There are certainly a wide variety of reactions to this aspect of shiatsu treatment.

There are a couple reasons why the treatment of this area, the hara, figures into shiatsu sessions. 

From the practitoner's perspective, palpation of the hara is a highly effective diagnostic tool. All of the meridians are represented in the abdomen, and pressure on each of these areas gives information as to where the receiver's energy is stuck or weak, as well as allowing for treatment at the same time. One could perform a complete and effective treatment session on the hara alone, and traditionally, an entire lifetime could be spent cultivating a sensitivity to the subtleties of what is revealed about a person's past, present and future health conditon just in their hara.

Also, the hara is believed to be the container for our spiritual energy.  Indeed, the energy of the hara can be visualized like a spiral... all forces converging there and spiraling out again, and its wholeness and strength also determines our ability to manifest what we can visualize in our lives. In a shiatsu session, massaging the hara has a way of unifying and intergrating all parts of the treament together. Also, when one describes their lives or energy as feeling "scattered", hara treatment can bring back a feeling of wholeness or centeredness.

One more benefit, from a structural perspective, is that addressing tension in the abdomen can have the immediate effect of relieving back and hip pain, as well as constrictive digestive or menstrual issues, as the fascia connecting these areas softens and relaxes under gentle but deep pressure.

Last updated on June 13, 2008 by Gina Loree' Marks