Shiatsu is a form of bodywork that is based in traditional Chinese medicine and the Chinese massage style called anma. However, shiatsu is actually a Japanese style. In recent years it has been adapted and modified by various practitioners to accommodate their own styles and beliefs. Some of these adaptations include macrobiotic shiatsu, barefoot shiatsu, Ohashiatsu and Zen shiatsu.
The word "shiatsu" means "finger pressure". This translation describes its main technique, which involves putting pressure on specific spots on an energy channel (called a meridian in Chinese medicine) to help improve the flow of energy through that channel. But this is a very simplified explanation; the actual techniques used can include patting, shaking, pinching, rolling, vibrating, plucking and in some instances just holding an area for a time. And a shiatsu treatment can also include assisted stretching.
Shiatsu as a form of Asian medicine is a holistic treatment, designed to balance all the body's systems. But in the West we tend to think more of "illness" than "wellness". Some of the problems that shiatsu can be used to treat are headaches, back pain, insomnia, constipation and many stress-related complaints. It is used with caution when the client has a more serious illness like heart disease, cancer, or osteoporosis, although it has proven to be helpful in some of these situations. It can be used to treat children, seniors and pregnant women as well (although there are areas that are avoided when working with someone who is pregnant).
To receive a shiatsu treatment you lie on a futon or a mat on the floor. You will not get undressed for the treatment, but please wear loose and comfortable clothing; it will help some of the techniques - for example, stretching - go more smoothly. The points that are pressed are the same ones used in acupuncture, except that shiatsu does not use needles. The points are pressed in sequence going in one direction. As with all bodywork, the room should be quiet (except maybe for some soft music) and fairly dark; this keeps stimulation down, which makes for a more relaxing session.
After the session some people feel invigorated, but most - probably because they started out stressed and "hyper" - are very relaxed and sometimes even sleepy. After the first treatment it's possible to develop symptoms of a cold (sneezing and stuffiness); this simply means that the treatment has cleared toxins and other waste materials out of the tissues and the body is healing itself in reaction to this clearing. Another "clearing" may be in the area of emotions; some people find themselves more emotional right after a shiatsu treatment. These effects are more common with the first treatment than the others; they are all temporary and usually last no more than a day or two.
It is possible to feel no effect from a shiatsu treatment. People who are very "out of touch" with their bodies will probably benefit from a treatment, but they may not notice the benefits. And in people who are very obese the layers of fat may prevent the energy flow from being stimulated as well as it should be. How much benefit you get from a treatment will depend on how sensitive you are - or aren't. Sometimes the effects can be very subtle. You may realize later that the nagging soreness you had in your arm is now gone, or perhaps you are not noticing little things that normally upset you.
A list of the benefits of shiatsu would include a lot of the same ones you will find in other forms of bodywork - for example, deep relaxation, stress relief, more muscular flexibility and increased energy and stamina. But because shiatsu is holistic, it balances all the body's systems - muscular, nervous, skeletal, circulatory, digestive, endocrine and others - which means its effects can be more comprehensive and can last longer.
If you've thought about trying Asian medicine, but the idea of being stuck with many little needles makes you anxious, you might want to consider shiatsu. It has many of the same benefits.
In today’s scenario when the escalating prices are touching the sky, it becomes essential that your salary is able to provide you a satisfactory life in which all your basic necessities and a little more than that are comfortably met. But this actually does not happen. The salary structure progresses on a snail’s pace while the prices of commodities scale new heights. The question is what an individual should do in such a situation. The answer is the perks or the benefits that a company offers with the basic salary. The perks that are supplemented with the basic salary are a source of relief. A job that offers a basic salary of $90,000 per annum without any bonus should be discarded for a job that fetches you $84,000 with monthly benefits.
These perks are significant not just for the money factor but for the important aspects that they account for during our life. For instance the dental insurance takes care for all the expenses related to dental problems that the employee confronts after joining the company. Thus, perks lend the employee a more or less carefree life. They provide him with the biggest assistance i.e. financial and that too in some of the most expensive areas. Hence, perks are unbelievably significant.
But all the companies and businesses do not offer these benefits. Moreover, the kinds of benefits vary from workplace to workplace. Like the bank employees are benefited with medical assistance, travel perks during vacations, insurance etc. Whereas many a multinational companies and corporations provide perks on daily basis that primarily include the expense of food and commutation charges.
Some of the chiefly significant and common benefits are listed below-
•401(k) plan�"is meant to relieve the employee from the burden of taxation by the government. This plan is too fruitful in the long run for it enables the employee to make good stabilized savings throughout his job. This benefit is available only to those working in the private and not the government sector.
•403(b) plan�"is also of tremendous helps in saving money for retirement that is purged of all taxation but only till the time of its withdrawal. For once an individual retires and starts using the money from the 403(b) account, the income through it will be subject to regular taxation. There are certain other differences also between the 401(k) and 403 (b) plans. The 403(b) plan is meant for those who are employed under as per the IRS definition of businesses that are organized and working specifically for the religious, charitable, public safety testing, scientific, literary or educational purposes. Besides this the 401(k) pan allows investment in stocks while the 403(b) does not.
•Insurance facility- many employers bestow their employees with the insurance benefits. These benefits are extremely useful during the period when the employee is incapable to work and needs financial aid by sitting at home. Some companies offer full insurance coverage to their employees while there are others that provide with a comparatively limited coverage to the new recruitments. This coverage however gradually increases with the working years of the worker. Under the insurance facility are also included insurances like- disability insurance, dental insurance, short and long term disability etc.
•Healthcare benefits are included in the compensation package. There are various healthcare packages with different scope. The usual health care plans are HMOs, PPOs, and POSs.
•Vacation packages are also offered annually by some companies. In this benefit the company provides you with a certain amount of money that you can utilize in holidaying with your family. In case a trip is not on your itinerary, the money can act as a saving, as per the rules of the company.
•The Severance Package is active under the situation when the individual loses his job without any of his fault. This is not just extremely helpful to the employee but also saves any kind of legal action against the employer.
•Besides these, many multinational companies serve their efficient and crucial employees with a house, free phone calls and pick and drop facilities.
Both Michael Russell & Mansi Gupta are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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