Counselling and Shiatsu Therapy – Exeter, Devon

So the first day of 2017 has successfully reflected my mood – keeping up with two young boys, having just had a 3 month spell without my husband around,& then hosting Christmas for my husband’s whole family I have reached a place where my body has said enough is enough. Moving feels like an enormous effort & I have been sleeping in the day, which is unheard of.  I am starting to regain my energy, having given in to my body’s request to rest, but I didn’t get it back in time to see the new year in & make many resolutions. I got as far as go to sleep early when at all possible & my energy was spent! 

Mid winter is a time when we really need to listen to our body’s calling us to stop & be, if we don’t rest now & recoup there is no back up for when the spring energy starts to rise. It is lovely to have the solstice/ Christmas celebration to bring warmth & light to the dark winter days but it is easy to over do it & then with a new year celebration on top it can deplete the body’s resources so easily.

So it’s raining on the first day of the year & actually I am quite pleased! It feels like it has gifted me an extra day of rest & a cosy indoor day, an extra chance to recoup. I have had a little time & energy to make some resolutions & catch up with it bejng a new year & the feeling of new starts that offers!

I have rested but I have also exercised, quietly & gentle, to generate some energy in my body. I have booked a course of Shiatsu treatments to support my own resolves & goals & I have spent time with my family. So no big, wild celebration  last night but a quiet , cosy one today as the rain came down outside.

If you feel the Shiatsu may help to support you then please contact me.  Details are on the contact me page. All the best for a happy & restful start to 2017 

Well I think for a lot of people 2016 has been an up & down year. There’s been a lot of events we have all been aware of, elections, referendums & deaths of public figures. There also seems to have been a lot of personal shake ups for many people I know & friends, clients & others have mentioned how they are looking forward to 2017 & that we should make it a good one. 

The beginning of a new year is often a time where we look to make changes, fulfill resolutions & find space & time to do what we would really like to do. The motivation tends to be there at the beginning & for some it continues. For a lot of us trying to make changes, in the cold, dark winter months is tough & resolution begins to fail. This is where Shiatsu comes in. I often have clients saying they just need a boost, a bit of support, help with their drive & their energy. Shiatsu is brilliant at helping the energy in the body flow, where energy flows so do thoughts & drive. This allows the client to feel a sense of everything being as it should be, of not having to push hard to achieve anything but a sense of ease & fluidity.

If you are looking to make some changes this coming year you may like to come & see if Shiatsu can help provide some energetic backup for your motivation & resolve. You can find contact details on the ‘contact me’ page. There’s also lots of other information about me & Shiatsu on this site. Have a browse & please feel free to ask any questions. A happy 2017 everyone 

aid I would blog about each of the 5 elements, used as the basis for 5 element diagnosis, throughout this year – each element relates to a time of year so I planned to coincide my blog with the appropriate season.  It was going well – I took time to just be & be still in winter & found time to write about the water element – absolutely acting on the important aspects of the element – quiet & rest.  Then I felt the new budding & blooming energy of spring & had plenty of drive & creativity to write about the Tree element, known for it’s explosive emotions, & alternatively a stagnant stuck in the rut feeling. 

Then came summer, & goodbye went time or focus, & to be honest motivation, to blog about the fire element that relates to this time of year. I found I seem to always be doing, there were lots of things that had been planned that then actually happened, weddings, holiday trips, changes within working situations & many other things.  We saw a lot of people we hadn’t seen for a long time & we met a lot of new people. We found ourselves in new places & scenarios & spaces.  There has been lots of socialising & not much time for rest.

I have realised that my summer has been a perfect example of the fire element in full flow.  The fire element season is one of doing, not planning, of socialising & partying, of dancing & activity. When it’s in balance there is joy & laughter, there is warmth & passion & there is happiness & love.  When it’s not in balanced there can be excess heat, shouting, booming vocals, wildly over the top antics, heart issues, high blood pressure, hot headed actions & burn out. The opposite imbalance is a un-natural coolness, an inability to communicate & withdrawal, a lack  of fire & passion, poor circulation & a washed out complextion.

Fire needs care & kindness to be in balance.  It needs communication & support. A quiet rest like the embers of a fire is important & should be nurtured. Then the fire does not burn too bright & too fast. Contact with others & socialising is important to us all & allows us to feel a sense of being accepted. 

Cardio exercise is important, but in appropriate amounts. Joining groups & making opportunities to be with others can help also. Avoiding foods that have a strong, fast energy to them is important to avoid excess, removing sugar, alcohol, very sweet fruits from the diet can allow a better sense of grounding rather than wild hot fire.

So a great Summer that felt it had the right balance of warming, hearty activities, social occassions & making the most of the longer days.  We had a very relaxed quiet winter, we did our planning in the spring & have reaped the rewards over the last couple of months.

Very excited that I am taking Shiatsu out of my practice room & onto the road in Exeter.  First off I am going to be talking about the benefits of Shiatsu & offering free tasters to some hard working (& probably exhausted) mums.  Shiatsu is incredibly nurturing & supportive & can give an important touch & contact to those who are in a caring role.  Giving out all your energy as a career can become draining & it is important to have someone give you something back, to hold you, even for a moment, so your body can release the tension & refuel, ready to care for others again.  Parents, care givers in the family, people in support & care roles as their jobs, Shiatsu can help anyone in a caring role.  So new mums with babies needing constant attention are going to have a little taste of what Shiatsu can offer. Even still holding their baby, or knowing their baby is in the same room being held by another, Shiatsu should give them just a little respite & space for a breath just for them!

Then for a completely different pace I am off to offer Shiatsu at Exeter Respect festival – on Saturday 11th Jun.  In amongst the music, stalls & festival visitors we will be offering short affordable sessions of Shiatsu – for people who really need a Shiatsu, for those who want to try it for the first time, for those who are super busy & only have time for a quick hands on treatment – we will be there!!!  When I have more details I’ll post them here.

Hopefully these two events will lead to more – spreading the joy & benefits of Shiatsu across the Exeter area.  If you would like to discuss Shiatsu further, or if you have an idea of somewhere that would benefit from Shiatsu taster sessions then please email me or call me – details on the contact me page.

Just wishing everyone happy Spring – may it be full of sunshine, happy days & of course Shiatsu! 

The last few days have really felt like the seasons are changing & we are swiftly moving into spring.  The element for spring, within the 5 element diagnosis system, is the wood, or tree element.  The winter has been cold & dark & ideally we have rested & been quiet, building & storing our energy ready for the change of pace & focus that Spring brings.

Along with the bulbs pushing through & the first shoots on the trees this is a time where ideas & projects can begin, start to bud & grow.  There needs to be enough stored energy within to allow this new growth, there can be a tendency to really drive & push at this time of year, if the energy is not there then there is a possibility of burn out.  Similarly it is important to remember that summer is the time for full blossom & that spring is the time to begin to grow & expand but not to expect too much, it’s about ground work for now.

Wood or tree energy, when in balance, is fluid & flexible, like a tree moving gently in the breeze.  It can become stagnant, stuck in the mud, then the flexibility goes, like an old tree cracking & breaking in the wind. Anger & frustration can come into play within the wood element, inflexible & inappropriate outbursts of anger or frustration can show a lack of flow within this element. It can be important to use ones creativity to help the flow start, follow dreams & ideas.  Physical activity can be important, stretching, dancing, play. Headaches & tired eyes can be a sign of an in balance in this area, along with tension in neck, shoulders & rib cage. 

Shiatsu can help with both the physical aspects, helping to alleviate issues & rebalance the body, allowing a fluidity of energy around the whole body, & also can help with the emotional tensions.  A fluidity of mind, like a flexible tree, allows more appropriate emotional reactions, less outbursts of anger, but also can allow movement from a feeling of being ‘stuck in a rut.’

If you recognise any of these symptoms in your self or would like to discuss shiatsu further please feel free to contact me – see my contact me page for info.

So 2016 has begun & it is starting to feel a little more like winter – a little colder but it is still on the whole warmer & wetter than should be expected.

Within the 5 elements diagnosis structure this is the time of year for the water element.  The meridians that this relates to are the kidney & bladder ones.  These meridians need rest & quiet to restore & nourish them.  This can be hard with busy lives, that do not let up in the darker months of the year.

Shiatsu can help, bringing warmth & comfort to the body, allowing the space for rest, stillness & quiet. Quiet self reflection, meditation & stillness can also help keep the energy flowing in these meridians.  Even a 5 minute quiet sit down can help restore & reinvigorate.

These meridians also govern fear & anxiety, hormones & bladder & kidney functions.  If the body is continually pushed & not allowed to rest then sleep patterns can be affected.  An exaggerated sense of concern or stress can become apparent.  Fears can become heightened & can potentially lead to phobias.  Excessive toilet breaks, particularly at night, can be a sign that these meridians needs some support.  A classic sign is lower back ache, also coldness in the body & tiredness that doesn’t seem to relent.  If these symptoms are being experienced then rest, quiet & Shiatsu can really help.  Even just keeping in mind that this is ideally the time of year to rest can help, a reminder to go at a slower pace or resting when possible

If you are interested in finding out more about the 5 element diagnosis structure or how Shiatsu may be able to support you please contact me through my contact me page.

Happy New Year & here’s to at least some rest & quiet.