Counselling & Shiatsu

Category: five elements

  • Shiatsu Stretch for tiredness, Exeter, Devon

    There are set of stretches that go alongside Shiatsu. They can be done at home, to support Shiatsu treatment & to encourage well-being. This stretch is a great stretch if you feel tired & drained. It’s good if you have done too much & feel like you are burnt out. It is great if you have fatigue or exhaustion. Like all stretches it is important to not push too far. This is particularly important if you are very tired, pushing too hard may use up the last of your energy & leave you feeling worse.

    You are looking to stretch the meridians, lines of energy, that run along the back of your legs & down your back. Remember to warm up before, breathe whilst stretching & only go as far as your body is comfortable with.

    You may want to get a big cushion to rest your torso on, once you have leant forwards. This is a great stretch to hold for a long time, at least a few slow breathes.

    The body should feel stretched, of course, & lengthened.  You should feel quieter & more peaceful. You may want to meditate or lie afterwards, as this is the sort of energy you may generate doing the stretch.

    It is really easy to overstretch ourselves, there seems to be so much to do & so much demand on our time. This stretch helps renew Water Element energy in the body. Shiatsu uses 5 Element theory as one form of diagnosis.  Within 5 Element diagnosis the Water energy is so important, it is our vital energy, our core energy. If we push to do too much in our lives & don’t rest enough our core energy can be used up, then we feel deep tiredness & exhaustion. Using this stretch regularly, daily, can help build core energy & relieve tiredness.

    Try it out & let me know the results, I’d be interested in knowing what effect it had on you. You can get in touch through the ‘contact me’ page. I’m always happy to talk Shiatsu so any questions or comments please send me a message. 

  • Shiatsu & Springtime, Exeter, Devon

    Shiatsu & Springtime, Exeter, Devon

    Spring is a time of budding of opening of new life & new starts. This goes for us humans too, Spring is a great time for coming up with ideas & new ventures, for jotting down our dreams & aspirations. A time to enjoy our creativity & draw inspiration from the new life emerging around us. 

    Spring is the time of year that relates to the Wood element, within 5 Element diagnosis, which Shiatsu massage uses as one form of diagnosis.  If you imagine a tall, strong tree moving & swaying in the wind, this is the wood element in harmony. The body feels flexible & fluid. The mind & emotions are flexible & adaptable. Everthing happens with ease, joints move smoothly & the whole body is supple.

    When the wood element is out of balance you can imagine the tree in two ways. One, it is brittle & unflexible, unable to move with the wind, it is stiff & may break, or becomes rigid & stuck in one position. Two, it is too eager to grow & expand, it pushes itself higher forgetting its lower trunk & roots, it becomes thin & weak & can be pushed too much by the wind. Again it’s the same with our bodies, we can become inflexible, rigid with tension, we can become stuck in a rut. Or we can become too driven, push ourselves too hard, we can become driven by our emotions, become angry too quickly for instance. Often this also leads to a lot of tension, headaches & eye complaints. 

    How do we keep our wood energy in balance then? Well Shiatsu massage is a good way to start!! Of course I would say that right – so let’s come back to that. Here’s some tips that you can use on yourself at home. 

    1. Stretch every morning & night – just 5 minute if that’s all the time you have. Be gentle & don’t push too hard, listen to your body. Warm up before stretching. Work on your neck & shoulders & your inner thingh – all places where tension maybe found with excess wood energy.

    2. Massage your feet before bed – just 2 minutes is fine – relax & calm your body to get a good night’s sleep & bring your energy away from your shoulders & neck.

    3. Eat as little fried food as possible. This can really encourage the wood energy to stagnant, so leave it alone where possible.

    4. Eat your greens – not salad or stir fried greens – eat deep, dark, rich greens, steamed with a little soy sauce or sea salt. This supports the flexible & adaptable Wood energy.

    5. Meditate & rest when you can. Quiet, calm stillness builds Water energy & in turn this feeds the Wood energy.

    So back to Shiatsu massage. It can be great if you are feeling stuck or stagnant,  it can be great for tension or strain, Shiatsu massage can be a massive energy boost. It is a relaxing & enjoyable experience & afterwards you may feel invigorated, energized, more flexible & adaptable. 

    Similarly if you are feeling over-worked & stressed, like there is too much happening & you can’t settle, Shiatsu massage can be calming & centering. Bringing you back to a place where you can feel your roots & the strength in your trunk. Quietening the mind & emotions & giving some sense of strength in your core. Shiatsu works to balance the energy in the body, to get the tree strong but flexible as it were. 

    If you’d like to know more please get in touch through the ‘contact me’ page. There’s more info on th e other pages on this site too. 

  • Shiatsu for relaxation, Exeter, Devon

    Shiatsu for relaxation, Exeter, Devon

    Shiatsu massage is a form of hands-on therapy. It is deep & powerful but it is also extremely relaxing. It takes the body to a deeply calm & quiet place where the client has space just to be & to experience deep rest.

    Shiatsu works to create a sense of balance in the body. This sense of balance can help the body relax & feel at ease. Modern life creates so many stresses & strains & our bodies can become full of knots & aches & pains. Shiatsu massage can relieve these tensions, ease the tightness & stretch out the parts of the body holding all the stress.

    Shiatsu massage is also an invigorating form of therapy, it can feel like the body is re-awakened & has the energy is used to have. The body, mind & emotions seem to flow with ease & with this can come a sense of calmness.

    There is always a good amount of hands-on work in a session of Shiatsu. Enough massage to feel satisfied, well-worked & well relaxed. Shiatsu involves various massage techniques so it can be adapted to suit the individual. This can lead to lots of ‘that’s the spot’ moments & a deep & satisfying level of relaxation.

    If you would like to know more then do look at the pages on this site & feel free to get in touch through the ‘contact me’ page.

    Thanks for reading & I hope you have a relaxing evening whatever you are doing!

  • Shiatsu Massage Events Coming up, Exeter, Devon 

    If you aren’t sure what Shiatsu is, or if you’d like to see if my form of this massage suits you, then a taster session is a really good way to check it, & me, out. The next event I am giving Shiatsu at is Exeter Respect Festival. I’ll be there with colleagues on the the Saturday. To find out more about this incredible, free, event head to their website 

    We will be offering 30 minute tasters for just £10. 30 minutes is loads of time & will give you a really good idea of what Shiatsu is. 

    I have further events coming up too – a fair in Budleigh Salterton (more info to follow.) I’ll be doing shorter tasters here – 20 mins for £10 – still plenty of time to check out Shiatsu. Then in July my colleagues & me have another event in Exeter (again details to follow.) 

  • Shiatsu for tiredness & sleep, Exeter, Devon

    Shiatsu for tiredness & sleep, Exeter, Devon

    We have busy lives, try to pack in an awful lot, most of us are pretty tired a lot of the time. On top of that poor sleep or no sleep can heavily affect daily life, making it hard to function & achieve what needs to be achieved. It can affect a person’s mental state, causing depression, anxiety. It can affect self-worth & confidence & personal relationships.

    I have had clients who suffer from general tiredness & low energy. I have had clients who suffer with insomnia or sleep difficulties. Shiatsu can help settle the body, when it is in a state of distress. It is very relaxing & calming, it can take the client to a peaceful place. Shiatsu massage can re-energize & invigorate a client, giving them more energy & strength. Shiatsu works to rebalance the energy within the body & with this rebalancing can come relief from fatigue or tiredness. Sleep patterns may return back to more normal patterns.

    Some clients have expressed that they have found they haven’t had to push themselves to do things, they have had the energy, after Shiatsu massage, to just get on & do it. They have said they have more flow & fluidity, in their bodies, but also with their thoughts & emotions. 

    Because Shiatsu is a gentle, but powerful, form of massage it often works well for people who struggle with sleep. It can help to remind the body of how it should feel at night. Again clients have said they have been able to relax into sleep without working hard to do so.

    I work in Exwick, Exeter, Devon. It’s a lovely, quiet practice room. There is on street parking & it’s easily accessible by bus & train as well.

    Thanks for reading & hope you all sleep well tonight.

  • Get up & go – Shiatsu, Exeter, Devon

    Here’s a great stretch for mornings or when you need to get going & don’t fancy doing much! It fills your lungs with fresh air & is a good stretch for the whole body.

    Breathe in as you raise your arms to a comfortable height behind you. Always be gentle & never push to hard.
    Breathe out as you lean forwards, again being gentle – it’s not about going as far as you can it’s about enjoying the stretch, your breathe going out & the feeling of movement as the energy flows around your body. 
    This is a makaho exercise, they go alongside Shiatsu massage. They help stretch specific meridians, or lines of energy in the body, the same lines that Shiatsu massage works with. If you’d like to know more feel free to get in touch through the ‘contact me’ page. 

    Thanks for reading & a happy & calm day to all xx 

  • Shiatsu massage for motivation & focus

    Here we are again on a Sunday evening. Lots of us are running around preparing for Monday & the week ahead. I have chosen to take a break from the organising to write this blog! 

    Sunday evenings used to fill me with dread – the feeling used to creep up on me from mid morning, building to its strongest as I tried to get to sleep on a Sunday evening. I had a stressful & not particularly happy-making job. I had chosen to take the job so that I could make the move back to Devon from the Manchester area but the pay off was a long commute on slow, winding Devon roads & a job that was unthankful & relentless when I finally got there. The pay was ok & pretty good for Devon but I spent a majority of it on petrol & car upkeep, then had very little time to spend the rest of it in. 

    I was unsure how I would be able to change my situation, I couldn’t see any options & felt trapped. Sunday evenings were the worst. Not long after starting this job I began my Shiatsu training, the first few months of the 3 year diploma course that I completed in 2010.  I started to do energy work consistently for the first time in my life. I had done yoga & tai chi & meditation at times but I threw myself into my Shiatsu practice & the exercise & meditation to support it.

    I began to feel a fluidity that I hadn’t felt for a long time, I started to see options & opportunities to make changes. I began to feel healthy in body & mind & started to have more energy. I felt more focused & driven & able to take advantage of what opportunities life showed up. Within the first year of my Shiatsu course I had found a new, happier & lot less stressful job. I felt supported & respected by my employer. I did unfortunately spilt with my partner but actually this was a positive change, if not sad at the time.  I made new friends & found new interests.

    I really believe in Shiatsu massage as a form of therapy that can support people to make changes that they hope or wish to make. I have had clients who have felt stuck, who have then felt more movement & energy after their Shiatsu & have been able to implement changes in their lives. 

    If you are feel the ‘Sunday fear’ & feel it’s time to see if you can find a new path then maybe Shiatsu massage will be able to help. It can really transform lives. Get in touch through the ‘contact me’ page or my Facebook page. I work in Exwick, Exeter, Devon on Tuesday’s,  Wednesday’s & Saturday’s. 

  • Shiatsu stretch for spring

    Following on from my blog yesterday, about Spring really starting to happen, here is a stretch which is really good for this time of year. It is a strong stretch so take it gently, listen to your body & only do what feels right. 

    Shiatsu has six stretches that support the twelve meridians, lines of energy in the body. Each stretch supports a pair of meridians, this stretch relates to the wood energy, within the 5 elements, the form of diagnosis that Shiatsu uses. There can be a tightness within these meridians that can make you feel inflexible. You can feel like you are unclear of what direction to take, or that you are unable to adapt emotionally to situations. You may get headaches or eye issues. Stretching is really helpful. It can get the flow of energy moving thriugh the meridians & can help you feel fluid on thought & emotion too.

    Here’s a photo of the stretch. 

    It is possible to do this stretch with only one leg straight & the other folded up. Also if you can’t reach your foot, don’t worry just go as far as is comfortable. Hold the stretch for a couple of slow breathes then repeat on other side. Rotations of the shoulders, back twists & inner thigh stretches are also good for these meridians.