The River Stone Shiatsu Association
Your First Sennin-So Shiatsu session
1. Arrive 5-10 min. prior to your appointment to fill out some paperwork.
2. Be sure to wear loose clothing: yoga pants, workout attire, tank tops. This treatment is received WITHOUT the client fully undressed. If you're comfortable without a shirt, male clients can go without and female clients can wear a sports bra, but this is to your comfort level. PLEASE do not wear thick clothes like jeans, sweatshirts, and sweaters.
3. Sennin-So Shiatsu is a fast technique, designed to stimulate the body's ability to heal. The longer a practitioner works on one area the more the blood pools, so staying on any spot for more than a few seconds is not how this treatment is performed.
4. This art works to balance the entire body and as such the entire body is worked on. This is explained in greater detail during your appointment. Your symptoms and your root problems are generally never in the same location.
5. A multitude of sensations can occur during your session. Sensitivity to touch including pain and tickling is very common when the practitioner finds an area that needs to be released. The pressure is not like a deep tissue massage as the practitioner is using only finger pressure to stimulate the area. But the sensitivity is noticeable when the client requires the area to be corrected. Typically the sensitivity decreases in matter of a few seconds.
6. Your practitioner will talk you through everything they are doing and everything they see. It is vital that you understand what your body is going through so you can better understand how to prevent root problems from occurring in the future.
7. Hydrate appropriately after your session with room temperature water and only to the level of fluids that your body is asking for. Too much water can have just as many problems to the body as too little. If you're thirsty, hydrate yourself. If you're not, then there is no need.
8. After your first session, your body will detox heavier than you're probably accustomed to. This is very common and very healthy for your body. You can experience soreness, nausea, a headache, and a relative state of grogginess as your body detoxes. This process normal and will significantly decrease with each session. In a short time you won't experience many detoxes post treatment if you keep your overall health up to date.
3 Common Misconceptions about Sennin-So Shiatsu
Misconception #1: I'm going in for a massage.
Sennin-So Shiatsu is not a massage. When you receive a massage, it is a timed session where the focus is mostly to indulge with physical touch throughout. Sennin-So Shiatsu is a treatment designed to stimulate your body's chi, or more specifically: your blood flow.
Misconception #2: I need a longer session.
Sennin-So Shiatsu is not a timed treatment. The length of the session depends on many factors; however, most treatments range from 20-30 min. Longer is not better when it comes to receiving Sennin-So Shiatsu. Your blood moves throughout your body at an amazing speed, so working the body parts too long will stagnate the area. Quickly releasing points and moving on will speed up the body's healing ability and help to balance the 60,000 miles that makes up your circulatory system.
Misconception #3: I just need my back worked on.
Focusing solely on your symptoms is a significant problem in the medical field today. Your body is an extremely intricate machine. Millions and millions of life fortifying actions are happening throughout your body every day. In most cases, it needs us to give it the right tools and then back off. But if an imbalance occurs, symptoms will start to show up. If you target the symptom you are misunderstanding what the body is saying. Go after the root cause not the symptom. After all... if someone has a clogged sink at home, you wouldn't go after the water. You'd go after the clog and ultimately prevent yourself from doing what clogged the sink up in the first place.