Spring energy is well and truly with us and with it comes a lot of force. Of all the energies throughout the year Spring energy is the most vibrant and dynamic. This is fantastic as it helps you kick start the New Year (Spring is the start of the year in the Chinese calender). You'll be full of ideas and want to get things done, you come out of hibernation with an explosion of positive energy and thoughts but life has a habit of then getting in your way! What happens then if your energy is blocked by circumstances? Some in your control and some out of! What symptoms arise or are exacerbated b ..read more

Did you now that the most common time of year to have a joint injury is in the Spring? Sprains and strains dislocations hyper extension and tears they are all incredibly debilitating when they happen and they take a long time to heal. A broken bone takes the brunt of an accident (some bones are designed specifically to do this) then bones heal quickly due to direct blood supply. Most joint injuries though are ligaments (known as Sprains) but also a tendon tear (strain) due to tight muscles is also common. How do you tell the difference and what can you do about it? Ligament and tendon injurie ..read more

My life changed dramatically when I stepped into the world of shiatsu! I didn't know what was going to happen but my life has improved in every aspect and it's thanks to this millenia old style of living life to maximise your health, wellness, wisdom and happiness. Last month I looked at tips to elevate your energy through the winter months and that led me to thinking about what the best overall lifestyle advice we can take from the traditional Japanese way of being that shiatsu has developed from and which encompasses all aspects of daily life. This month's blog is a peak inside my new short ..read more

'Tis the season of colds, bugs, stress and feeling rundown for a majority of people; which is a real shame when it's supposed to be such a jolly and lively time of year.... or so the media tells us! If you take away the marketing machine that is all things Christmas wouldn't this season of Winter look very different? Before you say it would look bleak, think of what the more traditional pursuits would be during the darker. colder months? In this month's blog I'm reframing the Christmas break and giving you lots of tips on how to reserve and replenish your energy so that you can embrace the Ne ..read more

There is no other season like Autumn where we 'embrace' the weather and light changes. Why do we need to embrace Autumn? Is it due to the loss of light and warmth that we have to rally around and work out ways to manage the months of descending darkness and to combat the creeping cold? I think so! There are those that love Autumn and those, like me who have learnt to love Autumn; but it's been hardwork. This time of year is my nemesis, I mourn the loss of summertime, so yes I've learnt to embrace the season change and all that comes with it. It was in studying Chinese medicine I learnt why I ..read more

The school term starts in Autumn, and so my Shiatsu course each year started at this time too. We learnt each element of the 5 element theory according to the time of year, so each year started with the Metal Element, and the message Letting Go; and I didn’t get it! By the 3rd year I was starting to realise the power of this message, I was finding my own Shiatsu practise had an affinity with this element. It could be that it’s in my nature, my Chinese zodiac is a Golden Pig (meaning i'm born in a metal year) or it could be that due to the loss of my dad only a year or so before starting the s ..read more

I'm biased I love Shiatsu! Anyone who is passionate about their particular therapy will think it's the best go-to therapy of them all; so I'm shouting out the benefits of receiving Shiatsu. Today I'm looking at how my therapy came about, how it's been built on to become a powerful and complete mind body spirit treatment and how it encompasses other modalities to give the client a well-rounded truly holistic way of not only getting healthier but a way of leading life that is a lot less stressful emotionally, leading to just being happier. Today's blog: A History of Zen Shiatsu: Bridging Ancien ..read more

There are many ways of looking at brain health in general but this month I'm focusing on why keeping your neck supple and your back/spine flowing freely is going to help you have greater cognitive power and longevity. As well as Shiastu I will be including powerful additional material from Essential Oils to Boost the Brain & Heal the Body by Jodi Cohen, it's a wealth of knowledge on how the vagus nerve in your neck needs to be in top form to help your brain detox, and much more. This is where the shiatsu also becomes powerful as I spend more time nowadays working on my clients necks to fr ..read more

I loved physics at school! I wasn't the best but I wangled my way into A level physics based on enthusiasm (and passed) and I it hit me like a bolt a few weeks back that if I hadn't done physics at scho`ol I may never have had the winding career I've had and I quite probably wouldn't have believed in energetic therapies and finally shiatsu. Why? Because I can't take things on blind faith, I need to know how they work. I recently gave a talk on this and as it was all women in the audience I asked how many had done physics at school. I was saddened that only one woman in the room had managed it ..read more

The first in my short blogs on shiatsu and how it can help relief specific symptoms and today it's sciatica. An excrutiating symptom for a lot of sufferers who don't know how to resolve this, and end up turning to painkillers. Sciatica is miserable and can leave you unable to bend, lift, or sit and can even affect your walking. Today I'll step you through can shiatsu help sciatica from the view point of chinese medicine and the practicality of shiatsu an advanced acupressure therapy, and why it is so effective for a long term resolution. Can shiatsu help sciatica? Yes it can! With shiatsu you ..read more