Description

Immediate dispatch from Somerset. Nice book in great condition. Pages in excellent condition. Softcover. English. See images for condition.

About the book >.>.> Were we to ask a friend to massage our shoulders most likely he or she would employ rubbing pinching or kneading motions forward backward or in circles across the muscles. However if we were to receive shiatsu we would simply feel stationary pressure at some particular point then at another and so on. In the first massage there is movement; both giver and receiver are conscious of the giver actually “doing” something. In contrast the latter massage seems relatively motionless: it might re-mind us of Rodin’s sculpture of “The Thinker” where he giving elbow shiatsu to his own knee. At first glance it may seem strange that the latter “non-doing” massage can actually be effective. The philosophy and mind behind this approach differ dis-tinctly from our Western world view. Since that philosophy and mind are very practical in nature we first need to gain greater understanding of this outlook in order to enhance our ability to give effective shiatsu. Shiatsu or “finger pressure” evolved in Japan in this century from Anma a style of massage imported from China centuries earlier. While its deepest roots lie in an instinctive application of pressure to relieve areas of bodily pain the theoretical base of shiatsu is classical Chinese medicine. The style of shiatsu on which this book is based also reflects the cultural background of Japan permeated by the philosophy of Zen Buddhism. Shizuto Masunaga created and developed this style throughout a thirty year career until his death in 1981. It is known as Zen Shiatsu. Macrobiotics or life embracing the “largest view” is a practical philosophy based on the ways common to traditional peoples. As it is popularly known macrobiotics was first introduced from Japan by George Ohsawa a teacher poet philosopher and world traveler who began teaching in Europe during the 1930s. Macrobiotics accord-ing to Ohsawa applies to all of whatever religion culture or geographic location. The ultimate goal of macrobiotic practice is the attainment of absolute freedom. (SP)