Ashiatsu dates back as far as the 12th century and was associated with Keralite foot massage called “Chavutti Thirummal”.
History of Ashiatsu
With reports of massage being performed with the feet from China, Japan, Fiji, Hawaii, India, Tonga and Thailand for over 3,000 years, Ashiatsu appears to be a global therapy! Beginning as an in-home practice, with family members massaging the person on the floor or mat with their feet, Ashiatsu has been adapted to studios and massage tables. This original style was not very structured at all, with family members getting creative as they worked, bringing their own personality and special techniques into the massage.
When Ashiatsu was in its infancy, practitioners were more interested in Chi (energy), than soothing aching muscles. In traditional Ashiatsu, “people follow the flow of the yin meridians coming up from the earth and then the yang meridians coming down from the heavens,” explains Barbra Esher, director of education for the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia (AOBTA). With the primary focus being the body’s energy map, many of the early forms of Ashiatsu were not considered massage. Instead, this therapy was considered a healing art, passed down through the generations.
The person was prone on a mat and the body was covered in special oils, the practitioner would grab a rope overhead for balance while performing ritualistic massage with bare feet. The technique was given in conjunction with following the energy lines, similar to Thai massage. It was performed with the foot sliding quickly from one end of the body to the other.
Japan was credited with barefoot shiatsu. The fully clothed person was positioned on a mat on the floor while static compression strokes were applied.
On one of the islands of Fiji the technique has evolved to using only the foot to perform the massage and not walking directly on the person. One foot is kept on the ground at all times. This is how it is now taught in the United States with modifications, we have bars in the ceilings and the person disrobes and is prone.
This massage has been growing in popularity with well known resorts having practitioners learning this modality because it serves the needs of the client who is looking for the deepest tissue massage they can find.
Ashiatsu Origin
The word Ashiatsu comes from “ashi”, meaning foot, and “atsu”, meaning pressure. It is an ancient form of bodywork brought to the world by Buddhist monks and is associated with traditional Eastern modalities, such as Shiatsu. The traditional Ashiatsu treatment took into consideration breathing patterns, emotional states, and focused heavily on diet.
The work was done with the recipient clothed on the floor while the practitioner would use hand and foot pressure to balance the basic principals of change. This form of bodywork is a small part of a very complex system of traditional Chinese medicine that requires years of study for true understanding. Some refer to Ashiatsu as barefoot Shiatsu massage, but the technique has been adapted for Western Civilization, making the two modalities quite different.
Although the roots of Ashiatsu are definitely Asian, the technique and application is truly Western. The Ashiatsu technique described here is NOT performed on a mat or floor, or through clothing. The focus here is on Western application and sciences using foot compression to deliver Swedish massage
as founded by Ruth Hardee.