Real rest? Shiatsu, Exeter, Devon

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I was in a conversation today with someone who was discussing how tired parents of young children get.  Lack of sleep along with long relentless days, emotional & mental demands from the children & requests for support & attention. You feel like you are just getting back to some level of normality when an illness or growth-spurt strikes & you get knocked right back to pure exhaustion again!

Its not just having children that can make people tired.  There are so many of us, in our non-stop western society, that are running with a level of tiredness. Jobs that demand extra hours or unsocial hours, a 24 hour culture with regards to shopping & socializing, supporting family & homes to look after.

So what can we do to help ourselves, to be less tired? (Well apart from Shiatsu massage of course!) We need to rest, particularly in these colder, darker days of winter.  My conversation this morning began me thinking about how to get real rest.  It is extremely difficult to do this within our busy lives.  My thoughts were regular support & ‘me’ time, Shiatsu, massage, pamper days. Also retreat time, either at an actual retreat or at a health-club, or a holiday away without anyone else. The thing I decide I would do, to help me rest, was to be more regular with daily practice.

Short spells of space can help to punctuate & regulate our busy lives. Meditation once or twice a day, yoga, Qi Gung or Tai Chi exercise for 5 or 10 minutes once or twice a day, resting with a towel over your eyes for 5 minutes a day. Sometimes my daily practise is consistent & in those times I do feel more rest & space.

I think I may go & book a weekend retreat too though! If you are interested in finding out if Shiatsu may help your levels of tiredness please contact me through the ‘contact’ me’ page.

 

 

 

 

Well we have got our son to 5 years old!

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When I’m not working as a Shiatsu practitioner I am looking after our two young boys. We celebrated our elder son’s 5th birthday today with a trip to the cinema & a picnic in the park. Aptly we watched a film called Storks, which is about Storks delivering babies, then diversifying to delivering packages, before realising they should be delivering babies after all. It was apt as there were many comical nods to the trials & difficulties that parents face.

The last five years have been the most rewarding but also the hardest, sleep deprivation, endless logistical organisation, complete mess & chaos, total lack of personal space & button-pushing boundary challenges! There is however nothing like a child climbing into your lap, or taking hold of your hand as you walk along. Watching them learn & explore is fascinating & has re-opened my eyes to the world. Hearing them giggle when you play them warms your soul, or when they quietly come & say ‘Mummy’s the best’

So why am I writing about this on my Shiatsu page? Well being a parent has allowed me to feel unconditional love & shown me that I have quite a capacity to feel & give love, it has taught me that I can nurture & care for others but also hold boundaries when necessary. These things have helped better my Shiatsu practise. I have become more comfortable & confident when a nurturing or mothering touch is important in a treatment. I feel its important to support Shiatsu clients with an openness & a sense of care, being a parent has given me more confidence to do this fully, knowing I can hold the professional space & boundaries at the same time. This being so important for practitioner & client. So if you would like to try a supportive & nurturing Shiatsu massage with me go to the ‘contact me’ page for details.