Long Overdue
Friday, November 5, 2010 at 11:41AM | 2 Comments "Bless me, father, for I have sinned. It's been three and a half years since my last shiatsu treatment...."
I know what you're saying .... what's wrong with me? And then I expect my clients to be more regular visitors? I mean, I know how great this stuff is... what's my excuse?
Whatever.
Point is, I finally went yesterday to see my friend and lifesaver, Diane .. she of the contagious laugh and the listening hands. She who can make me cry before she even touches me, because she has a way of nailing me on whatever mind games I'm laying on myself.
In a compassionate way, of course.
A lovely little lesson I learned, for example, was the profound connection between "But I HAVE to..." and chronic physical contraction.
As in, "But I HAVE to.... (make this much income; drink less; exercise more; eat better; become a superior mom, shiatsu person, human being) ... and if I don't... well, you know....
The "Have To's" had taken up residence in my left shoulder and neck, and my lower back. The "I'll Never Be Good Enough's" were lodged in my chest and digestive system. "This World Is Too Much" was sitting on my lungs and crouched just behind my eyes, ready to let loose with the tears at any moment.
Diane reminded me how the "Have To's" were driving me the last time I had visited her, and how well that was (not!) working out for me.
Oh, and hey, guess what?
When the body contracts around the mind's imperatives to push push push, the horizons of possibilities narrows, the mind gets more frantic, the body contracts further, and so on and so on and shooby-dooby-dooby.
And while it would seem that meeting pressure with pressure would be the obvious way to address this (oh pleasepleaseplease just dig your elbow in under my shoulderblade...!) I was again blown away at how a simple holding of points in strategic locations freed up my back, my neck, my breathing, my mind.
Her fingertips just outside my ankles relaxed my lower lumbar and sacrum. Her fingers in my ears (!) caused my shoulders to drop. "Ah!" she exclaimed. "You have a neck again."
Indeed. (Deep breath....)
Oh, shiatsu. I will never again foresake you.
Forgive me?
Reader Comments (2)
hello, i just found your blog while researching massage blogs that are available. I am a therapist and I'm considering starting my own massage blog since there are so few out there, and most are client centered. I would like to make mine therapist centered and mainly write about experience and inspiration found from being a client. Funny how your blog today was about getting treatment yourself. I am unfamiliar with shiatsu, yet I get acupuncture and it sounds similar. I have considered taking Ashiatsu but put that on the back burner. I don't have a specific reason to reach out to you except to say hello and that I'm a therapist that is only been in business 2 years and just making a online connection to another therapist. And that I look forward to reading your blog and gaining experience and inspiration from your words.
thanks
Hi, Meghan, and welcome! And thanks! I wish you much success in your new-ish practice, and with your blog-to-be. For further encouragement (if you like) please head over to my other site... holisticmarketingsupport.com. (See the 'help for holistic healers' button on the right...)
I promise it will be more active and useful soon... I'm just about to overhaul this site, and then I'll be back to putting more energy over there. But it would be great to have your input...
Thank you again!
Peace,
Gina