Asi Shnabel's Blog

Pregnancy Treatments: Pregnancy is a wonderful natural miracle of preparing to bring new life on Earth. Naturally the Embryo’s growth is much depended in the mother’s health, life style etc. With modern fast & stressful life style pregnancy is often experienced through many hardships and unpleasant symptoms than may often undermine the mother’s health, and even affect the born-to-be baby. Modern lifestyle often affects many young women while being pregnant: working hard, coping with stress, coping with mass communication and technology, etc. thus turning a natural wonder such as pregnancy into a long, painful & tiring process, often accompanied by many unpleasant symptoms, complications, decreased immunization and body power, unstable sensitivity and more. It is well known that Shiatsu and Anma may assist much in the process of pregnancy, starting from alleviating pain & other typical symptoms common in pregnancy, and up to helping the natural development of the embryo insi...

For many centuries the source of our being, power and health is known among the sages in the far east as the body’s center of gravity, or the “field of longevity” ( Jap = Tanden; Chi = Tantien). For centuries this center was cultivated and maintained by healers, martial-artists and masters of many types of arts who believed that perfection depends in utmost utilization of this center, both physically and mentally. In fact, sources point three divisions of this center in our body: The upper “Tantien” (3rd eye) as the mental center of wisdom, the middle center (middle of the chest) as the center of emotions and conception and empathy, and the lower center as the physical center, the center of gravity in our bodies and source of our true strength. Breathing into and from this center (lower center) is considered as the most fundamental element in maintaining health and optimizing our body’s powers and functioning! In my personal experience over the course of practice I noticed a significan...

When I was still in Israel I had my uncle coming for a weekend visit with his wife. He was barely walking or standing and his wife was helping him. He said he had strained his back for the past 2 days real bad and don’t know what to do. It was a Saturday so he was resting and avoiding calling a Doctor. Than he asked me for help knowing I’m a Shiatsu therapist. I was looking at him for a moment and thought to myself…. his knees look a little stiff… So I asked him to carefully bent down on his knees and support himself with the nearby sofa, holding his hand on it. I instructed him how to do so and he actually cooperated, surprised it was not that hard to do. That he asked: “What’s next?” The next thing was chatting with him for a few minutes… maybe 5 or so… At some point I asked him to stand up again. He was a bit scared to do so, but finally did it and was very shocked to realize that the back pain was almost completely GONE! “How did you know, Asi?” he asked… I said humbly I didn’t but...

My first ever encounter with “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome” happened years ago in Israel, when I was employed in an integrative healthcare clinic. I was assigned to a woman in her 60’s who was an office worker and was scheduled for an operation on her hand due to having this condition. She was also smoking chronically and I could feel her body was very stiff. I came to realized that addressing the problem locally is just insufficient for a good effect. So it took me only two sessions to alleviate her condition to her great surprise and to lead her into canceling her scheduled operation since she got amazingly much better! During those sessions I worked mostly on her forearm (Meridians: Pericardium and Tripple-Warmer), pressing and stretching/rotating her hand and working on her upper back/scapular areas and neck to better circulate them. Her chest was very stiff (PC energy) so I had to palm pressure it to improve circulation and breathing a bit. After those two sessions she stayed more to wo...

One of my most interesting treatments happened only a short while after graduating the Shiatsu school. A family member of mine complained about painful bladder when urinating and a bloody urine for the last two days. She was in her 20’s and highly stressed at that time. I offered to help relax the body and gave her a 1-hour session. During the session I realized the body was highly stressed and required mostly a calm steady pressure (Shiatsu). Focus was put on the Bladder and Kidney meridians. Otherwise it was a general overall session in which she had to stop for 3 times and run to the towelette-room to urinate. The first break involved a big bloody discharge with no pain and the last break involved a totally clean discharge! At the end of the session she was very relaxed but completely “drained” and tired and went to bed to rest. The symptoms had totally disappeared! The next day she went to the doctor for a checkup and he diagnosed her as having had a bladder fungal infection. The ...

Shiatsu and Anma both aim to promote the natural healing process already existing in our body, whether it is for maintenance and well-being, helping to restore our body’s stamina or specifically alleviating any health condition. Due to their non-manipulative and non-aggressive nature, Shiatsu and Anma apply a very safe, accurate, deep and sensitive pressure techniques, along with stretches and exercises. Thus it helps the body to naturally return to a state of recovery in specific body areas and conditions were it has been compromised. Shiatsu and Anma can affect all of our body’s systems, tissues and cells, from muscles and connective tissues to nerves, bones density & structure and organs/systems activities. The later is usually affected through stimulation of the Autonomic nerve system, regulating and balancing it. Classic Asian resources mention the concept of “Qi” energy (Jap. “KI”) that relates to the “cosmic breath” that flows through everything in the universe and determine...

TOHEI Sensei (1920-2011) was one of the most significant and promising figures in Aikido history. He founded the “Ki style” stream of Aikido practice and was one of a few followers of the founder who earned a 10’th DAN! Tohei Sensei promoted Ki energy study in various ways among many Aikidoka. One of his gifted gems was the mentioning of the FOUR MAJOR PRINCIPLES TO UNIFY MIND AND BODY: 1. Keep One Point: Develop awareness to you center of gravity rested in your lower abdomen. All movements originate from this area and so is our true power, health and stamina. When we are acquainted to this area we are most powerful and effective. 2. Relax Completely: Relates to the ability to relax the mind AND the body’s muscles as well. Staying relaxed in the face of danger or hostile challenge is a mastery skill in Aikido and martial arts in general. 3. Keep weight Underside: Be aware of gravity and allow it to ground and stabilize you in any performance. The power of Aikido is similar to cutting ...

“All things, material and spiritual, originate from one source and are related as if they were one family. The past, present, and future are all contained in the life force. The universe emerged and developed from one source, and we evolved through the optimal process of unification and harmonization.” Ueshiba Morihei, aka “O-Sensei”; translated by John Stevens). This paragraph, written by the founder of Aikido Master Ueshiba Morihei (“O-Sensei”) summaries the very spiritual essence of Aikido practice. Aikido is a way of uniting, harmonizing and bonding with a possible hostile challenge in a form of a controlled attack by one or more attackers. According to Aikido philosophy, the attacker is merely someone who wishes for a connection in a certain hostile way. If we answer in a confronting manner than we have a conflict of interests, leading into struggle, violence, and a harmful lack of control. No one really wins that way, because neither the “winner” or the “looser” will have peace o...