History of Ashiatsu:
With reports of massage being performed with the feet from China, Japan, Fiji, Hawaii, India, Tonga and Thailand for over 3,000 years, Ashiatsu appears to be a global therapy! Beginning as an in-home practice, with family members massaging the person on the floor or mat with their feet, Ashiatsu has been adapted to studios and massage tables. This original style was not very structured at all, with family members getting creative as they worked, bringing their own personality and special techniques into the massage.
When Ashiatsu was in its infancy, practitioners were more interested in Chi (energy), than soothing aching muscles. In traditional Ashiatsu, “people follow the flow of the yin meridians coming up from the earth and then the yang meridians coming down from the heavens,” explains Barbra Esher, director of education for the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA). With the primary focus being the body’s energy map, many of the early forms of Ashiatsu were not considered massage. Instead, this therapy was considered a healing art, passed down through the generations.
Benefits of Ashiatsu:
This treatment is known to induce deep relaxation, relieve tight muscles and stress, and stimulate the body’s own self-healing capabilities. Due to the practitioner’s knowledge of the body’s meridians (energy channels), this style of massage can also leave the client feeling refreshed and stimulated. It is also useful as a sports preparation or athletic maintenance, as the elements of stretching and engaging the large muscle groups are incorporated. It is also a great way to quickly warm up the large muscles for more detailed therapy, especially on people who are very muscular, although there are no restrictions on body types who can receive Ashiatsu, due to the therapist having control of weight distribution. It is, however, a deep tissue massage that feels like a “good workout” to some, leaving them refreshed and relaxed rather than tired. Ideally, an Ashiatsu massage would be 90 minutes to allow the therapist time to work thoroughly both the large muscle groups with the feet, and the smaller muscle groups with the hands.
