How to Do Shiatsu Neck & Shoulder Massages

Video Transcript

RICHARD NEIL: So now, I've moved to Sarah's shoulders here with my left hand resting on the back of Sarah's scalp here, I'm moving my right thumb gently down the crevice here where the neck actually meets the shoulders, just starting work here. The shoulders, just like the lower back, is a common complaint where it's a lot of stress and tension. My teacher used to joke around at the word, "shoulders" themselves could be broken down into the should-ers, the things I should be doing, the things that are constantly resting on my shoulders that I just can't get rid off. So all that responsibility, this is the place to let it go. If you find a place, just let your thumb just rest there. How does that feel? Okay? This is often the time when clients will just zone out and be in another place because what is being released can be so intense here. I've moved my other hands, fingers into this area for extra motion. Sometimes, you have to create a little bit more tension to get rid of the tension here. It's almost as if my fingers are taking on what is being let go, even though that's not what I want. It's not actually happening. But it's assuring, that it's okay, there's another pair of hands here. And you don't have to carry this any longer. So I'm just going down to this ridge where the actual shoulder blade connects to the neck in this upper trapezius area. We'll continue work on this area when I return.