Month: September 2018

We had the hottest summer since records began and the new academic year has started. September 23rd is the official start of autumn. When summer moves into autumn it is important to take time to relax and rest. Shiatsu is the perfect way to help the transition.
The Five Elements are a fantastic model for discovering the cycles of life and nature and their part in our life.
The five elements are Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth.
Each element has its strengths, qualities and propensity in nature, so they can be cultivated in us as human beings – to run like water, bend like wood, ascend like fire, ground like earth and demarcate like metal. These elements and their qualities can be stimulated by the right quality of touch on the body.
Autumn is the season of the metal element which is related to our lungs and large intestine, the element of clarity, value identity and character. This gives the gift of boundaries, focus, leadership and clear authority. The metal element also brings healthy self-confidence, knowing who you are and your worth in the world. Each breath is appreciated and brings us in to the living moment, the certainty of our mortality while we are actively alive! When metal is dreary, life can turn lonely. We sense the isolation of our unique selves, existential and solo, the borders are too clear, rigid and frail. This is a situation of profound grief but a grief not mourned, withered and broken inside, all alone. It represents our basic sense of solitude and loneliness, encircled by autumn leaves and stripped trees. The breath of life is diminished and with it can arrive respiratory difficulties and bowel problems as letting go is tough and hurting. Skin problems show up since it reflects our boundaries and with it a loss of self image. The sharp edge of life is in need of re-modelling and defining to notice our uniqueness and the paradox of being alone and belonging.
Shiatsu aims to recharge the elements, different parts of the body hold these potent energies and shiatsu can wake them up with the right touch and intention. Often the body is waiting to be held in a certain way in a particular place. When we are met in an appropriate way a deep change can take place.
Shiatsu is not something that is DONE to you, but with you, paying attention to both you and your body’s deep needs and wishes and replying to and meeting them in the moment, with your full participation. Shiatsu is a dance, following a pulse of an unfolding process of awareness and a celebration.