Oriental Massage evolved as a partner in the group of therapeutic techniques that became known as Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
TCM travelled to Japan with Seafarers and Buddist monks and the Japanese version of chinese massage became known as "Shiatsu"
The earliest known text book on TCM -" The Cannon of Medicine" was written between 500-300 B.C. and in it is stated "Massage can relax the muscles and joints and promote blood circulation . Massage of the channels can facilitate the free circulation of the depressed vital energy".
To understand the working principals of Oriental Massage one has to learn the meaning of certain concepts such as "vital energy","Channels" and "Acupressure points".
The vital energy is also called "Qi" (pronounced "chee") and it is the vital animating force of the living organism.
The vital energy circulates in and to every cell of the body. It flows through pathways of circulation called "Channels"or "Meridians". There are 12 main channels in the body which flow bilaterally. In addition there is one channel in the centre line of the front and another in the centre line of the back, making 14 main channels in all.
The channels circulate externally along the superfical parts of the body, connecting one end to the other and internally connecting all the organs and tissues. These channels allow for the integration of the body's functions both above/below and inside/outside.
