Shiatsu in Oberursel and Steinbach

I had heard of Shiatsu before I met local Shiatsu Practitioner Gabriele Engelke, but it was not until she invited me to try it out for the first time that I found out more.

The session started with an explanation of what Shiatsu is – not the simple facts that can be found on Wikipedia, but more in-depth information about the elements of the body and how they are inter-related.  Each part of the body is in some way connected to these elements so that problems in one area may be connected by way of the element to another.  That other part of the body can then be massaged to relieve the original problem.

After this, we talked about any complaints or ailments that I may have and then it was time for me to take off my watch and shoes and turn off my mobile phone.  I had already changed into loose-fitting clothes beforehand.

For the Shiatsu massage itself I then laid down on a futon mattress and was curious as to what was about to happen.

Since I had not gone into the session with anything needing particular attention, we had agreed that each of the elements would be “sampled” to see which ones would receive the most time.

For each part of my body that was massaged, I was guided into a particular position.  So sometimes I was turned onto my side, and sometimes I remained laying on my back.  Then an arm or leg would be put at a particular angle on the mattress, with only one part – maybe just a finger – actually being massaged.

I am not sure that I can describe how that feels and actually do it justice, but I know that I was relaxing more and more because at some point I heard a gong go and realised that I was laying on my front with my head on a cushion.  My entire body was very relaxed, and yet it felt as if I was waking up.

Apparently, though, I did not fall asleep.  Instead, I am told that I was in a very deep state of relaxation.  I was certainly very dazed for a few minutes!

After I had “woken up” a bit more, we talked a bit about which elements had received the most attention.  I then drove home, and had made a point not to plan any appointments for the next couple of hours so as to get the most out of my relaxed state.

Gabriele Engelke can be contacted via her homepage: www.shiatsu-engelke.de.  She offers Shiatsu massage in Steinbach and also gives courses at the Krebsmühle in Oberursel.