Monica Bianchi
https://www.facebook.com/monica.bianchi.5283
The Winter Season: In TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine), winter is associated with the water element: it is the quintessential yin element, and during this time of retreat, warmth and nourishment are essential. It represents fundamental energy: without the energy of water, wood could not manifest, fire would lose its harmony, and earth could not absorb nutrients and transform them into energy.
Within the human body, fluids (including blood circulation, lymphatic secretions, urinary and endocrine fluids, sweat, tears, and genital secretions) must flow freely for the body to function properly. The characteristic strengths of this element are calmness, tranquility, self-confidence, and vitality.
The emotion associated with water is fear: fear is the most common cause of imbalance, especially unconscious fear, which, if it becomes a permanent state of mind, can have debilitating effects. If our body’s energy, our Qi, flows freely, life will seem like the current of a river. If this doesn’t happen, life will seem like a nightmare, and we will experience feelings of suffocation and despair. The organ (zang) associated with the water element is the kidney (KI), while the viscera (fu) is the urinary bladder (BL).
The sensory organs of water are the ears, and therefore, the sense is hearing.
The shape and function of the ears, as well as hearing ability, reflect the strength and condition of the kidneys, as do the hair, bones, and teeth, which are the body tissues of water.
The water element is expressed through the joy of living, because joy relaxes the kidneys and allows them to use energy efficiently. The powerful energy of the lungs and large intestine (metal element) are the kidneys’ best allies, as they strengthen them through a healthy and positive lifestyle (the metal element generates water).
The water element is most evident in the lower half of the body (from the navel down).
The legs also reflect water energy, with the inner thighs being a clear indicator (the kidney meridian runs through here); the knees and ankles are also of considerable importance. Bladder energy is evident along the path of its own meridian on the back.
Nasia Shiatsu
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Water Element:
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Kidney is more than just an organ: it is the custodian of vital energy (Jing), the deepest reservoir that sustains growth, strength, and the ability to cope with life and change.
When Kidney energy is balanced, a person feels stability, confidence, and continuity.
When it is deficient, deep fatigue, fear, insecurity, and difficulty living life arise.
The Kidney Meridian belongs to the Water Element, the downward movement that preserves and protects the root.
Kidney 1 – Yong Quan
The root: located in the sole of the foot;
It is the lowest point of the body.
• Anchors energy;
• Restores presence and balance;
• Calms agitation and fear;
• Promotes contact with reality.
It is the point that tells the body, “You can stay here, you are safe.”
Kidney 3 – Tai Xi
The Source: located between the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon.
• Deeply tonifies the kidney;
• Nourishes Yin and Yang;
• Strengthens vital energy, the back, and the bones;
• Stabilizes emotions.
It is the point that facilitates continuity when energy seems to be lacking.
Kidney 6 – Zhao Hai
Calm: below the inner ankle.
• Nourishes Kidney Yin;
• Calms the mind and nervous system;
• Helpful for insomnia and nighttime restlessness;
• Relieves accumulated emotional tension.
This is the point of self-compassion, when one lives in constant control.
When treated together, Kidney 1, Kidney 3, and Kidney 6 act synergistically:
• Grounds;
• Nourishes vital energy;
• Calms fear;
• Promotes the ability to face life effortlessly.
This treatment is indicated when a person is very tired, not only physically but also emotionally.
The Kidney reminds us that vital energy should not be forced; it should be listened to, protected, and respected.
Caring for the Kidney Meridian means learning not to wear ourselves out resisting, but to remain, with strong roots and deep breaths, in our own rhythm. When Water is strong, life flows.
#kidneymeridian #waterelement #chinesemedicine #jing #deeproots #innerstrength #listeningtothebody #shiatsu
Tatami
https://www.facebook.com/TatamiShiatsuRoma
Shiatsu:
Shiatsu became known in Italy in the 1970s as a new Japanese technique, but later, in the early 1980s, people initially practiced and learned it with little or no formal training, simply for pleasure and the pleasant discoveries they made about their own well-being as practitioners. The opportunity to connect with others through pressure, close contact, and practices aimed at improving personal performance was paramount. The idea of turning it into a profession was secondary to the curiosity to learn and delve deeper into a discipline that, even in cultural terms, was very far removed from the Western perspective.
This nourishing and healthy aspect gradually faded with the rise of structured schools and the expansion of Shiatsu into a wide variety of settings. What emerges is almost exclusively the learning of a technique to be used in one’s own profession, losing the unique, egalitarian, and mutually supportive vision between practitioner and recipient.
Even the training, which necessarily must be extended over time, is increasingly offered in shorter, more basic formats, and often with a predominantly “healing” focus. I believe Shiatsu can be so much more than that.
At this historical moment, it would be desirable for Shiatsu to be disseminated socially as a basic and simple practice for improving personal relationships and restoring more harmonious and natural rhythms and modalities, and not only as a “PROFESSION,” perhaps combined with other worthy practices.
Expressing values such as #support #listening #respect should be fundamental in the practice, dissemination, and teaching of Shiatsu.
#shiatsuprofession #shiatsuroma #tatamiasd #shiatsudo