Barefoot Shiatsu

(Oriental Foot Massage)

©1997 Alexander Georgeakopoulos

Thanks to:
Serena Silva, from whom I first studied Barefoot Shiatsu at IPSB in San
Diego in 1980;
Minakshi, for the initial collaboration in Watsu trainings in the early 90’s;
Shizuko Yamamoto, for helping me to understand what I like and don’t
like in the work;
Theri Thomas, for her playful creativity and contributions in putting this
sequence into its present form.

Contents
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Barefoot Shiatsu 2

General Information and Guidelines 7

The Sequence 8

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 Barefoot Shiatsu
Sea of Chi,
flow through me!
Mother Earth,
I return to Thee!
Sky of Light,
set me free!
Father,
Thou art my Destiny!

Gravity
In the science of physics, gravity is understood as the attractive force generated by a
celestial body upon objects at or near its surface. If, however, we dare to believe that
the Earth is a conscious entity, gravity could also be seen as an elemental expression
of love, in the same way that a mother likes to be close to her offspring, pulling them
to her and embracing them. Indeed, the Earth is as a mother to every creature upon
her surface. Our bodies take birth from her substance, receive their nourishment from
her during life, and return to dust after physical death. We are her children.
Barefoot Shiatsu is a celebration of our relation to Mother Earth, a way of
honoring source and of returning to source. The giver becomes an agent of her
gravity, her love force. He gives flesh to the friendly downward pull of gravity,
falling with his own body weight to create a constant, vertical pressure that the
receiver instinctively accepts. He offers the receiver to the Earth, returning him to her
and restoring their oneness.

Relation to the Earth

The Earth heals her children with her presence. In Barefoot Shiatsu the receiver is in
intimate contact with the earth element, just as in Watsu the receiver is enveloped by
the element of water. This close involvement with the elements is curative. Our
bodies communicate well with the elements, for they are themselves composed of
them.
The Earth participates actively as a third partner in the interaction of Barefoot
Shiatsu. Much of the energy the receiver releases during the session grounds and
disperses into the earth. This phenomenon reduces the practitioner’s concerns for
energy management--he is less at risk of picking up and retaining unwanted chi than
during a table massage. According to Barbara Brennan, a relaxed healing state is

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characterized by a brain alpha rhythm of 8 Hz. (cycles per second). This
approximates the Schumann Resonance Frequency (SRF) of the Earth at 7.8 Hz.
The Earth participates in another way, as well. Her currents of energy flow
through the receiver, subtly strengthening him. This effect can be enhanced by
aligning the receiver’s head and feet to the North and South, the direction in which
this streaming subterranean chi flows. According to traditional Chi Kung teaching,
lying on the Earth in this polar alignment extends the life span.

Breath
There exists a common thread between Chi Kung, Barefoot Shiatsu and meditation.
Each is characterized by a connection to Earth and Heaven, by channeling of energy,
by relaxation and by conscious breathing. Of all these elements, breath is the key.
There is a power in the breath that may never be trivialized. Morihei Ueshiba, the
founder of Aikido, taught that the Breath of Life, once discovered by the aspirant,
would connect him with all living things. Conscious breath is an indispensable part
of the technique and philosophy of Barefoot Shiatsu. Practicing conscious breath,
the giver remains a relaxed and open channel, he absorbs energy from the cosmos in
order to pass it on and feel an empathy with the receiver. In effect, he breathes for
two. His goal is to synchronize breath, pressure, movement and energy into a single
intuitive phenomenon beyond rationality.

Barefoot Shiatsu
The extensive use of the feet is the prime factor that distinguishes Barefoot Shiatsu
from its sister disciplines. The feet afford a deep and powerful pressure capable of
opening up frozen, atrophied areas of the body. They address meridians more so than
points (tsubos), as their pressure is broad rather than specific. As explained above,
Barefoot Shiatsu takes advantage of a head to foot contact with the Earth, which both
clears energy and channels earth currents through the receiver and giver alike.
In flowing through the sequence, we pay special attention to posture and how
movements are generated, mostly through sinking, leaning and rocking with our
body weight, in contrast to using muscular force. Performing the sequence is like
doing a yoga routine, full of stretches and poses that are beneficial to the giver.
Dance is incorporated into the body mechanics to keep the energy light and to refresh
the giver during the course of the treatment. Fatigue may be experienced at certain
points in the classroom learning process, but this is natural as the movements are new
to the body, and fatigue passes away as strength is gained through practice.
This particular sequence and approach is not diagnostic; it does not treat specific
conditions. It is a general sequence addressing all meridians with a preventative more
than curative effect. Receiving Barefoot Shiatsu confers numerous benefits. It will

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promote relaxation, satisfy the need for touch, release tension and holding patterns,
increase flexibility, and strengthen energy flows. However, all these gains will be
only temporary and superficial unless a person’s lifestyle is healthy. This would
include balancing work and rest, time alone and time with others, caring for body and
caring for soul. Fortunately, the work is educative, showing the way through an
experience of greater well being that creates a motivation to live more in harmony
with self and nature.
This approach to Barefoot Shiatsu is “hot”, or warm-hearted, as opposed to “cold”
or technical. It emphasizes an empathy with the receiver rather than the mere
application of techniques. In this sense Barefoot Shiatsu is more closely allied to Zen
Shiatsu than to the more mechanical schools of mainstream Shiatsu. The relation to
the receiver remains uppermost in importance, and our role is one of service,
manifesting universal love.

Pressure
Gravity is so natural, so familiar to the body, something it understands and is adapted
to from birth. In the technique of Barefoot Shiatsu, we endeavor to exert a pressure
like the Earth, mirroring her gravity. Body weight is channeled through the giver’s
skeleton, that is, the bones and joints. This and not muscular force provides the
impetus. Our pressure is perpendicular and constant, blending into the solidity of the
ground. Our pressure is firm and deep, but gentle, increasing and diminishing
gradually. The hands and feet remain soft and mold to the body’s contours. We
respect the body’s comfort limit for pressure and stretch.

Parts of body used

The heel, sole and ball of the foot are the chief instruments employed in this
technique. The knees also take part, so that the body is often massaged at multiple
sites simultaneously. The tools of Barefoot Shiatsu are not limited to the legs and
feet, however. As in traditional Shiatsu, the palms, thumbs and fingers also come into
play, as well as the entire back and head. Sustained contact with the back and knees
constitutes an equivalent of the “mother hand” characteristic of Zen Shiatsu,
radiating a deep warming energy to counteract kyo conditions.

The Feet
Pressure from the feet is broad and powerful; the legs are far stronger than the arms,
enabling them to channel the full weight of the body. The hands can exert a pressure
of 30 kilos. The added force that the feet can bring to bear easily more than doubles
the pressure possible with the hands, allowing them to introduce movement into
locked tissues. According to Shiatsu tradition, vertical pressure applied down into the

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body is said to promote health. This perpendicular pressure is both easier and more
natural for the legs to administer than for the arms. In addition, the feet, in contrast to
the hands, are more heavily padded in proportion to the extra weight they must bear.
The massaging contact of the feet on the body is uniquely pleasurable. With practice,
the sensitivity of the feet can approach that of the hands. Their soft pressure is
reminiscent of the security of the final days in the womb and the passage through the
birth canal. It also reminds us of the tremendous strength our parents seemed to
possess in our childhood.

The Techniques
Among the Shiatsu techniques forming this sequence are vertical pressure, rocking,
traction, vibration and stretching. Add to these joint mobilization, brushing and
Polarity Balancing. Like Zen Shiatsu, the approach is clearly eclectic. Let us touch
upon the effects of each of these techniques:
1. Joint mobilization techniques of shaking, bouncing, and rocking confuse patterns
of muscular holding originating in the central nervous system by returning an
overwhelming sensory feedback. In the face of this overload, holding patterns are
abandoned and the area releases.
2. Range of motion techniques demonstrate to the nervous system the capacity for
movement in a joint, as well as an effortlessness.
3. Deep pressure brings movement and circulation into parts of the body that have
become atrophied and shut out from awareness. The influx of circulation and the
resumption of afferent feedback re-admits the area to body consciousness.
4. Polarity Balancing, through placing both hands or both feet on the body, creates a
strengthened circuit. It balances energy flows by providing two points, one that
feeds in energy and another that attracts it. Both blockages and depletions are
resolved. A variation of Polarity Balancing unique to Barefoot Shiatsu involves
the earth in the energy loop: one foot only is on the body. The earth current passes
through the giver’s body from his grounded leg to a single contact on the receiver,
then through her body into the earth to complete the circuit.
5. Vertical palm and foot pressure approximates the receiver to the Earth, exposing
him to her energy currents. With the influx of energy that occurs through the
connection of haras, kyo conditions are tonified and jitsu blockages are dissolved.
6. Brushing meridians encourages their flow, acting in a similar manner to Polarity
Balancing to promote energy circulation.

The Sequence in Overview

The practice sequence learned in the course has these characteristics:
• The feet are used whenever possible.

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• The hands begin and conclude each segment in order to humanize the touch.
• The hara, face and scalp receive touch from the hands alone.
• An emphasis is placed on freeing the sacrum.
• Symmetrical, bilateral work precedes and follows unilateral work.
• It is as easy as possible for the giver; lifting and transitioning between sitting and
standing are minimized.
• All meridians are addressed.

Holographic paradigm
The holographic model of the universe recognizes that the whole is present in the
smallest constituent part. The relation between the Earth and the human body bears
out this truth. The electromagnetic field of the Earth is mirrored by the human aura.
Her atmosphere and its gaseous exchanges correspond to the human respiratory
system. The currents of the oceans and the molten flows of the core parallel the
circulatory system. Her network of lei lines is the equivalent of our meridians and
nervous system. In truth, the body of the Earth is reproduced in miniature in our
bodies. It could be said that we are an integral part of the system of the Earth, the
part that has the capacity to feel and think, and ultimately to attain to spirit.
This shared identity of the Earth and the body is part of the miraculous beauty of
the creation. Every cell carries the DNA blueprint of the entire-body. The electrons
and nucleus of every atom reveal the structure of the solar system with its planets
circling a central sun. In the divine energy animating the tiniest of subatomic
particles we may feel the presence of the Creator of All, Who dwells in glory at the
very center of all universes.

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 General Information and Guidelines
Barefoot Shiatsu is practiced on the floor, with the body aligned north to south if
possible. The receiver lies prone on a mat to start, then supine to finish. The hands,
feet and head all initially lie completely on the mat. A thin but wide futon is ideal.
Additionally, the receiver may need a rolled up towel across the top of the chest
(above the breasts) to reduce the sideways range of motion required of the neck. A
pillow across the abdomen will take pressure off the lumbar region of large breasted
women or where lower back problems are present. Pillows beneath the ankles and
insteps take stress off the lower back and provide extra cushioning beneath the feet
for when they are walked upon. We may take the initiative to offer and even suggest
these aids if we perceive the need.
When you, as the giver, are much heavier or bigger than the receiver, or the
receiver is sensitive of structure, adapt as follows:

• Use a thicker mat.

• Give partner permission to express feedback at any time.
• Establish a pressure signal system (5 is just right, 4 is too little, 6 is too much).
• Press sensitively, at times brushing the meridians when pressure cannot be
tolerated.
• Check in frequently, languaging as follows so as not to elicit a particular
response: “How is the pressure?”
• Do not roll or lie on the body.
• Anticipate that your feet may be too big to fit easily into the placements described
in the sequence and you will need to adapt how you sculpt your “footprint” to
partner’s contours. Pressure from the ball of the foot only may be substituted for
that of the entire foot.

Givers who are small and light will want to learn how to stand on the receiver
with both feet at the same time, using a chair for balance. A thinner mat and a greater
use of the knees will also maximize the amount of pressure they can bring to bear.
As in any form of massage, not all techniques will be appropriate for every
physique. This holds especially true when the receiver is sensitive to pressure,
limited in joint range of motion, or injured. Techniques may be size-graded,
flexibility-graded, intimacy-graded or age-graded. Foot pressure is never
administered to the face, throat, hara, lumbar spine or backs of knees.
A thorough pre-session interview screens for counter-indications, especially
spinal injuries. These include contagious illness, pleurisy, peritonitis, appendicitis,
pyelitis, pancreatitis, peptic ulcers, duodenal ulcers, liver cirrhosis, twisting of the

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bowels, intestinal obstruction, cancer, high fever following surgery, extreme physical
debility, and infectious skin ailments.
No oil is used; the client remains fully clothed. He only removes shoes, belts and
metal jewelry, as these constrict and interfere with circulation of blood and energy. A
nearly empty stomach is recommended.
The environment needs to be clean; dust from the floor can be more easily inhaled
than if the receiver were elevated on a massage table. A warm space is also
important--cool air sinks, making the floor the coolest part of the room. So vacuum
first, air out the room, then heat it well.
Candles, incense, fountains, and music when used to enhance the atmosphere
should all be acceptable to the client. Non-rhythmic Zen flute music or recordings of
natural sounds support relaxation.
At the end of the session, a blanket may be placed over the client and the lights
dimmed. Ten minutes of rest gives the client time to integrate the touch, pressure and
movement she has received.
If partner is lying on a sheet, “The Mummy” becomes an option. Fold the bottom
of the sheet over the feet, then the sides over the rest of the body except for the face.
Place a towel over the eyes, leaving space for the nostrils to breathe freely. The
Mummy provides not only warmth, but also a sense of security and separation from
the external environment. Receivers tend to go deeper into their internal process
within the cocoon of The Mummy.

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 The Sequence in Detail
FACE DOWN
When the receiver indicates readiness to begin, invite her to lie face down on the mat.
Let it be thick enough to soften your standing pressure. Further ensure her comfort
by offering a rolled towel under the chest or a pillow under the abdomen. Place a
pillow under the feet so that you may stand on them with your full weight. To
introduce your touch and align receiver correctly on the mat, use your hands to brush
up one side of the back and down the arm. Use the “Big Hand “ and “Waterfall”
techniques, sometimes brushing down the top of the arm, sometimes encompassing
the arm in both hands by slipping under the arm with your outside hand. Turn the
palm up at a slight distance from the hip to leave space for the coming hip rocks.
Then brush from the lower back down the back of the leg to the foot. Traction the leg
off the ground, rotating the leg medially at the hip so that the sole of the foot presents
upward on the pillow. As with the arm, you may give encompassing touch, in this
case by slipping under the lower leg with your inside hand. Let your touch flow,
sculpt to the body's contours and catch and integrate the body's energy.

1. Rocking the lower back

Hip rocking loosens energy blocked in the pelvis and thereby strengthens the body’s
longitudinal flows.
• Stand in Horse Stance with your foot closest to the head (let's call it the 'head
foot' in contrast to the 'foot foot') opposite the bottom of the ribcage. Judge how
close you need to stand to your partner in order to comfortably rock her.
• Be still. Open your feet to the Earth. Open your crown to Heaven. Breathe into
your heart. Dedicate the session. Establish resonance with the receiver.
• Like a dancer imitating a crane, (Crane Takes Flight) transfer your weight onto
the head foot ,breathe in and raise both arms to the side like wings to ensure your
balance. Exhale and carefully lower your foot onto the lumbar spine.
• Without downward pressure, allow the warmth and energy from your foot to
soothe and radiate into partner for the length of a breath cycle.
• Beginning slowly and gently, rock the lower back with your sole so the hips rock
freely. Your foot traverses an arc, rocking down and away, not just straight
across.
• Rock with your whole body to generate an organic, rhythmic movement. Your
standing leg will fully participate, as well as the leg contacting partner.

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• Watch the hips for a big, slow, soft rock. They will assume a watery or Jello-like
appearance in movement. A pillow under the hips tends to restrict the rocking
motion, so in this case feel free to rock from the sacrum for a better leverage.
• Let the rocking subside to stillness with the foot still on the back; wait another
breath cycle and then remove it imperceptibly, like a bird flying away, as you
breathe in and lift your arms to the side.

2. Walking on the soles

Walking on the feet leaves them more amenable to channel energy in and out of the
body. It starts to attract the chi down into the legs.
• Prepare the receiver’s legs beforehand, if necessary, so the soles present upward
and the feet are not too far apart. This is done by lifting and tractioning the foot
to swing the thigh into medial rotation at the hip.
• Facing the head, step up onto the soles with the balls of your feet, one by one.
Your knees are relaxed and bent. Let your weight sink down.
• Go for a “Gorilla walk”, transferring your weight slowly from side to side,
breathing in partner’s rhythm: Transfer your weight as you breathe in with
partner; sink your weight onto either foot as you breathe out with partner.
Commit your weight completely on each transfer. Bring on the pressure gradually
and withdraw it gradually, like walking in molasses. Keep varying slightly the site
of each pressure. This adds interest for the receiver and is more thorough as
bodywork.
• As an option, try raising yourself up onto the balls of both feet at the same time to
intensify the pressure.
• You may also do these walks facing away from the head should the receiver’s
ankles be too tight to allow the soles to present horizontally.

3. Standing still on the soles

This position grounds and satisfies, creating an energy circuit through your two
bodies that organizes and strengthens the receiver’s chi.
• Stop walking on the soles and divide your weight evenly between them. Let your
full weight descend down into the feet. Find the most relaxed posture for your
body.
• Open your soles and offer your energy to the receiver through the reciprocal
Kidney 1 connection. Breathe deeply into the hara to keep replenishing your own
supply of chi.
• Sense the Polarity pulse in each of your soles, giving them time to synchronize. To
exit, rock back onto your heels and pivot the ball of one of your feet off the sole,
then the other.

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4. Rocking from waist to thigh with pressure
This section looks to address deeper muscular tensions that might block meridian
flow. It begins to free the sacrum and spine, as well, which will continue later in the
sequence.
a) Stand in Horse Stance with your head foot once again opposite the lower ribcage.
Using “The Crane”, transfer your weight and lift the foot foot. Using its heel and
ball, rock rhythmically into the boneless gap between the twelfth rib and the iliac
crest. Rock in a transverse direction at about a 45° downward angle. Bend the
knee of your standing leg to lower your hips and get a more horizontal force
vector for the rock. The heel will be nearly on the mat. Direct your pressure first
into the most superficial obliques and transversus abdominis, then shift medially
into the underlying quadratus lumborum muscle; next slide up to isolate the
iliocostalis. In reverse order work back to the waist. Then, by way of transition,
brush your foot down onto the hand and stand on it before stepping with your
head foot up opposite the shoulder.
b) Standing facing the head, use the sole of your foot foot to sculpt to the curve of the
near iliac crest, rocking it obliquely across at a 45° angle toward the feet. Your
leg will be off to the side in the “doggy at the fire hydrant” position. Without
putting weight onto the ball of the foot, pivot the heel in an arc from there with
each rock. This rocking will stretch the waist musculature and the iliolumbar
ligament. Again, on completion, brush down onto the palm and stand on it, to
enable you to smoothly step with your head foot to opposite the waist.
c) Stand on your foot foot opposite the upper thigh and use your head foot heel to
rock deeply into various sites on the near gluteals. As you rock, locate the border
of the sacrum and the greater trochanter of the femur for the coming point work
into the muscles. Now, work the origins of gluteus maximus along the border of
the sacrum. Then, referencing the greater trochanter of the femur with the ball of
your foot, rock into the belly of piriformis along its length with your heel. This
requires a deeper pressure, through the belly of the overlying gluteus maximus.
These are the two muscles that originate on the posterior and anterior surfaces
respectively of the sacrum. With a light pressure, position your sole over the
sacrum and thereby rock the hips sideways. As in the previous two moves, brush
the foot off the hip to stand on the hand.
d) Facing the head, kneel on both knees against the thigh. Locate the near ischial
tuberosity with your inside elbow. Lean your body weight down at a 45º degree
angle with a steady pressure medially in the direction of the apex of the sacrum
into the sacrotuberus ligament. (This ligament anchors the sacrum to the ischial
tuberosity.) Your other hand soothes at the lower back, a 'mother hand', and your
thigh presses against the receiver's thigh. Remain for three breaths. “Easy out” of

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 the pressure and brush your forearm and hand down off the back of the thigh to
finish.

5. Working the Bladder Meridian

This section treats both the thigh and lower leg, but now addresses the back of the
leg.
a) Stand in Horse Stance with your foot foot opposite the knee. Rock down and up
the near thigh transversely with the sole of your head foot. The entire body will
rock as a result. Next vibrate the thigh vigorously down and up its length twice.
Only the leg itself will move in the vibrations. Press onto the back of the thigh,
beginning just below the ischial tuberosity and advancing distally by overlapping
half foot-widths. Do three times, reducing the weight you bring to bear signifi-
cantly on the third pressure closest to the knee, so as not to pinch nerves, tendons
or blood vessels against the popliteal fossa.
b) Stand in Horse Stance, now with your head foot opposite the knee. Using your
foot foot, roll the lower leg down and up the calf twice and then vibrate in the
same pattern, tractioning the heel away while vibrating it. With the sole of your
foot, press into the center of the calf, advancing distally by overlapping half foot-
widths down to the Achilles tendon. Press sensitively. Shift your stance to opposite
the heel. Placing the middle of the sole of your foot foot over the heel, press it
down and toward you. Advance down the sole with your sole, pressing at right
angles across it. Lift your supporting foot off the ground with each pressure to
give it a rest and to fully commit your weight.
c) Stand below the foot. Facing the head and using your inside foot, press so that the
ball of the foot covers the inside of the ankle. The sole is around the ankle and
your heel contacts the sole. In this position, the medial arch of your inside foot
wraps around the medial border of the heel. Receivers find this pressure both
satisfying as touch and intriguing, not being able to figure out how the touch is
administered. (This move was Theri Thomas’ idea.)
d) Kneel on both knees next to the sole, one hand between the legs, the other outside.
Place the inside knee squarely over Kidney 1. Exhale and rock your weight
forward with your hands on the calf; carefully modulate the pressure of the
patella onto the sole. Rock back and inhale. Repeat twice more, shifting the
hands onto positions on the thigh, as well.
e) Standing well below the foot, lunge strongly into the sole with the ball of either
foot, push off and give a light brush off the toes as your weight returns. Contrast
the firmness of the lunge with the lightness of the brush. Alternate your lunging
foot. Repeat at least twice more.

Repeat 4. - 5. on the other side.

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6. Kneeling on the buttocks
In this section you get to rest your legs, kneeling on the buttocks to provide a
sustained “mother” presence while preparing the back and arms for deeper pressure.
a) Stand astraddle the thighs just above the knees. Sway your knees sideways so that
the insides of your ankles rock the body. Think of playing catch with the body
between your ankles, tossing it across from ankle to ankle. Take tiny sliding steps
headwards just up to the pelvis, all the while rocking the body rhythmically. This
“telegraphs” the next contact.
b) Request permission before kneeling carefully on the buttocks. Tuck your shins
inside of the thighs. Place your hands with empathy on the lower back and pause
to breathe with partner. Brush up both sides of the back and down the arms.
Repeat another brush up the back and bounce down beneath the shoulders and
arms to the hands. Repeat both brushes.
c) Ask your partner to inhale and inhale with her. As she exhales, exhale with her,
rocking forward onto your hands placed on both sides of the spine at the level of
T12. Continue to rock back and inhale with partner, rock forward and exhale,
shifting your hand placements up the back by overlapping half hand-widths to
between the shoulder blades. Do not advance higher than T6 with your hand
pressures as this will compress the neck.
d) Grasp the superior border of both trapezius muscles, and rocking side to side,
knead these muscles. The rocking alternately intensifies the pressure on the
gluteals. Because you lean with your weight, your grip on the trapezii keeps you
from falling off the buttocks. This is a size-graded move, difficult to do if your
arms are short and receiver’s back is long. Let this movement morph into
alternately lifting and dropping the shoulders onto the mat, then flopping them up
and down.
e) Bracing your hands on the upper arms, lift your feet up and rock forward to make
a sharper pressure on the buttocks with your knees. Check in to see that the knee
pressure is acceptable. Be creative with circles and rocks as you massage deep
into the gluteals with some fancy knee work. Finally, rest and breathe in
synchronicity with your partner, your head resting on the lower back and your
forearms across hers; her palms cradle your elbows, your palms cradle her
elbows. To transition into the next move, brush down to the hands and spread
open the thumbs away from the index fingers.

7. Standing on the hands

a) One by one place your heels in the thumb – index finger interspace, your soles
obliquely across the palms. Stand on both hands. Transfer your weight from side
to side in a wide ballet 2nd position (legs externally rotated and bent). Your

13
 hands direct your upper body weight down into your thighs while you incline
slightly forward to maintain your balance. Breathe in as your weight transfers;
breathe out as you sink onto either hand.
b) Stand still with your weight evenly divided and administer Polarity to the hands
as you did earlier to the feet. Breathe deeply into your hara, tanking up with
energy to become a reservoir of chi that your partner may tap into.

8. Compressing the back

This is the most structural work in the sequence up until now, having the effect of
expanding the ribcage as the roaming pressure introduces movement into the
costovertebral, costotransverse, and intervertebral joints. Not uncommonly,
spontaneous adjustments of the vertebrae and ribs occur.
• Transfer your weight off the hands, stepping into the space between the hands and
the hips.
• Using your crane wings for balance, brush either unweighted foot over the back
to the erectors on the side of the spine nearest you. Your heel will be no lower
than the 12th rib, your toes at the level of the inferior angle of the scapula, but not
on the scapula.
• Request that your partner inhale, then lean your weight into the erectors,
avoiding pressure on the spine and lumbar region. Do not press higher than the
middle of the scapula, as this can compress the neck. Vary slightly the location of
each pressure.
• After 4 or 5 pressures, slide your foot back to the mat and repeat on the other
side. After doing the second side, feel free to press directly on the thoracic spine
itself if there are no spinal sensitivities.
• Like one of Lao Tzu’s verses springing to life, heaviness becomes the root of
lightness, as more and freer breathing space emerges from compression.

9. Standing between the legs

This section has been prepared by sections 4. and 7. It looks to free the sacrum,
imparting a sense of security and re-instating a healthy craniosacral rhythm where
absent.
a) Stand between the calves facing 90° to the receiver’s longitudinal axis. To get
into the next position, bend your knees and transfer your weight to the foot foot.
Incline toward the feet while extending your head foot toward the thorax. Place
your head foot on the lower back, the sole spanning the spine at the level of T12,
and transfer your weight halfway toward that foot. Using your weight, traction in
the direction of the head while rocking transversely. Rock the traction from the
floor, bending both knees. Avoid “punching” in the direction of the head or

14
 circling the foot. To exit, transfer your weight back over your standing leg and
withdraw your foot.
b) Still between the legs, face in the direction of the head. Brush the ball of your
foot three times down along the spine and off the sacrum. Sculpt to the shape of
partner’s body even in these strokes, your forefoot becoming soft like a
paintbrush.
c) Fit the sole of your foot over the sacrum. Ask your receiver to breathe in and on
the exhale press perpendicularly down toward the mat. Give an extra downward
traction toward yourself with your heel at the end of each pressure. Repeat three
times. You may place your hands on your thigh to direct your upper body weight
into the pressure on the sacrum. Finish with a final vertical pressure down on the
sacrum. As a variation do the Coffeegrinder here: both your hands guide your
knee in circles so that the foot pressure rotates around a circle on the sacrum
without actually sliding your foot. Then without pressure, remain for some
breaths in stillness to allow the warmth and energy from your foot to suffuse deep
into the pelvis. This is a Polarity including the earth in the energy loop.

10. Standing behind the head

This section is very effective in releasing blocked energy, shifting relationships in the
upper back, and creating more space for an expanded breath and improved posture.
The vigorous pumping of the ribcage has been prepared by rocking, brushing,
massage, hand pressure and slow foot pressure.
a) Stand behind the head, facing the feet, close to the occiput. Ask your partner to
take a full breath high into the ribcage. Then, with your inside foot, in the same
manner as in 8., work the gap between the spine and the scapula, pressing
diagonally downward with the whole foot. Progress caudally in an arc around the
scapula with four or five rapid pressures, then allow partner to inhale. This is a
vigorous pumping of the ribcage to introduce movement. Repeat twice more.
b) After the last run, pivot 90° sideways to the outside and slide your foot down to
the iliac crest. Traction the crest toward the feet with small transverse rocks.
c) Insert your foot foot under the shoulder and bounce it up and down rhythmically,
leaving your heel on the ground for a smaller bounce and lifting your entire foot
off the ground for a more vigorous bounce.
d) Breathe in, raise your crane wings to the sides for balance, and stretch the
shoulder up off the ground with your forefoot. Hold the stretch a moment to
consolidate the benefits of the shoulder bouncing, then let the shoulder fall.
e) Avoiding downward pressure, vibrate the upper arm with your sole while
traveling up and down its length twice.

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f) With the sole of your foot, progress distally by overlapping half foot widths down
to the elbow. Press sensitively as the arm is not in an ideal presentation for this
pressure.

11. Standing opposite the forearm

This section aids the arms in channeling out of the body any energy released from the
work on the upper back.
a) With the foot foot, press into the forearm in three places: below the elbow, in the
middle and above the wrist.
b) Walk all over the palm, first with the ball of your foot, then the heel, then the sole.
Try "Becka's Big Toes" (innovated by Rebecca Schulman), bringing your big toes
to bear on the thenar and hypothenar eminences. Then stand with the same foot
on the palm (right to right, or left to left). This has you facing away from partner,
your heel in the thumb-forefinger interspace and the ball of your foot on the mat.
Your other foot goes to the shoulder, creating a Polarity flow between the feet to
integrate the work on the arm.
c) With your weight on the ball of the foot on the hand, pivot your foot off the hand
and brush the foot at the shoulder down the arm and off the fingertips. Repeat
two more shoulder to fingertips brushes, achieving the same subtlety of touch as
your hands have.

12. Sitting above the head

Seated above the head, massage the scalp and neck, rocking your weight
rhythmically into each pressure. Persons involved in mental professions enjoy this
work.
a) Ask permission to undo the hair if it is tied up. First tousle the hair, 'cleaning' it of
static energy. Long hair may be shaken and combed between your fingers. Pull
the hair gently and improvise scalp massage. Do “The Spider”, starting with the
heel of your hand on the forehead and your fingers in the hairline. Walk The
Spider up over the crown by flexing the fingertips into the scalp, following the
flow of the Governing Vessel, Bladder and Gall Bladder meridians.
b) Ask your partner to slowly turn the head to the other side. Holding the forehead
and occiput in a preset crossed-arm grip, guide it between your palms and take
control of the final lowering on the other side, the landing. Arrange your hands so
that partner’s head turns through a nose downward position to the other side. Do
not attempt to turn it through a face up path. Now repeat a).

Repeat 10. - 11. on other side.

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13. Standing above the head
Turned 90° to the body’s longitudinal axis, reach with your foot closest to the head
down to the sacrum.
Getting into it in the same way you did the rocking traction at T12, transfer half of
your weight onto the foot on partner's body and traction the sacrum in the direction
of the feet, adding small transverse rocks without losing the traction. “Rock the
traction.”

14. Lying on the back of the body

The following moves are both size- and intimacy-graded.
a) After asking permission to perform this and the next move, (also requesting the
receiver to relate any discomfort), sit on the sacrum facing the feet. Your legs are
positioned inside partner’s legs. Grasp around the metatarsal bones (the
forefoot) and bend the heels slowly toward the buttocks. Also traction the forefoot
slightly away from the knee in this stretch. As you do so,"scooch" forward and
traction the sacrum toward the feet with your sacrum to safeguard the lumbar
region from compression. Stretch one leg at a time for a gentler version of this
technique. Release the legs one by one back to the mat. (This move was Theri
Thomas’ idea.)
b) Slide down so that you sit on the tops of the thighs, just below the ischial
tuberosities. Palms to palms, gradually lower your back onto partner’s back. Lay
your legs on partner’s legs outside of the heels. Now take a deep breath and let
your weight sink down. Relax. Breathe in sync with her.
c) Interlace fingers, place your soles on partner’s calves and capture the heels
between your big toe and second toe. Now unleash The Snake, creatively writhing
and pressuring all over partner’s back! If you are not too big and partner too
small, try lifting your legs over your head to focus more weight where your back
rolls on partner's back.
d) Traction the arms and legs inferiorly without changing your grips. Slowly sit up
and release the hands. Stay for a meditative moment, remembering perchance the
color of last Spring’s cherry blossoms, or something very important you may have
forgotten.

15. Rolling over the back

As in 14. b) and c), this is a size- and intimacy-graded move.
a) Just when partner thinks it’s safe, lower your chest across the upper back.
Arrange to have your head on the side to which her face is turned so you can
monitor her reactions. Take a deep breath and let your weight drop down.
Breathe in sync with partner.

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b) Slowly, luxuriously and heavily roll down to the hips and return up to the chest.
This move has the apt nickname of “The Steamroller”. Repeat.
c) Finally, roll all the way down to the feet and beyond, avoiding pressure into the
backs of the knees and the ankles.
d) Administer Polarity to the feet, kneeling with your arms crossed to bring your
right palm to the left sole (Pericardium 8 to Kidney 1). Or sit facing away from
the feet (Billiard Polarity) with right to left, left to right. As a variation, lean back
on your elbows and place your soles on partner’s soles.
e) Rest.

End of face down work.

FACE UP
Partner rolls over on her own. Or, if space on the mat allows, kneel on the side
opposite to which partner’s head is turned. Place the near arm overhead, grasp the far
wrist and ankle firmly and pull them to roll partner over toward you. The main
leverage is from the ankle rather than the wrist. Finish the roll by bending the knee to
the chest, then lay it out on the mat. Do “housekeeping” to ensure partner’s comfort,
such as offering a pillow under the knees.

1. Kneeling between the feet

Like the Face Down opening of the sequence, you begin the Face Up half with
symmetrical, bilateral work that treats both legs at the same time.
a) Slip your hands under the ankles, lift both legs and palm the heels. (In the case of
clicking, indicating joint instability from a sprain, hold the ankles instead of the
heels.) Lean backward to traction the legs in the hip joints as you roll them
rapidly inward to create a Jello-like movement in the thighs.
b) Lean forward (inhaling), stretching the calves, by placing the soles on your hara
or chest. Lean backward (exhaling), opening the legs to the side and lowering
them with traction. Repeat twice more and finish placing the soles on your hara.
Lean in toward them and rest your palms on the knees for Polarity.
c) Drop the legs one by one on the ground and waggle the legs sideways in the hip
sockets by holding the little toe of both feet between the thumb and index finger at
the metatarsophalangeal joint. Let the legs roll on the ground in a big, sloppy
rotation at the hip socket without traction. Next, sliding your grip distally,
traction them so as to bounce the legs, popping the toe joints. Do these two
movements with each of the toes.
d) Press down on the forefeet to plantar flex the ankles. With your palms at right
angles across the balls of the feet and your elbows braced into your abdomen,

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 lean forward to flex the ankles. In both these stretches use your body weight
rather than muscular force.
e) Hold the insteps, applying Polarity.

2. Sitting between the feet

This move is borrowed from Thai massage, too delicious not to include! Ask your
partner permission to bend the leg to the side if you sense there could be an intimacy
issue in this position. Offer to place a pillow under the knee if the range of external
rotation at the hip is limited.
With the leg bent to the side, place your soles on the inner thigh, and reaching under
your own legs, grasp the heel and instep in both hands to traction the ankle joint.
You may find it easier to reach under one leg than under both. Go for a walk on the
posterior thigh, alternating pressure and position, tractioning the foot to you while
pressing the thigh away. Sliding the foot pressure is also an option. Ask permission
to abduct the thigh higher to the side and continue with alternating pressures. You
may adjust where you sit to be closer to the leg if it abducts far up to the side. In this
position you may release the heel and take the other heel to create a counter-traction
between pulling that leg and pushing the thigh away.

3. Sitting opposite the side of the body

These foot kneadings address the upper half of the Gall Bladder meridian.
All the while tractioning the near arm toward you, go for a walk first on the hip
abductors and iliac crest (crease and crest). The arm is abducted to an angle of
about 120°. Your grip is around the wrist with one hand and just proximal to the
epicondyles of the humerus with the other hand. Alternate between these grips with
every three steps, creating a counter-traction.

4. Sitting opposite the hand

a) Hold the hand in both of yours as if shaking hands and waggle the arm sideways
so the triceps flops sideways off the mat. To gracefully arrive in the handshake
grip, stroke down the arm until your hand opens the hand and your thumb can
come around the receiver's thumb. Occasionally let the arm fall while waggling it.
b) Hold the metacarpals, palm facing downwards with both of your hands, and
bounce the upper arm gently on the mat and release it a few times. With the same
grip, lean back to traction the arm at the shoulder, circle the wrist up and toward
you, (inhaling); lean forward and circle the wrist down and away (exhaling).
Repeat two more wrist circles.
c) Flick the wrist up and down with your little fingers, then grasp the metacarpals
and articulate them with firm syncopated circles. This will open and close the

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 palm. Also emphasize pulling the thumb and the 4th and 5th metacarpals in the
circling pattern.
d) Secure the hand in the “solidarity handshake” between your palms, as if you were
praying fervently, (fingers interlaced), and press it firmly with syncopated circles
in a grinding action. Hold the hand close to your chest for a greater pressure.
e) Kneel on one knee to lift the arm from the mat and rock your body in order to
swing the arm sideways and up. Focus on the weight of the elbow.
f) Swing the arm sideways from each finger, squeezing them between your
forefinger and thumb, working distally to focus the movement and traction on the
MP’s, PIP’s and DIP’s in that order. Sustain the swinging rhythm while
transitioning from one finger to the next.

Repeat 2. – 4. on the other side.

5. Standing over hips

a) Holding the heels, stand up, walk in, and brace your hands against your own
hips. With most receivers, the legs should not exceed a 50-60º angle in relation to
the floor. Lean back to traction and unweight the hips and swing them side to side
using weight shifts. Grasp both heels in one hand in order to bend the knees with
your other hand. Switch to holding the shins and standing over the hips. Flex the
knees to the chest, (out toward the shoulders) requesting partner to inhale, then
pressing on the exhale, repeating three times.
b) With the knees together, kneel on your right knee and circle them clockwise, still
holding the shins just below the knees. Visualize the sacrum rolling in a cicle on
the mat.
c) Out of the circle, carefully lower the legs to the floor to your right and adjust your
foot on the ground forward. Leaning with your weight over the receiver, give a
tractioning stretch, pressing the shoulder and the thigh diagonally away from
each other with your hands. Finesse the stretch to the shoulder with the “C
Curve” from Spiral Dynamic.
d) Lean over the lateral thigh with your forearms and massage with syncopated
circles, using the medial border of the ulna. Use the same action on either side of
the greater trochanter, feeling free to bring the elbows to bear. Repeat b) – d) on
the other side.
e) With the knees centered over the chest once more, press the shoulders alternately
into the floor with your palms. Feel free to extend your pressure onto the chest,
and to slide laterally from chest to shoulder. Lean from side to side to bring your
weight to bear.
f) Align the thighs vertical to the ground and press the knees straight down. Reach
between your legs to take the ankles in your hands, back up, stand up, and lower

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 the legs to the ground, one by one, supporting each ankle in your forefoot on the
descent. Anchor your heel into the ground and rock the leg as it rests in your
dorsum, then toss it lightly onto the mat.

6. Kneeling between the feet

Brush up the yin meridians on the inner legs to the hara, inhaling, giving a wide
berth around the crotch. Exhaling, brush from the hara down under the lower back
and buttocks, (turning your wrists so that the finger tips point toward each other as
you continue from the tops of the thighs), and bounce down under the legs to the feet.
Repeat two more cycles.

7. Standing above the head

a) Take both wrists from the inside and stand up above the head, your feet on either
side of the head. Roll the head side to side by alternately shifting your weight
sideways. Traction the arms enough so that only the back of the head remains on
the mat. Find a rhythm that does not stress the neck or make the receiver dizzy.
b) Traction and swing one arm at a time to roll the head on one side only. Finally
replace the arms at the sides.

8. Kneeling above the head

a) As you kneel, cross the receiver’s arms across his chest. Make sure the hair is
safely out of the way as you sit on your heels and rest the head on your thighs.
Alternately pull the wrists diagonally downward to roll the upper body from side
to side and stretch the rhomboids.
b) Cradle under the top forearm with your forearm, palming the upper arm. With
your other hand hold the scapula on the same side. Circle the elbow and scapula
in a syncopated pattern. Pull the elbow across, maintaining the stretch while your
other hand circles the scapula and massages the rhomboids with its fingertips.
Place the other arm on top and repeat.
c) Finally, cross your own arms, grasps the wrists, lift the arms up and swing them,
then release them one by one to the mat.

9. Sitting above the head

a) Lift up the shoulders, one by one, to insert your feet beneath the rhomboids. Lift
your feet alternately and then at the same time to massage the rhomboids and
articulate the thoracic spine.
b) Position a rolled up towel under the neck. Gather it in one hand above the head,
your other hand guiding from under the neck and your soles on the shoulders.
Lean back and administer a counter-traction. Ask partner to breathe high into the
chest and hold the breath. Maintain the traction as partner exhales. Repeat twice

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 more, asking her to breathe higher up into the neck even, to engage the SCM and
scalenes as secondary muscles of respiration. Gradually release the stretch.
Using the towel under the neck, roll the head from side to side, then remove the
towel.
c) Leaning back on your forearms, “go for a walk” on the shoulders, alternately
pressing them down in the direction of the feet. Start at the sides of the neck like a
collar, working out to the shoulders and back. You may direct some pressure onto
the chest, as well. Finish by brushing your lateral arches down the upper arms.

10. Leaning backwards

Take both of the wrists firmly from the inside and stretch the arms over the head.
Lean back until you lie on the ground. Hold for 3 breaths. Sitting up again, lay the
arms on your lap.

11. Sitting above the head

a) Beginning from the hara, slide your hands under the waist and passing up along
the sides and under the arms out to the hands. Repeat, brushing from the hara up
the center of the chest, along the arms and out to the hands.
b) Repeat, brushing from the hara, up the center of the chest and stroke along the
jaws and cheeks.
c) Take the hands and swing the elbows. Lean forward onto your knees and place
the arms by the sides, tractioning the wrists down toward the feet.

12. Facial Shiatsu

Rock forward and backward slightly to involve your body weight in each of the
pressures that follow.
• Chin---With the four fingers on the mandible, press into the chin with the thumbs,
then work laterally along the mandible to the angle of the mandible.
• Mouth--Slide the thumbs from the corners of the mouth sideways.
• Nose---With the palms resting on the side of the head, place the four fingers on
the sides of the nose.
• Cheekbone---Press four fingers into the lower border of the zygomatic bone;
reposition laterally along the inferior border of the zygomatic arch.
• Circle Eyes---With four fingers resting on sides of cheeks, press thumbs below
the eyes, then above the eyes.
• Temples---With four fingers resting on sides of cheeks, press thumbs into temples
and slide laterally.
• Forehead---Slide the thumbs from the center of the forehead out to the temples
three times.

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• Governing Vessel and Bladder---With the thumbs give Shiatsu along the sagittal
suture and one body inch lateral to it on both sides.
• Gall Bladder---Circle with palm pressure on the sides of the head.

13. Kneeling above the head

Cover the eyes with your palms, with or without contact, and the ears with your inner
thighs.

14. Sitting opposite the hara

a) “Fluff” the hara like a cat, pressing and pulling with both hands.
b) Circle a “big hand” clockwise on the hara.
c) Place one hand on the hara, one on the forehead, and your head on the heart.
After several breaths, lift your head and leave the hands. Do a “soft take-off”,
i.e., remove first the weight of the hands, then their touch, then their warmth, then
their energy from the auric field. Finish with the Mummy as described at the end
of the General Information and Guidelines.

FINISH
In the delicacy of feeling at the end of a session, finish wishing health and happiness
for your receiver. Honor the space in your own way, silently feeling gratitude to the
receiver for empowering you with her surrender and receptivity, for giving you the
opportunity to serve. Thank also the living elements that participated in the
equation: the earth and spiritual energies. Step outside the auric field of your
partner and cut the energy between yourself and her by any of the following
techniques: waving your hands in front of your hara, spinning on your axis, shaking
your joints, affirming “I am I, you are you." and breathing more deeply. Finally,
kneel seiza alongside partner to re-center psychologically. Calm your energies and
place your hands on the ground to pass any excess energies back into the earth.

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