Shiatsu is the study of Ki. But what exactly is Ki? When you ask shiatsu therapists or students this question, you get different and not always very clear answers. How is that possible?
The Japanese word Ki, or Qi in Chinese, is often translated as ‘life energy’. However, this is a translation that is too limited and does not do justice to what Ki really is. Ki is difficult to translate into a Dutch or English word. In Japan, the term Ki is a self-evident word that is widely used. But if you ask a Japanese person ‘what is Ki?’ you will probably get an equally strange and thoughtful look than if you ask a Dutch person ‘what is life?’ In the Eastern way of thinking, a theoretical consideration of what Ki is is a completely strange idea. Ki or Qi is functionally understood. It is about what Ki does.
The concept of Ki is so elusive to us because we are accustomed to separating matter and energy. We can grasp and see the one. We can measure the other. In the traditional Eastern thought world, that separation does not exist. Matter and energy are inextricably linked and cannot be separated. Ki is best described as energy that is poised to transition into matter, or matter that is poised to transition into energy. The Chinese symbol for Qi (Ki) illustrates this well. It represents the rising vapor, the essential parts that arise from heating rice or grains.
The demonstrations of Ki
Ki is not something we can grasp or see. However, we can see the manifestations of Ki. In the traditional Eastern view, Ki is the driving force behind everything in our existence. Both in the nature around us and in ourselves.
In nature, you can sometimes feel Ki as early as February when spring is slowly approaching. You can see nowhere that it is spring, but an invisible energy hangs in the air of change. You can perhaps perceive Ki as a bud about to open, or a predator about to pounce on its prey. There are those rare moments in nature when you can feel Ki in the form of a shiver or a vibration. Sometimes in a situation where many of us are asked to be alert and all our senses are on high alert, other times when we are very calm and silent.
Ki is also the driving force behind everything in ourselves. There are moments when you can more easily feel Ki within yourself. For example, those moments when you start on a fun new project and are super excited about it. You feel the enthusiasm and energy bubbling inside you. Or those moments that everyone knows all too well and in which you feel less at ease. You wake up in the morning, look in the mirror, and receive confirmation of what you already know deep down. You look exactly the way you feel that moment! An expression or manifestation of your Ki at that moment.
Shiatsu and Ki
Shiatsu is the study of Ki. During the four years of our training, we study Ki in all its forms. Both in ourselves and in our clients. A comprehensive study because it is a study of life. We study the manifestations of Ki. How Ki manifests itself in illness and in health. The diagnosis of Eastern medicine is based on the knowledge of Ki. It is possible to detect a disturbance of Ki at an early stage, even before it has manifested in the form of physical symptoms. In an early stage, when the Ki is still weak or disturbed and has not yet taken on a physical form, treatment is the most effective. The deeper the disease has penetrated into the body and taken form, the more difficult it is to treat. The strength of shiatsu lies in the early recognition and treatment of the disturbance.
Meridians and Ki
In Iokai Shiatsu, we communicate with a person’s Ki and influence that through meridians. We as humans have various functions. All of these functions together make up who we are. Our emotions, thoughts, our digestion, our movements. All of these are functions that make us who we are. In our body we have a three-dimensional network of meridians. A network in which the Ki circulates and enables our life functions. Through the meridians we can perceive and influence a life function. Meridians are not, as you often read, channels through which energy flows. They are ways to communicate with our life functions. Life functions that are infinitely complex and sometimes difficult to comprehend. That is what makes Iokai Shiatsu an interesting study that never ends and always reveals new insights.
Who teaches them to feel
In the four-year training program for Iokai Shiatsu therapist, you not only learn how Ki manifests itself; you also learn to feel and influence Ki. Feeling Ki is something that everyone can learn. It is one of those qualities that we all have, but often have forgotten. As the training progresses, you develop this sensitivity further and further. When you take Ki in your hands, feel it, and apply pressure with your thumbs, fingers, or hands to influence it, you can also improve someone’s vital functions and make that person feel better and their symptoms improve.