Why Talking Helps

At the beginning of a session, I usually leave a little space to talk. I think of this kind of talking in two ways. More immediately, it is helpful, though not always critical, for me to have some context for why you have come, what are the forces and factors that have brought you up the hill and into the room. But the second, and in my mind, more important reason is because it encourages your body to embody these reasons, or to bring them to the surface to be touched, worked through or supported, and there is nothing that you need to do here for that to happen but think it.

Shiatsu follows the rivers or pathways of energy that traditional Chinese medicine has mapped throughout the body. As the rivers meander through us, we can more easily access and affect them where they run closer to the surface. Similarly, we can often more effectively move through certain blockages and shift imbalances when their cause has been voiced, or surfaced.

Imagine yourself as you go through your day - your thoughts and reactions bring different sensations and postures. You may tense up when a car passes too close, or collapse your chest in a moment of embarrassment. Now imagine that right after this happens, there is someone there to restore your body and mind to a neutral harmonious regulated state. This is what this kind of bodywork is intended to do.

So, next time you come in, feel free to say out loud or think to yourself what is holding you out of balance, and allow your body to bring it up, and together we will work it out.