For centuries in Japan, shiatsu has been utilized to aid in the elimination of chronic pain, to help reduce stress, and to affect a balance between body and mind. Based on the teachings of Shizuto Masunaga, Zen shiatsu works with an extended model of the traditional meridian system of Chinese medicine. Utilizing the theory of Kyo-Jitsu (depletion & stagnation) diagnosis of one’s condition is assessed and reassessed throughout the session by touch. “Treatment is diagnosis, diagnosis is treatment”. Zen shiatsu is a process in which the giver and receiver on a physical as well as an energetic level to create an environment where the healing process can occur. The natural tendency of the body is to heal itself, Zen shiatsu works to stimulate this tendency towards self-healing.