Shiatsu and Chinese herbal therapy both find their basis in traditional Chinese medicine and utilize the same holistic theory. This theory postulates that everything in the universe is made up of qì, energy. The energy of our body resonates with the energy around us: in autumn, when nature withdraws in an inwards movement, we too have a natural propensity to stay indoors more and seek solitude, while in the spring, when nature springs to life again, we too feel like opening up the house and going out to enjoy the fresh air.

As long as we live in harmony with ourselves and the world, energy flows freely. Where this is not the case – where we fight the natural course of things, where we are at war with ourselves, or where we are overcome by alien influences – blockages arise. In our body, the organ systems, each with their own specific function, need to work together in harmony to keep our body healthy. Ailments and complaints are but manifestations of an imbalance of that harmony: restore balance, remove the blockage, and the complaint will cease.

The shiatsu and Chinese herbal therapy at first sight may appear to operate in rather different ways: shiatsu influences the body’s own energy from the outside, while herbal therapy supplements or dispels from the inside. That is why they complement one another so well. But in the end, both therapies aim to promote the free flow of energy in the body.