Could this be you?

You have vague and undefinable health issues. Overall, you are 'perfectlly' healthy. And yet, niggly aches and pains, fatigue, things that seem related to your hormonal cycles, the occasional or frequent bleh, or just a general feeling that something's off have become your constant companion.

You suspect that there may be an emotional component to the way you feel physically. Unresolved issues, unexpressed heartache, unsatisfying work, the nagging feeling that your body is starting to resist just going through the motions, or that it needs some relief from all that it lovingly carries for you.

You're ready for a new approach to help you release old stuff. Talk therapy is great. Bitch sessions with gal pals, meditation, exercise, yoga.. all wonderful and highly recommended. So is bodywork.

You're craving a form of bodywork that is gentle and yet goes deeper than western massage. Massage is relaxing, and does wonders for tight muscles, scar tissue, stress reduction, and circulation. But sometimes you leave feeling the depths unstirred. And it might be nice to have some work done that also addresses your internal organs and your structure. Just sayin'.

You're looking for ways to improve yourself on all levels: physical, emotional and spiritual. You get that it's a package deal, this self-improvement stuff, and you yearn to live more fully in the world, as a whole healthy be-ing.

You're finding it a challenge to stay on track with things you know to nourish you, or even identify what they are. What's the right food to eat? What's the right physical activity to do? And what is that missing link between knowing it and integrating it into your life?

You find yourself easily knocked off balance by life's demands. Kids, work, home, modern-ness, and the need to care for yourself. That mayhem's probably not going away any time soon, so how do you cultivate enough sense of your center so you can stand strong amidst the chaos?

A majority of the people I work with happen to be women, but in particular, sensitive types such as:

Caretakers: Moms, (dads), expectant moms (and dads), adult children caring for elderly parents, psychologists, therapists, folks of a general caretaking nature.

Experiencers of: Early (or more recent) life trauma, surgery, serious illness, major life changes, stressful employment, fibromyalgia, PMS, menopause, modern life mayhem.

Seekers and partakers of other mind/body practices: Reiki, yoga, cranial-sacral, DNA activation, etc. (This category tends to really rocket with shiatsu work.)

Can shiatsu work for you?

My professional opinion is that you can have wild success with shiatsu if:

You bring along an intention. Even if it's just for a super-relaxing stress-free do-nothing session, but having some idea of what you want from the work that day is highly effective for the mind-body connection. You can even keep it to yourself.

You have a sense of humor. Because I do. And I'm not afraid to use it. Besides, humor can heal a whole lotta stuff.

You lose the expectation that this will feel like muscle-oriented massage. Because it's not. Even though I do throw some massage-y stuff in, it's different. You'll see.

You're willing to indulge me in my descriptions of what I feel in terms of "chi", and "blocked meridians", and "kyo and jitsu". Shiatsu is an Eastern-based modality that uses a somewhat metaphorical terminology to explain what's going on in your body. More of a description of phenomena than a diagnosis of disease. It can be a kinda cool new way for you to look at things.

You trust the process and the sometimes cyclical route we might take to resolve whatever issue brought you in. Referring back to that "chi" thing, it might come to my awareness that an entirely different part of your body needs to be addressed first than what was causing you distress.

You entertain the possibility that what you need to be whole is within you. Your body is amazing and is equipped with self-healing capabilities. Sometimes a little freeing up of resources is in order.

You're willing to cultivate awareness, and play with the idea that your session is like a meditation. Where your awareness and attention go, your energy will follow.

And on that note, you take responsibility for your own experience. I'm not a miracle worker. I'm not even keen on the 'healer' title. Consider us, instead, as being engaged in a conversation, or a guided meditation in which my touch leads your awareness around your being. Whatever presents itself to you, either during the session or beyond, is for you to play with. Or not.

Ready to make an appointment? Or do you want to see more of how this works?