Abdominal massage is one of the most important techniques for massage therapists and practitioners of all schools, styles or techniques to study. Why? Because the abdomen is the body’s central area. It is the point from which most bodily processes originate and...
Ivan Bel
Belgium: depression and burn-out with Shiatsu – June 19-21, 2026 in Ostend
Depression and burnout affect a growing number of people today: according to the WHO, more than 280 million people worldwide suffer from depression, and almost one in five European workers claim to have experienced an episode of severe overwork in the last two years....
An intensive week to explore Emotions and Psychological Disorders – 5-11 July 2026
When touch becomes a language for the mind. More and more clients are coming to clinics with chronic stress, anxiety, sleep disorders, irritability, hypersensitivity, difficulty concentrating, or emotional shock. And very often, ‘classic’ shiatsu is no longer...
Switzerland: Workshop for all levels on the principles and concepts of Shiatsu – October 16–18, 2026
After a few years of practice—or even longer—we develop habits that can keep us stuck in a “comfort zone,” and it’s easy to think that we “know” everything and that we’ve “got it all figured out.” It’s even harder to challenge ourselves and keep learning. Inevitably,...
FAQs
Shiatsu is a Japanese digipression method that aims to rebalance the body as a whole, remove muscle tension, improve joint movement and strengthen blood circulation, and vital energy of the body thanks to precise pressures made with the fingers, palms of the hands and...
A Milestone: The 2025 ESF Symposium in Brussels
On February 22, 2025, history was made in Brussels. For the very first time, representatives of Shiatsu associations from all over Europe and key players from countries in which such associations don't exist yet gathered together. Hosted by the European Shiatsu...
Terésa Hadland interview: Shiatsu at core
A leading Shiatsu teacher, Terésa Hadland has been criss-crossing Europe and even the world for over forty years, sometimes in the company of her partner Bill Palmer and sometimes on her own, to pass on their vision of 'Movement Shiatsu'. Sparkling, full of...
Book review: “Another self” by Cindy Engel
Let's be honest: this book is not a Shiatsu book. Instead, the author, Dr Cindy Engel, is an original combination of biology researcher and manual therapist (shiatsu, Thai massage, fasciatherapy and also Qigong teacher) in England. She published articles in scientific...
Points to dissolve Phlegm
Amongst the most complex pathological case to treat, and with the most significant symptoms in Oriental medicine, is Phlegm, or Tan in Chinese. This is an evolution of Dampness (see the family of points on this subject) that has been affected by heat. Given...
Interview with Wilfried Rappenecker: a european vision for Shiatsu
Wilfried Rappenecker is one of the giants of European Shiatsu. His name is closely associated with German and Swiss Shiatsu, as well as with the enormous "Atlas of Shiatsu", now in its 4th edition. A doctor by profession, he decided to leave everything to do nothing...









