Manual Therapy
From massage to movement therapies like Tai Chi and Chi Gong, active forms of fascial manipulation has proven to be extremely relaxing and effective.
As a student, I spent two years studying under my shiatsu mentor Jim Cleaver. I completed courses from the Moving Mountain Institute in Myofascial Release, Cranio-Sacral, and Visceral Manipulation. Finally, I studied So-Tai and gentle Japanese non-insertive Acupuncture with Instructor Bob Quinn. These complex systems all onto themselves have enabled me to develop my own style of body work, which all derive from a common principle: listening. In body work, regardless of technique, I incorporate a hands-on listening that permits me to coalesce with that which is at my fingertips. Body work incorporated with Acupuncture is an incredibly powerful method for treating both disease and orthopedic pain.
Shiatsu (指圧) is a form of Japanese bodywork based on concepts in traditional Chinese medicine. Shiatsu derives from a Japanese massage modality called anma.
In the Japanese language, shiatsu means "finger pressure". Shiatsu techniques include massages with fingers, thumbs, feet and palms; assisted stretching; and joint manipulation and mobilization. To examine a patient, a shiatsu practitioner uses palpation and, sometimes, pulse diagnosis. The Japanese Ministry of Health defines shiatsu as "a form of manipulation by thumbs, fingers and palms without the use of instruments, mechanical or otherwise, to apply pressure to the human skin to correct internal malfunctions, promote and maintain health, and treat specific diseases. The techniques used in shiatsu include stretching, holding, and most commonly, leaning body weight into various points along key channels.
Sotai or Sotai-hō (操体法, Sōtai-hō) "is a Japanese form of muscular or movement therapy invented by Keizo Hashimoto (1897–1993), a Japanese medical doctor from Sendai. The term So-tai (操体) is actually the opposite of the Japanese word for exercise: Tai-so (体操). Dr. Hashimoto conceived Sotai as an antidote to the forceful and regimented exercises of Japan, that anyone could practice easily to restore balance and health. Sotai is different from regular exercise because it distinguishes between balanced movements that are natural and beneficial and those that are unnatural and cause strains and physical distortions. The aim of Sotai is to help the body restore and maintain its natural balance."
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) "is a form of bodywork or alternative therapy that uses gentle touch to palpate the synarthrodial joints of the cranium. It is based on fundamental misconceptions about the physiology of the human skull and is promoted as a cure-all for a variety of health conditions. CST therapy was invented in the 1970s by John Upledger, an osteopathic physician, as an offshoot of cranial osteopathy, which had been devised in the 1930s by William Garner Sutherland."
Myofascial release (MFR, self-myofascial release) "is an alternative medicine therapy claimed to be useful for treating skeletal muscle immobility and pain by relaxing contracted muscles, improving blood and lymphatic circulation, and stimulating the stretch reflex in muscles. Fascia is a thin, tough, elastic type of connective tissue that wraps most structures within the human body, including muscle. Fascia supports and protects these structures. The Osteopathic belief system proposes that this soft tissue can become restricted due to psychogenic disease, overuse, trauma, infectious agents, or inactivity, often resulting in pain, muscle tension, and corresponding diminished blood flow."
Shiatsu, So-Tai, Craniosacral, and Myofascial Release as described by WIKIPEDIA
Visceral Manipulation (VM) "was developed by world-renowned French Osteopath and Physical Therapist Jean-Pierre Barral. Comparative studies found Visceral Manipulation beneficial for various disorders.VM assists functional and structural imbalances throughout the body including musculoskeletal, vascular, nervous, urogenital, respiratory, digestive and lymphatic dysfunction. It evaluates and treats the dynamics of motion and suspension in relation to organs, membranes, fascia and ligaments. VM increases proprioceptive communication within the body, thereby revitalizing a person and relieving symptoms of pain, dysfunction, and poor posture."
https://www.barralinstitute.com/therapies/