Counselling & Shiatsu

Category: mind, body, spirit

  • Shiatsu & Reflection, Exeter, Devon

    Shiatsu & Reflection, Exeter, Devon

    I love living in Exeter but, as a family, we like to escape into the countryside as much as we can. Yesterday we headed down to the south Devon coast, even though it was a fairly inconsistent weather day. Breathing the sea air & watching my young sons running as fast & as far as they could on the windswept beach was a real pleasure. 

    It was a moment out of the daily grind, a chance to reflect on the life we lead, a chance to evaluate what is important to us. It also helped that there is little or no phone reception down there so I couldn’t worry about emails I might be missing or if someone was trying to call.

    I came home clear that we should spend as much time in nature as we can. I made a decision yesterday to carry my phone around with me less & to limit, even more than already, the screen time my children get.

    I love those moments where things seem clear & you have the focus & clarity to make decisions & changes. I have experienced these moments for myself, when I have had Shiatsu massage. I have also had clients who have found Shiatsu gives them space to reflect on where they have found themselves. They have been able to look at their situation from a distance, rather than feeling caught up in it. Then decisions & changes can be made.

    Shiatsu is great for focus & motivation, for drive & determination. Instead of feeling like achieving anything is a challenge things can begin to happen with ease & less strain.

    So note to self more trips out into nature & more Shiatsu massage! 

  • September Shiatsu – Exeter, Devon 

    September Shiatsu – Exeter, Devon 

    So this month started with a great Shiatsu event – a colleague & myself gave lots of Shiatsu massage tasters at the Exeter Green Fair on Saturday. It’s always an interesting event, with lots of thought provoking stalls, & is set up right on the cathedral green in Exeter city centre. 

    The following day I was supposed to be giving Shiatsu at the St. Thomas Festival, also in Exeter. The weather was ridiculously English, with heavy rain, wind & low temperatures all day. It was not a day that anyone would hang around for a massage so I chose not to attend. Sad as I have attended a lot of years of this great community event. 

    These two events signify the end of the Summer & the beginning of the Autumn for me. We are on full back to school mode in this house & I’m starting to focus on work a bit more again. It’s hard to multi-task work & the school holidays & I am looking forward to some time to focus specifically on work.

    I am also excited as my youngest son will go to pre-school more & I will be offering more availability – Tuesday afternoons to begin with & in time Friday morning’s. I will still offer Wednesday appointments including early evening appointments.

    The new found focus has also affected my husband & I’s drive to get the ‘Shiatsu Shed’ finished & I hope that I will be offering Shiatsu in the solid wood cabin in our garden in the next month – watch this space.

    I am always happy to talk Shiatsu so do get in touch through the ‘contact me’ page or call me on 07791 070837

  • Weekend of Shiatsu Massage – Exeter, Devon 

    Weekend of Shiatsu Massage – Exeter, Devon 

    Two events this weekend – in Exeter – where you can get a taste of what Shiatsu massage involves – for a small payment.

    Saturday we will be at the Exeter Green Fair – more details here

    Sunday we will be at the St. Thomas Festival – more details here

    Come and try out a Shiatsu massage – if you’ve not had one before or if you want to see how I give Shiatsu (every practitioner differs a bit.) Or just come & say hello.

  • Shiatsu Event this Sunday – Exeter, Devon 

    Shiatsu Event this Sunday – Exeter, Devon 

    I’m going to be giving Shiatsu massage tasters again at the St. Thomas community festival in Exeter. I will be there just on the Sunday, with my lovely colleague, so hopefully plenty of opportunity to get a quick Shiatsu taster.

    More details of the event can be found here

    It’s a sweet festival with good music, lots of things for the kids to do, nice things to eat & plenty of stalls to wander around. 

    Do spread the word & maybe see you there if you fancy it – come & say hello & get a relaxing but invigorating Shiatsu massage taster.

  • Self Shiatsu, Exeter, Devon 

    There are 6 stretches that relate to the meridians, lines of energy, that are worked on in Shiatsu massage. These stretches can be done away from a Shiatsu session. It’s great to do them daily, they stretch the meridians, bringing energy to places where there is little & loosening tightness & stagnation in other areas. 

    As the stretches are done its important to remember to:

    • Gently warm up before & down after 
    • Listen to your body, be kind & don’t push to hard
    • Take a few breathes in each pose
    • Feel how your body reacts to each pose, tight, loose, easy, tough
    • If the pose feels good stay for a couple more breathes 
    • If the pose feels less good come out after a few breathes
    • Do each pose twice, feel the difference the second time

    I am always happy to show how the stretches go at a Shiatsu massage session.

  • Shiatsu Shed in Progress, Exeter, Devon

    After a long wait the shed for our garden, that I hope to practice Shiatsu in, arrived today on the back of a rather large lorry.


    We know it was going to big, it’s going to take up a lot of our garden but will be another large room for us. 

    It’s very exciting, & a dream come true, to be able to practice Shiatsu in a beautiful wooden cabin in the garden. The wood is beautiful & I can’t wait for Friday when the shed is going up!

    As soon as I am able to practice Shiatsu in there of course I’ll be straight onto writing a blog to let everyone know. Wish us luck for the slightly chaotic week we face & see you on the other side!

  • Shiatsu for sleep, Exeter, Devon

    Shiatsu for sleep, Exeter, Devon

    Shiatsu is a form of massage, a hands-on therapy. It can be helpful for a lot of different issues & conditions & it can really help support people who have a struggle or issues with sleep. 

    Shiatsu massage is a relaxing & satisfying treatment that can give a sense of deep rest & relief whilst it is given. It is space away from every day life, a chance to lie down, breathe & be still. Along with being relaxing Shiatsu can be quite a rigorous form of hands-on therapy, when appropriate. The body is moved, stretched & joints are rotated. This can give a sense of space in the body, it can feel like the body is back to the size it should be, instead of compacted from holding the stresses & strains of daily life.

    Lack of sleep can affect every part of someone’s life, the body holds whatever tension is felt emotional or mentally. The aim of Shiatsu is to balance the body & this can ease tensions, physical, mental, emotional or spiritual. This relief can allow clients to sleep with more ease, whether it be getting to sleep, staying asleep or having restful & re-energising sleep.  

    Have a look on the other pages on this site for more information about Shiatsu massage. Please feel free to get in touch to discuss, details on the ‘contact me’ page.

  • Shiatsu for well-being, Exeter, Devon 

    Shiatsu is a form of hands-on therapy which is relaxing & enjoyable to receive. It can help balance the body, relieving tension & aches & pains. Shiatsu can also help with emotional & mental issues or concerns.

    I have a number of clients who come for Shiatsu massage because they appreciate the support it gives them in keeping themselves well, healthy & happy. A common comment I get is that it is nice to be stretched by someone else. Clients may practice yoga or other forms of daily exercise, but it is more satisfying for someone else to stretch your shoulders or rotate your hips. The stretching helps to release tension & pain & allows the body to feel spacious & more flexible. Clients also comment that they have more focus & direction after their Shiatsu treatments. They find they acheive things with more ease, they over-think or worry less. Their emotions feel more balanced

    & their bodies more relaxed.

    I work in Exeter, Devon. Contact me through the ‘contact me’ page.

  • Happy Shiatsu Solstice, Exeter, Devon

    Happy Shiatsu Solstice, Exeter, Devon

    What an amazing Solstice day today. At least here in Devon we had clear blue skies & heady temperatures. I won’t deny that I am hoping the forecast for tomorrow, do it to cool a little, is actually the case. For a Summer Solstice the weather has felt quite fitting, for me.

    It’s been hard giving Shiatsu in this heat, windows open, doors ajar & still pretty sweaty work. I did feel the Shiatsu I gave today was really positive & the energy seemed to flow well. The clients seem to enjoy the heat, whilst I worked on them, so maybe this was a real boost in some ways. 

    I did also manage to find time to get to a favourite river spot for a bit of swimming. I went with my husband &, rarely, no children. It felt pretty fortuitous, to re-connect with my husband. Small children means we don’t see much of each other without them & when we do we are tired! So amongst work I felt a little but of Solstice magic may have been at work.

    Whatever you have done today I wish you all a great rest of the Summer.  

  • Summer Shiatsu Stretches, Exeter, Devon

    There are different stretches that relate to different meridians (lines of energy in the body.) Each meridian related to a season of the year. The below stretches relate to the Summertime. As always with stretches warm up before & down after. Be gentle when doing them & don’t push. The idea is to take a few breathes in the pose. See how the body feels whilst holding it, tight or very comfortable, these senses may show an imbalance in the body.