On April 6, 2015 I had the rare opportunity to spend the day with Mr. Takashi Namikoshi in his Shiatsu Salon in the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo Japan. He greets us with a big smiling face and says “call me Tak!” Takashi is the grandson of the founder of Shiatsu, Tokujiro Namikoshi.
Tokujiro was born Nov 15, 1905 on the island of Shikoku. At the age of 7 his family moved from the warm island climate to the more severe temperatures of northern island Hokkaido. On the day after the family arrived, the mother suddenly experienced pain in her knees….and then spread to her ankles, wrists, elbows and shoulders. The ailment was later diagnosed as rheumatism of the joints. The children, wanting to help their mother began pressing on the areas of her body that hurt. She frequently would tell Tokujiro “your hands feel best”. This praise encouraged Tokujiro to work harder in treating his mother. He found that when he concentrated on the areas that were the stiffest and coolest, his mother’s symptoms would improve. This was the origin of “Namikoshi Shiatsu Therapy.”
Mr. Namikoshi sits us down in one of his 3 treatment rooms and tells us about the history of Shiatsu and shares stories of how is grandfather treated Marilyn Monroe and Mohamed Ali.
He then taught us that Shiatsu is a type of therapy that stimulates vital points located all over the body with pressure performed by the fingers and hands. Shiatsu can invigorate the 60 trillion cells in the human body, and promote an inherent natural healing ability. Moreover, it helps to promote the removal of waste materials such as lactic acid and carbon dioxide gas out of the human body.
Based on modern medical science, 660 basic vital points are located at muscles, nerves, blood vessels, lymphatic glands, hormonal glands and viscera, which can be stimulated to affect an organ’s functionality. The therapist must evaluate the condition of the muscles and decide the level of pressure to be performed.
The following physical effects can be expected from Shiatsu: 1.revitalizing the skin 2. limbering the muscles 3. stimulating the circulation of body fluids 4. regulating neural functions 5. balancing the endocrine system 6. balancing the skeletal structure and 7. regulating the alimentary system
Once we had covered the history and basic principles of Shiatsu, Mr. Namikoshi demonstrated self shiatsu points in the thumbs, and neck. I asked him what he recommended as a self shiatsu routine to do every morning and he suggested 1. Finger clapping, spreading the arms very wide and focusing on connecting the 10 fingers quickly together while still lying in bed – this practice helps to “connect” the brain to the hands. 2. Three inside and outside points in the thumbs 3. Abdominal spiral Shiatsu and 4. Neck Shiatsu. Each point is held for 3 seconds and pressed on an exhale.
The session ended with a 1 1/2 hour Shiatsu session with Mr Namikoshi, so that I could experience the true master at work. After the session I felt an incredible sense of calm and relaxation in my body. That night at dinner I found myself laughing harder than I have in years.
Since my time with the master, I have been practicing self shiatsu. The best thing about self shiatsu is that it can be done anytime, anywhere and with only ones hand and fingers as tools. It can be used to better understand one’s body and muscles and only requires a few minutes of time. Self Shiatsu can be helpful for those suffering from musculoskeletal pain but what is particularly great is that if done daily, it can help to prevent pain.
In the hopes of spreading this incredible healing art, Mr Namikoshi is planning to visit KIMA Center for Physiotherapy and Wellness to teach Shiatsu certification.