Shiatsu is Japanese for "finger pressure"; it is a type of alternative medicine consisting of finger and palm pressure, stretches, and other massage techniques.
This has been considered a way to help people relax and cope with issues such as stress, muscle pain, nausea, anxiety, and depression, for thousands of years. There are two main Shiatsu schools: one incorporating elements of evidence-based anatomy and physiology, and the other based on Traditional Chinese Medicine.
But finding and paying for a Shiatsu expert every time we're stressed or feel a bit worse for wear, well, that's hard to do. For that reason we have this simple guide that instructs in the way of the self-shiatsu massage.
It may not be as good as laying on a bed and letting someone else do the work, but it can be a useful way of reducing stress, pain, anxiety and a host of other small health problems and aches.
