Local work plays a special role in shiatsu alongside meridian work. It is invaluable when the focus of a treatment is on local complaints, or when local areas of a client’s body become noticeable during treatment and require further investigation. Local shiatsu significantly increases the effectiveness of shiatsu treatments.
In this course, I will demonstrate the basic Local Shiatsu techniques: how to examine a local area of the body, identify its patterns and work with them physically and energetically. By doing so, we can see how the situation begins to change during the treatment. A key tool in this process is our relaxed yet focused attention, which enables us to directly address important areas. This triggers substantial changes and simultaneously gives our clients the feeling of being understood.
The steps of local shiatsu are as follows:
- Requesting precise information about the local area.
- Holding the area in your hands and focusing on it with inner awareness to recognise energetic patterns.
- Choosing a specific area and touching its centre with pure awareness.
- Supporting the body’s natural movements.
- Supporting pure awareness through external touch.
- Examining and treating the integration of the local area into the immediate environment.
- Connecting the local area with the whole body.
More detailed information can be found in the article ‘8 Steps for Performing Local Shiatsu’, available to download at https://wilfriedrappenecker.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/W.Rappenecker_Local_Shiatsu.pdf.
Information about the speaker
WILFRIED RAPPENECKER
Is a general practitioner who works primarily with shiatsu. He has been training in shiatsu since 1981, as well as in craniosacral osteopathy. He directed the Hamburg School of Shiatsu from its foundation in 1987 until 2017 and the International Shiatsu School ISS Kiental in Switzerland until 2016. He initiated the European Shiatsu Congresses and directed the first four ESCs. He is also a co-founder of the Society for Shiatsu in Germany (GSD), and has written, co-written or edited seven books on shiatsu, including Yu Sen: Shiatsu for Beginners, Five Elements and 12 Meridians, and Atlas Shiatsu: The Meridians in Zen Shiatsu, as well as numerous other articles and publications. He continues to enjoy working in his practice and teaching.
