“HARA+” SHIATSU – THE FULL-FRONTAL:
Optimal Targeted Zen for Late Summer / Earth Element BUT great at any time
HARA+ aka
The FULL FRONTAL
Feeling bogged down in humidity:
a little damp, sluggish, bloated …
with moods to match?
Having trouble sticking to your routines?
Zoning out in the mid-afternoon with
your cycles out of whack?
Reaching for sugar hits to see you through the day?
OR just
Looking for some re-balancing, with deep R & R?The FULL-FRONTAL SHIATSU is for YOU
in fact
IT’S FOR EVERYONE
WHY a “HARA+” FRONTAL FOCUS?
HARA+ TREATMENT ENERGIZES WHILE GIVING PHYSIOLOGICAL & NEUROLOGICAL RELEASE
We all know how much tension we can carry in the HARA / abdomen and upper torso – to say nothing of the quadriceps and groin. In straightforward, physiological terms releasing that tension has obvious, positive implications for breathing, digestion and ease of movement.
Less evident is the profound impact that the deep relaxation and energizing of front-body Shiatsu can have on the enteric nervous system (ENS) and the vagus nerve. This, in turn, has far reaching implications for:
- our rest/digest/heal capacity and system-wide well-being, as well as
- the connections between our physical, emotional and intellectual aspects.
THE ENTERIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
The ENS is often referred to as OUR SECOND BRAIN. It doesn’t appear to “think”, as we understand this activity, but it is as complex and neuron-laden as our central nervous system. Its functions and capabilities go far beyond managing gut activity/behaviour – something it does quite independently of the 1st brain. RECENT RESEARCH indicates that it plays a key role in determining both our mental and emotional state along with the mediation of the body’s immune response and the development of certain diseases throughout the body.
FOR INSTANCE: 95% of the body’s serotonin is found in the lower gut. Current thinking is that this may well provide a link between gastrointestinal health and, on the one hand, depression and, on the other, autism.
THE VAGUS NERVE
The VAGUS NERVE is the main communications pathway between our two brains – our BRAIN-GUT AXIS. It is also the main nerve of our parasympathetic nervous system which controls our rest / digest / heal mode. Dysfunction in this axis is linked to a range of conditions including obesity, epilepsy and depression
Also known as CRANIAL NERVE 10, it is a long nerve that originates in the brain stem. From there it extends down the through the throat, chest and abdomen – connecting with the cardiovascular, respiratory and digestive systems along with the ENS and carrying both sensory and motor information.
NOTE: about 90 percent of the fibers in the vagus nerve carry information FROM GUT TO BRAIN and not the other way around.
The HARA PORTAL gives WIDE RANGING THERAPEUTIC & ENERGETIC ACCESS
Consider also that the HARA (abdomen) is our energetic center. Like the spine, it offers direct access to the twelve ordinary meridians via dedicated diagnostic zones. Furthermore, 12 corresponding energy entry points are scattered across the torso. A number of the extraordinary meridians are also available. This makes it possible to treat a vast array of things without leaving the front body or losing sight of the EARTH ELEMENT focus.
MAXIMISING ENERGETIC IMPACT
So it’s fantastic to treat the abdomen & front body thoroughly and deeply at any time of the year. However, the STOMACH and SPLEEN meridians – energy channels of the EARTH ELEMENT – are the guardians of the front body. Furthermore, Late Summer – this hot, damp end of Summer that leads us through to the Autumn Solstice – is the principle season of the EARTH ELEMENT. So targeting this zone of the body at this time of year will maximize on the seasonal advantage.
EARTH ELEMENT: Energy & Spirit
The energy of Late Summer flows calmly towards the center. It flows towards the center of the Earth, via gravitation, and towards our individual centers of gravity in our abdomen / hara. This inward gathering supports a great sense of fullness, balance, abundance and anticipation of imminent change.
This is the energy of HARVEST TIME.
The two meridian channels of the Earth Element flow down & up the front body dominating the abdomen. The SPLEEN (SP) diagnostic zone encircles the navel and, in a Five Element hara diagnosis, EARTH IS CENTRAL.
This “front and center” aspect of the meridian channels and diagnostic zones aligns with two principle functions of the EARTH ELEMENT:
- supporting our capacity to nurture by drawing nourishment into ourselves & drawing those we would nurture towards us
- holding us ready for our future by managing both our forward presentation and our responses to what is in front of us
Get in touch with your EARTH ENERGY with
Masunaga’s MAKKO HO
EARTH ENERGY: Spleen & Stomach meridians
The STOMACH MERIDIAN
The STOMACH (ST)
THE structural meridian for the front body
The Stomach meridian runs down from the (lower) eye socket to the 2nd toe. In both literal and abstract terms, it governs:
- our responses to and our digestion of both (1) food and (2) whatever we front up to &/or are confronted with in our lives
- how we present to the world in front of us
As a structural meridian, like the Bladder and Gall Bladder, the Stomach plays an important role in holding us together. It does this, in great part, by managing both our need for habits, rituals &/or fixtures as well as our metabolic rhythms and cycles. Digestive, sleep and reproductive are just a few such cycles. Regularity of these cycles and habits is key to our individual stability and capacity to thrive.
The SPLEEN/PANCREAS MERIDIAN
With respect to digestion in particular, the Spleen/Pancreas, running up the body, specifically manages our processing of sugar/carbs – and thence the consistency of our energy flow. Peaks and troughs in available energy indicate imbalance in the Spleen meridian.
Energy swings and mood swings?
Part and parcel of the “sugar blues”
Beyond the purely material, the Spleen/Pancreas also governs our ability to both accept and give nourishment of all sorts. This might be information or love for instance. It governs our desires, our sense of “being looked after” in the world and our satisfaction with looking after others.
The taste of Late Summer is SWEET:
foods that are naturally sweet as well as
emotions, relationships & experiences.
THE MICRO-CYCLES OF THE EARTH ELEMENT
THE NURTURING ENERGY OF MULTIPLE CYCLIC PATTERNS
Earth finds its greatest expression once each year in the Late Summer. However, it also emerges regularly at other times of the year at moments of extreme polarity &/or balance … times when significant change is about to occur:
- the equinoxes, when the earth is perfectly balanced with respect to the sun and
- the solstices – when the sun stands still with respect to the earth and we experience the longest & shortest of days & nights, furthermore,
- Earth is also evident at the full moon, the turn of the lunar month.
Earth energy is always central
always just below the surface of the passing months & seasons.
SO
Any time is a good time for a HARA/Front Body Shiatsu
NOTE ALSO: The Summer Fire YIN meridians, Heart & Heart Protector, along with the Autumn meridians, Lung & Large Intestine, present primarily in the chest and arms. The Full-Frontal Targeted Shiatsu is well suited to manage the sometimes long transition from the rising expanding energy of Summer to the contraction of Autumn.
AN INVITATION TO REALLY ENJOY BEING LOOKED AFTER
This treatment is FOR EVERYONE
Get your gut and your gut-brain back in order with
Deep relaxation & tonification through the whole front body
Renewed sense of satisfaction, equilibrium & life rhythm +
Lose those sugar blues & be ready to face the future +
Ready to look after yourself and your loved ones =
60 min of ZEN BLISS
= FRONT-BODY TARGETED ZEN SHIATSU
Optimal for the Earth Season but great anytime
just $115
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