping people emotionally as well as physically with this gentle and very supportive therapy.
Shiatsu is fantastic for resolving issues where there is no visible cause, so many aches and pains in the body are emotion based. Physically rebalancing your energies, places where you feel tender, sensitive, maybe even nauseous, result in you feeling calmer and happier.
Shiatsu is very much a preventative therapy, in receiving regularly you're keeping your mind and body in balance emotionally, and this means you ward off further ailments that are caused by emotional imbalance.
To receive Shiatsu, is to be giving yourself the ultimate in self care, receive regularly to maintain great health in both mind and body. You can book treatments here
or contact Andrea on 07899 987227
