0 Comments
by Catriona Murray
Breath is important. In the last newsletter we touched on how important an awareness of breath is – especially when stressed – and how we can use “3 deep breaths” as a way to consciously calm, ground and center in moments of anxiety. But we can use breath in so many other ways. It is the cornerstone of many health-giving practices, from yoga to Qi Gong, from singing to pilates. Sometimes we can even just focus on breathing and forget the physical movement, and still feel a benefit …  How do they do it? Watching a lion prowling the savannah, or a red setter lolloping along Salisbury Crags, the motion is effortless, no muscle tensed or moved that is not required. True flow, and poetry in motion – the lion lazy, the setter efficient and unfettered.
Why is it that we find it so hard to retain this effortless grace and ease of movement? It may well be that our thinking minds are the problem … stressful thoughts are echoed in the body in a grumpy, scrunched up face, hunched shoulders, a stoop, as we bow to the pressures of life events, hunch ourselves up to look a bit less imposing, or to push down emotions we’re not keen on feeling … |
Categories
All
Archives
March 2017
Find out more on the Shiatsu Society website.
|
RSS Feed
|
What is Shiatsu?
Shiatsu translates as ‘finger pressure’ and is based on traditional Japanese massage. Combining acupressure, massage, flowing movement and joint rotations helps to disperse tension, reduce pain, promote relaxation and healthy functioning of the body systems (circulation, breathing, digestion etc.). Shiatsu therapists are guided by their experience & knowledge of physiology and traditional Chinese medicine and apply pressure using fingers, thumbs, palms and elbows and combine it with other techniques. |