Through Autumn with Shiatsu – by Anna of SENSE Wellbeing for Women
Through Autumn with Shiatsu – by Anna of SENSE Wellbeing for Women
AUTUMN
Season of the Metal Element
LUNGS & Large Intestine
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Metal element and Shiatsu
Metal phase is linked to the Autumn season.
Both metal meridians – Lung & Large Intestine, work together for exchange.
Metal phase in our own structure implies our ability to receive and transmit, to communicate with the environment, to change yet to remain ourselves.
Grief, nervousness, isolation, weakness and inability to let go/ move on, are the main emotions associated with metal energy.
Main physical symptoms of the metal energy imbalance are: pale skin, skin problems, bowel problems and tightness in the chest and round shoulders.
Factors affecting the Metal Element are: grief, loss, lack of exercises, smoking, air pollution and dry air.
Shiatsu therapy is very effective in balancing emotions and easing physical symptoms.
Lung & Large Intestine meridians treatment helps to improve the work of respiratory and digestive systems, and creates the space to let go all the accumulated tension and associated emotions in a safe and non-judgemental environment.
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Autumn also means rain, rain and even more rain….
How are you doing in this rainy weather?
According to the traditional medicine, damp and cold can create stagnation in our bodies.
It leads to digestive problems, chest infections, and excessive phlegm and joints pains and stiffness.
To prevent health problems related to dampness try to:
– Avoid sweet foods and alcohol.
– Choose rich in aromatic spices hot soups and stews over the cold meals and raw salads.
– Eat more garlic, ginger and onion as they help to clear the dampness.
– Drink herbal teas (e.g. ginger, cardamom, cinnamon and cloves).
– Exercise regularly.
– Go to the sauna.
– Go for a shiatsu.
Written by Anna Rutkowska | SENSE Wellbeing for Women
Anna runs her Shiatsu and Natural Skincare Clinic in Loughrea, Co. Galway.
https://senseofshiatsu.ie/
Becoming a shiatsu practitioner has gently changed my life over the years. I definitely went around for years with my head in the clouds! I had no concept of how feelings and emotions affected me, and in turn, were affecting my health. From learning about the meridian system and the five elements theory I am much more aware of myself and my body. Through my training I have learned to listen and acknowledge feelings, and how these feelings can potentially affect my body. If emotions are not processed they can get stuck in the body and cause pain and disease. With a better understanding of myself, through shiatsu, I can help move these blockages and bring balance to the body.
Background
After school I qualified in beauty therapy and off to Australia I went , like so many others , to travel and experience the world at large! When I came home I settled into a busy 5 star hotel spa where the treatments were mainly massage. I feel I should preface this by saying I enjoyed working in the hotel. There treatments given had to be to a very high standard and I learned a lot there.
However! It was so busy many of the days and I worked 12 hour shifts. The clients came in like they were on a conveyer belt and out just as quickly so I could rush to turn over the room, wipe the sweat of my brow and run down to get the next client, but not before pausing, taking a deep breath, and making it look like it was easy!
I enjoyed massage. People were coming to you because they were sore, they were stressed, they needed to take a moment to stop and relax. There was a need there, but was I meeting that need? I found my self sticking to the exact same routine with everyone, just so I wouldn’t run over the time. I though there had to a better way than this. I wanted to be able to check in with the client, meet their needs and bring about change. A really beneficial change that helped them, but I was defiantly not doing this. There was not enough time and too much protocol in the treatment room.
Training in Shiatsu
I wanted to learn a how to give a more grounded treatment and soon after I started to think like this Shiatsu found me! I did a weekend introductory course in Shiatsu and it was so amazing, I was hooked! The teachers at The Shiatsu College Dublin were so knowledgeable and had a vast amount of experience. They were down to earth people and helped the meridian system feel more tangible to me. On the offset, I wasn’t sure if this was something I could connect with. The meridian system and the way the Chinese Five Elements Theory represents different aspects of our personalities. It all seemed a little bit up in the air. But with the help of the college, I really learned how to work with it in a treatment, giving it a practical, functional element. And how to make small changes to bring it in to my everyday life. One thing I have learned from Shiatsu is that as the practitioner I can get as much out of the treatment as the client. If I am connected to the client, and grounded, I can feel relaxed and centered at the end of a treatment. If I am not grounded, I am not connecting with the client properly and it is only the “conveyer belt” treatment that I had done for years.
After I graduated I rented a lovely little salon in a hotel in the city centre where I did beauty treatments and started my career as a Shiatsu practitioner. Another valuable lesson I learned from the college is that everybody you work on is a privilege. An opportunity to hone your skill. I now had the time to meet the client’s needs and create change. I learned how the same meridians come up for the same ailments and just how much help you can give someone when you connect with them on an energetic level, and help the body to heal its self.
Today.
Now that I have a young family I having given up working in the salon in town. I work out of two beautiful spaces; Comunity Well in Donabate and Tree of Life in Malahide. As a part of the treatment I also give home care advice in the form of what points on the meridian might help the client, what foods will help. I believe in giving gentle recommendations that will fit easily in to your lifestyle. That way you can easily make change to your health and lifestyle and can I build on this knowledge through treatments and homecare.
Contact:
Contact: 085 7350 925