Simon Givertz - Shiatsu Blog

Listen to the breath

2010-03-21T09:34:00.003Z

I wrote this on my old website and thought it would be good to revive it so that it doesn't get lost again.

When we breath out there is a gentle wave that flows through the body and if we consciously "let go" of the breath we will feel it. Our body weight settles down and we feel relaxed. The problem is that most of us don't take any time to experience this "letting go" and the breath very often is either held or closely controlled.
Using breathing exercises can help us expand our lung capacity and our vitality. Meditation can help us be very conscious of our breathing pattern and how it changes. Yoga makes us aware of the body and the breath together as we hold a posture and then relax into it.

Therapeutic touch helps us to focus on what is happening in a specific place. Once the attention is caught, the letting go of the breath under the hand can create profound relaxation and energy flow in that place.

Shiatsu uses two hands. One hand may be placed in a reference place. That is somewhere on the body that can relax and breathe and the other hand is placed some distance away. The gap in between is where the breath is encouraged to help flow. Using various breathing out techniques we can change the state of energy between the therapists hands from tense to relaxed or from a feeling of emptiness to one of fullness.

Thea Bailey is a Shiatsu practitioner who has worked with cancer sufferers for about 15 years, partly at the Bristol Cancer Help Centre. She uses this breathing method to help patients re-connect with the whole of themselves. Because the technique is very gentle it is well suited to those who are extremely ill as well as those who just want to increase their awareness and vitality.

I was drawn to write a poem after working with Thea:

Swinging Pendulums
Sometimes the pendulum stops
Not in the middle, at rest
But at the end of its swing.

Is it full
Jitsu?
Is it non-responsive
Kyo?

It needs to move
It wants to move.

The moving , transforming force
Letting go and starting anew
Is the breath.

To bring breath to the pendulum
Is to move it the tiniest amount
So that it realises and releases

Its potential for transformation.

Working with hara

2010-03-08T16:18:00.001Z

I was teaching a foundation class last week and we looked at working with hara. After I was inspired to write a Haiku about the quality of what is happening. It came out like this...

Pondskaters resting on water

My hands sense ripples

born in the depths

I Ching yinyang

2010-03-01T17:13:00.005Z

Just a quick update with a new image which is the pre-heaven cycle from I Ching laid over the yinyang symbol. My thoughts when drawing this were that the I Ching states that we need to understand the backward journey (how the tree came to be from the seed)and that the first 4 hexagrams show this while the last four travel forward through the process. It's been a week or two since I drew it but I think that's what it conveys. I will say more soon.

Client quote of the month

2010-02-23T09:56:00.000Z

Feb '10
I feel as if I have been scattered to the eight winds, freed and then re-gathered and integrated.

Dec '09
I want to go home and dance and I'm going to (this comment came at the end of the Wood session in a Shifting Patterns treatment)

Nov '09

Your touch is so respectful and safe - thank you

Oct '09

"It's like a desireable paralysis...
.... the body is completely in the mat while the mind is free"

Sept '09

A long term client recently said:

"Shiatsu never gets boring ...

.... it cleanses the brain"

read more client comments here

Yin Yang - the root of all models?

2010-02-22T15:52:00.011Z

The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine says, "The reaches of heaven and earth and yin and yang are vast, and ultimately everything in the universe can be classified into the polarity of yin and yang.

Yin and yang are not absolute, but their principle never changes. The law that governs does not falter, although everything around it changes according to the point of reference. For example, before the birth of all things and creatures above ground, the living potential resided in the place of yin. This is called yin within yin. Once it was born and appeared above ground, this phenomenon was called yang within yin. It was after birth or post-heaven that the yang qi enabled everything to grow.

Yin provides form. Yang enables growth. Warmth of the spring gives rise to birth, the fire of the summer fuels rapid growth and development, the coolness of autumn matures all and provides harvest, and the coldness of winter forces inactivity and storing. This is the rhythmic change of nature."

I have been thinking long and hard about how the Five Elements and Six Divisions relate to the yinyang symbol. The reason I seem to be drawn to this exercise is that in my work at the moment I am constantly looking for simplicity and I believe (perhaps wrongly) that I can reduce my metaphorical models to yin and yang. I am not saying that the other models do not have value, they do, they all have their own way of expressing our patterns, physical and psychological, and provide a myriad of examples in nature that clients can relate to. I love the fact that the quotation above says that before the birth all resided in yin. I had been thinking about pendulums and it occurs to me that for the pendulum to start something outside of its own motion must lift it and give it some potential energy. At rest the pendulum drops to vertical and will not start by itself. (The pendulum above can be started by clicking it).

I drew a yin yang symbol and realised that cycles follow on from one another. Tai Yang comes from Jue Yin of the previous cycle. Again the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Medicine leads us through the transition of the six divisions. Though in Shiatsu theory we may believe that Kd is the deepest meridian, relating to bones, in the six divisions, extreme yin (Jue Yin) is Liver and Heart Protector.

Like a clock that has wheels within wheels, all oscillating at different frequencies, so there are many levels, about which many people have written, all of which breath to a different rhythm. We can focus on the clock or on one cog or on a group of cogs and listen to their unique tick, does it sound smooth and even or is there an irregularity?

None of these thoughts will change the way I work because, as with most arts, my development happens through some spontaneous growth mostly beyond my ken. They do however provide another input to that growth and one that I enjoy very much. If these thoughts interest you too then please do comment.

Back to basics - part two

2010-02-02T14:01:00.005Z

At last I feel there is a part two to this blog that I started so long ago (part one). The full paper is available on my student resource page. Here it is enough to say that it came out of the I Ching and the synthesis of several books. I now feel more in touch with the how I Ching, yin and yang and the five elements fit together.

The breakthrough really arrived when reading the I Ching and I saw that there were two trigram sequences, Early heaven and later heaven and whereas the first caused me sleepless nights and confusion the second made sense. Then I went back to a book which says that the energy of heaven descends in one direction to the earth and the energy of the earth ascends to heaven in the opposite direction, so it is important to talk about one or the other.

Anyway if this sounds interesting check out the paper here.

Back pain success

2010-02-02T13:51:00.004Z

I am pleased to say that a client has reported having no back pain since his last treatment (about a month) after years of chronic pain and wakes with no back ache and has gone to sleep on his side for the first time in a decade.

I put this success down to him being prepared to take responsibility for his process. We worked on breath, relaxation and general body awareness to give him the tools to experiment with what worked for him, which exercises he was happy to do, how he could adjust his posture and how the breath can make tension dissolve in an instant.

Having Shiatsu gave him a sense of relaxation to feel, and to become aware of, so that he could try to create that for himself. As he said today, "I wish I could relax as deeply as I do here and re-create that use of breath to the same extent". I assured him practice will help.

I Ching discussion

2010-01-28T08:49:00.004Z

"To get to the essence of things one must work long and hard" - Vincent Van Gogh

I was looking in the I Ching today (at random) and I found a brief paragraph about the Five Elements with Earth in the centre. Keep an eye on this space to see what I make of it.

I Ching confusion

2010-01-21T12:11:00.004Z

In the Five Element Blog I have started to consider the Elements related to the I Ching. Well, it is confusing!! The trigrams of the I Ching are made up of three Yin or Yang lines. Three Yin lines is Earth and three yang lines is heaven and all the changes in between are the movement from heaven to earth and vice versa. The principle is easy in itself but when you start looking at the interpretations of each mix of Yin/Yang and which element or direction they refer to the movement of Yin to Yang becomes really hard to contemplate. There is no simple Yin/Yang symbol here, rather a looping crossing journey going backward and forward and around.

Using boolean logic and starting from 000 as we introduce 1's we get 001, 010, 011, 100, 101, 110, 111 but this is not the accepted order of change in the I Ching, rather it is 000, 001, 101, 011, 111, 110, 010, 100.

So watch this space and I will try to elucidate some thoughts.

What is Shiatsu?

2010-01-05T15:37:00.003Z

I have just read Thea Bailey's article in the Winter Shiatsu Society newsletter and it prompts me to upload some old text from one of my first leaflets.

Shiatsu IS difficult to define and so perhaps rather than define it for someone else we should invite them to find out what it is:

Shiatsu uses stretching, rocking, acupressure and holding but that is not what it is. All of these statements describe a tool or a method that may be used. So what is it?

Shiatsu is an opportunity; it is time for yourself but shared with a fellow human being; it is a place of peace; calm and quiet, but energising and refreshing. It is an education.

Shiatsu is truly beyond words. It is different for each individual and for each practitioner. The quality of touch and the range of movement used depends on what the body/mind is tacitly asking for. On an emotional plane it is the unconditional touch which allows the body to release stuck energy and come to harmonious flow again.

New - Five Element Blog

2009-12-13T12:23:00.010Z

Click image to visit the site

I have created a new blog especially for Five Element inspiration. I will be posting mind-maps, theory about each element (as I see them), ideas about the dynamic interactions between elements and inspirational poems and images.

I hope it will be of interest to those of you who are studying or using the Five Elements with clients or for your own reflections. Please let me know what you think about it.

The Right Mask

2009-11-26T12:54:00.011Z

Sad Masks - Lidia Simeonova
Therapeutic Words

I recently went on a Creative Writing workshop. The day was intended for therapists to explore the potential of creative writing tools for use with clients. The session was attended by a variety of therapists, counsellors and other health professionals.

The course was mostly experiential and it soon became obvious that we were as interested in our own development as in the tools that were used. We had fallen under the spell of the Therapeutic Words group energy.

One of the last exercises was to respond to a poem by Brian Patten – The Right Mask. (You can read the poem online, simply google the title, or better still buy one of his books – Selected Poems ISBN: 9780141027135). In the poem there is a dialogue between a poem and the poet. The poem was read aloud twice and then the exercise introduced.

I was amazed at my response. Not only in the content but in the way it came out of me without any conscious bidding from my mind, it just appeared. I felt free to write the truth because all the others were willing to do so too. Here is my response:

The Right Mask

(inspired by the poem of the same name by Brian Patten)

How can I be honest with myself?

Every time I respond to anything

A question, a comment on TV, even a thought

I quietly, surreptitiously and subconsciously slip on a mask

Only as I remove the mask, which I sometimes wear, unknown, for hours, do I look at it

And say, “Is this me – what I think – what I would say?"

I’ve been putting on and taking off masks for so long

That never (or perhaps as a baby – once long ago)

Have I been able to look in the mirror and see the mask

That is no mask

About 10 years ago I caught a glimpse of it

The Right Mask, in a puddle in Scotland

Sometimes now, when I’m singing in the shower

I realise a mask, the wrong mask, has been washed away

But it’s generally re-grown by the time I look in the mirror again

I console myself with the happy knowledge

That at times the right mask sits comfortably

And I am so comfortable with it that I notice it more and more

Even if I can’t see it in the mirror yet

Optimistic Soul

2009-11-12T15:33:00.007Z

Optimism is "an inclination to put the most favorable construction upon actions and events or to anticipate the best possible outcome". It is the philosophical opposite of pessimism. Optimists generally believe that people and events are inherently good, so that most situations work out in the end for the best. (Wikipedia)

The Metal element which corresponds to this time of year is, for me, optimistic. But only if we can let go of what is past. Learn lessons, yes. Don't make the same mistakes, yes. But let go. Leave the past behind, where it belongs.

Here is an exercise that I learnt from Ki-Aikido. It is designed to develop our focus and decision making, bringing mind and body together with speed and clarity.

There are three basic steps. Firstly stand with one foot forward. Step forward with the front foot. Turn to face the other way (to do this, the front foot swivels and becomes the back foot - the feet stay where they are just pointing the other way). Now step forward with the front foot again. Repeat. The arms shown are not necessary for this context.

The idea is then to speed up but only to a point where you can keep clarity of where you are going not hampered by where you have been.

I gave this exercise to a client as a way of seeing through a difficulty. Factors outside her control (aren't they all) were making her feel stressed and this exercise has given her a way to remember that she is simply moving forward and when something happens to turn (metaphorically) and face forward again in her own life.

She reported enjoying the exercise and has even developed it so that the movement is not required, practising in the car to be going where she is going without thinking of where she has come from, allowing her to leave some stress behind.

Empowering clients with simple activities is vital to their wellbeing and our therapy. Facilitating health rather than fixing dis-ease.

Course Dates and News

2009-11-10T11:00:00.008Z

Here is the Winter Newsletter.

I hope this quiet time of year is refreshing for you all

Course details below

New Rise and Shine courses starting in the new year in Ross on Wye and Hereford. The Ross on Wye course continues to go well and is now ongoing into 2010. Please contact me for more details:

Also there is a Foundation Shiatsu planned which will be great. Numbers are limited so that a smaller group gets a great learning experience and there is plenty of time for exploration around the subjects.

This course is excellent for self development, refreshing your Shiatsu basics or learning new techniques to add to an existing therapeutic bodywork. Even though we will be working on the floor the techniques are easily transferable to a massage table. So think about this course be it for interest, self development or CPD

Details of both these courses can be found at:

www.learn-shiatsu.org.uk/lsindex.htm and then follow the links

I was thinking ...

2009-10-11T11:19:00.004+01:00

What are the contraindications of working with Cancer?

There are many contraindications for working with cancer; they vary with the client and the practitioner and we should all take responsibility for educating ourselves in the area of client response.

A colleague has asked this question and it is one that comes up often in discussion. I believe that it is a difficult subject to define. There are many contraindications to working and most of them can occur whether the client has cancer or not. It is not a good idea to receive any bodywork when suffering from an infectious disease or where fever or high temperature is present. Open wounds will always need to be given a wide berth and working fresh scar tissue is really best left to absolute experience and experts. Broken bones, lumps, bumps and tumour sites - the list could go on.

Anything that gives us the slightest feeling of reserve; any situation that makes us worried, unsettled, in doubt or simply question our treatment is a warning that there may be a contraindication for us. Even if all our confidence tells us it is safe, if we haven't dealt with it before it is wise to step back and read the instruction box (i.e find out more about it and ask others who have experience - it is also good to engage the client with this as it empowers them to take responsibility). If even one person has been burnt in the past by something that was considered safe we may like to discount it. On the other hand if a client is asking for support and touch by simply coming to you then don't be shy of extremely gentle caring work, getting feedback from them as to how they are and how the treatment feels.

Given that lymphodema responds to lymphatic drainage massage it is clear that with the right approach this is not a contraindication. If you are extremely gentle and work with little depth bodywork can actually improve lymphodema problems but again we must be confident of our approach.

Clients tend to create their own desire to exclude complementary therapy. Gladly they really do take on responsibility for their own health and some will choose not to have treatment during chemo- or radio-therapy whilst others carry on with treatment throughout their treatment. Some people come because they believe treatment can help with nausea and others cancel because they are feeling sick so what is a contraindication?

Let me know what you think....

Thursday 24 September

All Action is an expression ...

but of what. As I learn more about Tai Chi and deepen my understanding of

playing Tai Chi I see that there is a part of me the SuperEgo (SE) me that wants/needs to know what is coming next and to meet that next moment with control and poise. Then there is the Mere Mortal (MM) me that has accepted that I am ordinary and to a large degree have no control other than to engage with my life. When the MM is playing my tai chi becomes an expression of the deeper me and when the SE takes over (as it has a tendency to do - a lot!) then tai chi is an expression of a me I believe I should be.

Yin/Yang discussions

I am working with a client at the moment for whom the Lung (lu) and Large Intestine (LI) meridians seem critical. The desire for control is a big thing in most of our lives and seems to be even more powerful when we have had control taken away from us in a big way. (I'm thinking about cancer and other life threatening illnesses.)

The breath is perhaps one of the best expressions of Yin and Yang. The breath goes out and comes in but which is Yin and which Yang? If we say that Yang is action and Yin reaction then for most people breathing in is the action and therefore Yang. We believe that if we don't breath in all will be lost, we have to know that we can breath in. Breathing out therefore becomes Yin and passive.

I would like to suggest the exact opposite and to say that breathing out is the action and as a reaction the breath comes in. Physiologically, when we breath out we reduce the air pressure in the chest cavity and the external, greater air pressure forces in the breath without our doing anything (we are passive in a way).

Learning to breath out as fully as possible will inevitably lead to us having a deeper in breath. The more space we create in our lungs the more air will come in to fill them (nature abhors a vacuum).

There is a lovely exercise which can help to create this pattern in the body. I know it as Ki-breathing which I learnt when doing Aikido. It is based on an out breath that is twice as long as the in breath. It is an exercise aimed at improving our breath - not a way to breath. It is important to try and make both the in breath (through the nose) and the out breath (through the mouth) as smooth as possible. Making a sound as you breath (in and out) can help both with smoothness and with vibrating energy in the throat. Start by breathing in for a count of 5, wait a second for the breath to settle and then breath out for a count of 10. Again wait for the breath to turn and the breath in again (for a count of 5). Even 3 or 4 repetitions will have an effect. Try it and see. Of course increasing the number of reps and the count will help as will regular practice.

Most importantly it may help re-educate the body to focus on the out breath when not doing the exercise.

Shiatsu meeting at Royal National Blind College, Hereford

2009-10-08T10:16:00.003+01:00

Thank you to Jane Crabtree of the Royal National College for the blind (RNC) who arranged a small informal gathering for massage, shiatsu and other bodyworker practitioners to work with Sasada sensei. Mr Sasada comes from Japan every year to teach blind students at the college.

After some morning ki development run by Igg Welthy (Yo ki ho) we listened to Sasada sensei's method for assessing, treating and evaluating musculo-skeletal problems.

I put myself forward as the first demonstration client having discovered a little pain in hyper-extending my back. After checking my basic posture (and telling me that I had a little lordosis - the rounded shoulders of childhood!!) he suggested I stand in golfers stance with the toes and heels equidistant - even when doing the dishes!

On the table Sasada sensei showed us some basic assessment tests (knee to shoulder, knee out to side, as shown, and knee to other side) and based on the clients responses about pain he then chose the Bl (knee to shoulder), Sp (knee outward) or GB (knee across body) meridian to work on.

For me the work he did was the most educational. His approach is completely different to my own and even though I had met him 4 years ago I had no memory of how painful it could feel. In supine he bent my leg and tested Bl40, Kd10 and Bl57 in the crease of the knee. With my identifying Bl40 as the most painful he then proceeded to work it by leaning backward thereby getting a jitsu to release.

The GB treatment in side position was the most painful though with GB30 and the whole hip area being handled very deeply indeed without a supporting hand elsewhere to balance the work. Having said all that the treatment was effective with me being able to lean much further back than at the start. So thank you Mr Sasada.

And what have I taken away? Well quite a lot actually. All week I have been playing with how long I hold my position. I have always been drawn to stillness and so the fact that Mr Sasada held everything he did for 20 seconds intrigued me. I may, in the past, already have been holding shoulder stretches for that long but this week I expanded the possibility of holding for 20 into working Bl and Kd and into holding points. My idea of extending Ki seems to me less harsh than Sasada sensei's but that length of stillness draws me to extend further into the meridian and seems to have had benefits with clients deepening their own experience of the energy. Once again thank you Sasada sensei and thank you Jane.

News and courses archive

2009-09-22T11:33:00.001+01:00

We started R&S in Ross on Wye today and it was a great success. With 10 of us in the room the energy soon warmed us and at the end of the hour we were all suitably awoken and relaxed. Starting with Do-In (self massage taught traditionally on Shiatsu courses) we also quickly looked at all the other traditions we will be using.

This is an ongoing course so if it sounds good (see full details here) please just come along on a Tuesday morning.

See you there!!

I hope everyone is having a great summer!!

click the newsletter to see it really big.

Rise and Shine details already available here

European Shiatsu week happens every year and it is an opportunity to spread the word about Shiatsu. If you know someone who has never tried Shiatsu please let them know.

Contact me for times and availabilty 01989 563370

simongivertz@btinternet.com

We are the Five Elements and Touching the Centre details can be found here

Shiatsu course for 2010

I am planning this course and hope it will be popular as it will have foundation Shiatsu content and therefore it is suitable for anyone who wants to take their study further. As it can be difficult to get the numbers in Hereford I am asking for people to register their interest now so that I can see what size venue will be best. Details on the syllabus are here

2009-09-08T17:19:00.008+01:00

Try a FREE Shiatsu in European
Shiatsu Week 21^st – 27^th Sept 2009
contact Simon Givertz on

01989 563370

Research carried out in 2009 by the University of Leeds on behalf of the European Shiatsu Federation showed that Shiatsu improves health.

A total of 948 clients received shiatsu in routine practice. At study end, 86% of clients reported that shiatsu was effective in treating symptoms of stress and tension, problems with muscles and joints (including back pain and posture) and low energy and fatigue. 95% of clients experienced an increased sense of calm and feelings of relaxation.

The full report is available here

Available until end Sep 09 to people who have never tried Shiatsu

Back to basics - part one

2009-08-17T10:48:00.003+01:00

Whilst reflecting on my shiatsu I have become interested in the six divisions. I have read Bill Palmer's very engrossing articles but am somehow drawn back to have another look at my understanding at Yin and Yang and their place in my practice before trying to make sense of the divisions.

I have taken my books off the shelf, Shiatsu, Taoist and TCM and reread the multivarious definitions of Yin and Yang. It can be really confusing as the way we see Yin and Yang can differ between one tradition and another. I have chosen to focus on a snippet of the Tao te Ching, The Yellow Emperor and some text from a lovely book called "The Taoist Ways of Healing" (hereafter called Healing). I have had this book for over twenty years and have never stopped dipping into it for inspiration. So it was now.

It says that as Li (which is the energy of the supreme spirit and which was allowed out of the void to create the whole universe through the spirit of the Tao) comes into the earth's atmosphere it passes through all things that are Yang, before entering into the soil, and once the world is full to capacity it then overflows and returns to heaven, and therefore it is now Yin and it will pass through all things Yin on its return journey.

Travelling down the spine and and out through the abdomen and then to earth, the Yang is transformed into Yin which then enters through the abdomen and travels up the spine and out of the head.

So it seems that Yang travels toward the earth and Yin away from it. This seems confused with the Yellow Emperor which states that "In the universe, the pure yang qi ascends to converge and form heaven, while the turbid yin qi descends and condenses to form the earth".

In the Tao te Ching there are many examples of Yin and Yang and how they complement eachother. In chapter 42 it says

...

All things have their backs to the female

and stand facing the male.

When male and female combine

all things achieve harmony.

Before going into the treatment possibilities though let us be sure what energy we are talking about. In the Healing book two energies are spoken of at the beginning. The first is Li (the universal energy which travels through the bones and tissues) and the second is the internal energy Neichung Ch'i which is a personal power, as only we can cultivate, develop and control it. This Ch'i circulates through the body along the lines of the meridians. Not only does this energy provide our daily vitality for life but it helps fight off disease.

Yang illnesses can be cured by Yin treatment and Yin sickness can be overcome by Yang influence, cancer being an example of the latter.

Is a Yang influence the same as a Yang treatment and how can we differentiate? It seems that receiving a Shiatsu is a treatment and it can have an influence but perhaps an influence is more empowering for the client. In order to turn around a Yin sickness they must take action and choose to drive it out (Yang).

I want to continue this idea focusing on a client patient group. If they are suffering from a Yin sickness how do I go about helping them bring a Yang influence to their lives? Often relaxation and letting go of the stresses and pains of the medical treatment they are undergoing is the priority for the client. I believe that, though it can be seen as a Yin treatment in response to the Yang of chemo or radio therapy, this is necessary before the client can gain control and take their own action to deal with the Yin sickness itself. Knowing the Yin brings the Yang to life and soon clients find themselves more engaged with their process and with life itself.

What we are really talking about is the result for the client of treatment.

A Yin treatment that deepens the clients knowledge of, and takes them further into Yin will eventually cause an internal effect of changing their internal energy to Yang and so we have a Yang influence.

One client came just after diagnosis and she was extremely distressed. Her first Shiatsu was quiet and tender (treating HP mostly) and the palace of anxiety point released her tension and she said that it reminded her that she was not alone. Her treatments continued through surgery, chemo- and radio-therapy. She had panic attacks each time she had to visit the hospital and had very little or no faith in her consultant. Quiet treatments to relieve and relax her eventually helped her to see that she could, to some degree, control her own state through the use of breath and visualisation. We began to touch on yang during one session where I was aware of a great deal of anger and so was she. Recommendations to deal with and express this moved her to a place of greater control and she began to take back her life and to call the shots as she said. Now, two years on, she is once again the proactive, potent, vital lady she was before it all started.

In the next blog I will try to clarify my treatment protocol from a Yin/Yang perspective.

Shiatsu Introduction - week5 notes

2009-07-11T11:59:00.009+01:00

This week we looked at the Makka-ho again. Some of you have noticed a change and I encourage you to read the various possible methods of using the stretches and complementary exercises. We recapped the front routine so far - see last weeks notes below - and everyone's Shiatsu is looking good. Remember to create enough space for yourselves and most importantly to be comfortable.

We looked at one acupressor point. Stomach 36 (ST36) named Leg three miles is an excellent point for knee trouble but more than that it strengthens the whole system and regulates the stomach and helps with the intestines. There are two books that I brought in, details below:

This is a new edition but the old one is also available. The isbn for the old one is 0-7499-1114-X. The book covers most common ailments but looks at acupressure as something that can be applied with pressure alone. We investigated the energetic connection we can make and all saw the effects of holding a point for some time. With Shiatsu it is quite important to remember that we are trying to give the receiver an experience of their body, energy and mind connection so use points with that quality in view.

The Chris Jarmey book is excellent. It gives clear indication of where the point is and also the effective area of acupressure stimulation. The diagrams are very clear and the use of the point comprehensive. It is, of course, expensive though not if you are serious about learning and using points. isbn: 978-0-9543188-4-0

Remember that the introduction course is not deep enough to give you the full range of skills to use points on people who are ill or have chronic conditions. Also please remember DO NOT USE ANY POINTS ON PREGNANT WOMEN as you are not trained to do so safely.

Try using the points on yourself too where you can.

We finished the routine off by looking at some very simple head work. Again the course is not designed to give you a complete picture of what is possible but to encourage you to connect with the receiver's energy in a simple way.

Slide your fingers under the neck (it may not be possible to get them completely underneath and it doesn't matter). Then, using your palm to support the side of the head, twist their head so that it is now resting on one palm. Place the other palm at the back of their now exposed head and turn their head back. You should now be holding their head on your palms so that your fingers are free enough to reach down the neck. From this position use the fingers to to move the neck gently from side to side - working from the shoulders up to the cranium. You may be able to tell that one side is tighter than the other. If so work more on the less tight side. You can then work on the ridge at the back of the head (occipital ridge) where lots of tension can build. Finally slide your hands back a little so that the head is resting on your hands completely. Make your hands softer and softer as if you were disappearing eventhough you don't actually move. You will almost certainly feel them relax quite deeply. When the time feels right lean backwards very very slowly so that your hands come out from under their heads and they are once again resting on the pillow.

This is a good place to end a session if they are deply relaxed, otherwise go round to the side and connect with their hara again.

Thank you all very much for your enthusiasm, attention and patience. Everyone's Shiatsu looks excellent and I have enjoyed teaching you a great deal. I will let you know when the next courses are.

Shiatsu Introduction - week4 notes

2009-07-04T17:50:00.013+01:00

First some photos that may be of use to clarify stuff from last week as well as this. When rotating, stretching or shaking from the ankle make sure that you hug the foot closely to you so that it is part of you - when you move so do they.

We spent a bit more time with the Makka-ho stretches and hopefully you have remembered which the easy stretch was and are doing it and the complementary exercise for the hardest stretch.

During the morning we also experimented with a circle of energy. Stand with your arms in front of you and connect your palm. Press the palms together as hard as possible and ask a partner to try and separate them. Feel how the focus of the energy is in the hands. Now connect the palms again but imagine energy travelling around a circle so that one hand has energy leaving it and the other receives the energy and the circle continues through your body back to the original hand. Keep this image strong in your mind and ask your partner to separate your hands again. Hopefully you will not only be stronger but you will not feel a focus of effort. The energy is absorbed by the whole.

When giving Shiatsu we try to create this circle. One hand is the mother, the receptive, listening hand and the other is the working hand. The circle then consists of the working hand sensing into the receivers energy for a connection and the mother hand listening for the energy to arrive. The circle will be complete once you join the two hands and the receiver will sense a larger self than if you simply work with one hand or focusing on only one. Two handed connection is critical to Shiatsu.

We recapped working down the front of the leg with the variation of stepping across and working the leg on the opposite side. Remember that when using this position (when kneeling on the receivers right use your right leg on the other side and work their left leg) you are in quite a yang position so be aware of the pressure you use.

Stretch, rotate and shake the leg when you get to the ankle and then work the other leg in the same way. If this is not comfortable then go back to working the leg nearest you.

After doing both legs do a 2 leg stretch and then move forward so that the receivers feet are resting on your lap. Out your hands under the knees and gently lean back, move your hands toward the ankles and lean again and repeat until your hands are back under the ankles. Again put your hands under the knees but this time lift the knees at the same time as moving forward so that their feet stay in contact with your hara and when the knees are bent enough you can put their feet on the floor. Keep contact with the side of the knees so that you can work with their breath. Ask them to take a breath in and then out. On the out let their knees slowly drop to one side (make sure you are stable enough to support them at all times). On the next in breath lift the knees and then on an out breath take the knees to the other side. Now move around to the side and put your arm under their knees so that you can straighten them safely.You should now be at the side of them again and you can connect with hara briefly. From here you are going to work their arm. Move their arm so that it is lying out to the side (see picture) and work from the shoulder to the hand.

After working the arm keep contact underneath close to the armpit and step over and turn so that you can kneel, on knee each side of the head, facing their feet and connect with both shoulders. From here you can simply move to the other side of the head from which you came, move their other arm out to the side and work as before.

This is as far as you got.

Shiatsu Introduction - week3 notes

2009-06-27T12:46:00.005+01:00

This week we focused a little more on the stretches at the start of the class. They are called Makka-ho and are designed to open each of the meridian pairs. The details of the stretches have been sent but as they were written about 7 years ago I though I would just add my current perspective too.

I find that doing these stretches before giving Shiatsu opens my body to all the possible movemt of both my and the recipients body. They remind me how important the breath is (something we will be looking at this week).

Every time you do the stretches it is different. The body and mind are always different and how we feel (remember one of my basic principles is to remind ourselves how we feel when we are working) reflects in how easy or difficult each stretch feels.

As I explained the basic use of these stretches is to find the easiest and the hardest. We then do the easy stretch and for the difficult one we do the complementary movement.

I have found over the years that doing the Makka-ho on and off will not show as much change as doing them regularly. So I encourage you to do the stretches you all chose last week and then we can measure whether or not you feel different when we do the whole set. Long term change takes a long time and it is important we understand that if we ever recommend exercise. It is always the individuals choice and it doesn't suit everyone.

This course does not cover theory so I will not go into the theory that I have sent you but if it interests you please do let me know through the blog and I will respond.

As far as the Shiatsu goes we recapped the back routine that we have learnt. Everybody's Shiatsu looks good and your hands are sensitive and in the main relaxed. Remember to create enough space for yourself. You are looking to have a sort of bubble formed by your chest and abdomen, your arms and the receiver's body.

We have started learning a front routine. Starting with making contact with the hara - the soft area bounded by ribs, hips and pelvis. Connect firmly. Be there but do not be hard or invasive. Explore the soft area with curiosity. The difference in muscle tone, energetic response to your hands and where you are drawn to. Though we did this for quite a long time remember when giving Shiatsu this is the point of saying I am here and it doesn't take that long.

We tried various positions. Kneeling, half kneel (one foot on the floor), facing the head, facing across the body etc. Find your own. All you need to remember is:

Be comfortable
Have enough space energetically
Connect with two hands.
Be close enough to lean but still be in control of how much weight you give
Be far away enough to not crowd either yourself or the receiver

After connecting with the hara we worked down one leg. Since we are not exploring meridians in this course but focusing on quality of touch and a basic routine the actual position of where you work isn't as important as how you work. Having said that we looked at turning the leg slightly inward (point the toes toward the other foot) and working in the fleshy muscle area that is presented. As with the back routine work downward toward the ankle and when there pick up the ankle and rest it in your lap.

Holding the foot firmly to your body (don't grip tight but make it feel like a solid hug) use your movement to explore the movement of the ankle. Moving from your own hara (lower tummy) rotate your body and see what their foot feels like. Both directions and then lean toward their head and away from their head to give the ankle a stretch.

I will be working on some photographs to make it clearer but until then just explore what you can. I hope you are all enjoying the course - I know I am, you are all doing very well.

See you next week

Shiatsu Introduction - week2 notes

2009-06-18T14:46:00.004+01:00

This week, apart from building the back routine, we looked at energy filling spaces, not by force but by allowing. "what has no substance, enters where there is no space". Soft hands are essential as is the non-desire for anything to happen.

This helps with quality of touch.

We have finished the routine for the back. As this is a five week course we haven't included everything that is possible but the routine is a good starting point for Shiatsu. The full routine is:

Settle yourself kneeling on the left hand side of the receiver (they are on your right).

Connect with their sacrum and use some gentle intention to connect with them.

Change position to be looking across their body with your left hand in the middle of their upper back and your right hand on the sacrum.

Moving weight on and off, moving your left hand when the weight is off so that you work down the nack to the sacrum

At the sacrum change so that the left is on the sacrum and the right hand works down the leg nearest you.

Move so the you are always comfortable and never over- reaching.

At the ankle move to hold both and then move to the other side of the body to work down the other leg.

At the ankles again, this time rest the front of the ankles in the palms of your hands and as they breath out lean back to give a nice gentle stretch.

From this position take a step up so that you are half-kneeling, on foot on the floor, with hands on the backs of the thighs.

Take another step to half-kneel the other side with hands in the middle of the upper back.

You should now be astride the body, on one knee, with one hand either side of the spine.

Lean in three times moving your hands down toward the lower back each time the weight is off.

Now take a step (however you can) so that you are above the head facing the feet, kneel with one knee each side of the head, hands resting on the shoulders. Lean

Retreating cat: With hands contacting body enough to slide, slide down to the hips and lean, then retreat back toward to shoulders like a cat kneading.

Return to starting position

Sorry no pictures this week but will perhaps add some later.

Keep a look out (you can bookmark the blog or follow it) for updates. I will add something about the stretches we are using to warm up.

See you all next week. Good luck with practise.

Rise & Shine in Ross on Wye

2009-06-16T10:32:00.018+01:00

These ongoing sessions will help us energise body and mind using routines from several traditions.

Next class starts 22nd September '09

Classes are held at:

The Ryefield Centre

Grammar School Close

Ross on Wye

Herefordshire HR9

You may join these classes at any time. Cost is charged per 10 sessions £35.00

These classes offer you routines and exercises to create a practice of your own. The weekly class will be a powerful way for us to connect and explore energy work more deeply.

Each week will focus on one tradition. There will be variety to keep it interesting and eventually you will learn which exercises suit you best.

From Shiatsu we will use "Do-In" and "Makka-ho".

Do-In is a sequence of self-massage and tapping which wakes up the surface and muscular levels of our body. It raises energy which is important for our immune systems and generally makes us feel more awake.

Makka-ho is stretching. The stretches we use (some standing, some on the floor) aim to improve the internal flow of energy around the body. They may seem like Yoga but the focus is slightly different. We will look at postures used in every day movements, such as lifting a heavy object or resting in contemplation, and then use a stretch to make the movement easier.

From Aikido we will look at "Ki development" exercises. Ki is Japanese and Aikido (which means The way of Harmony) is a non-aggressive martial art which aims to harmonise with the energy of an opponent. We will not be looking at the martial art but at the exercises which help to create free flow of energy and improve our mental focus.

Tai Chi is well known and we will use its gentle movement to improve our balance and look closely at how we move.

Qi-Gong literally means energy work and we will learn The Eight Strands of the Brocade (Taoist) and Shibashi (Tai Chi qi gong).

Shiatsu Introduction - week1 notes

2009-06-14T11:22:00.004+01:00

The focus of this week was to introduce several basic strands to giving Shiatsu. Each week will start with a similar warm-up:

stepping forward and swinging the arms above the head while breathing in and then stepping back breathin out. Do this about 12 times (6 leading with each foot) every morning and see how much more energised you feel
Stretching and squatting. It is important for ease of movement that the hips be as open as possible so it is worth perservering with this

The prime basis of Shiatsu is relaxed leaning where we consider a partnership between giver and receiver. Don't overwhelm and don't be overwhelmed. We practised leaning on eachother - both active - before moving to the Shiatsu position on the floor.

When moving the weight over the receiver's body remember to imagine a pencil dropping from a point just below the belly button and draw a line with the pencil. Note the pressure increasing in the hands and try to keep it even between the two.

We looked at extending Ki using the unbendable arm exercise. Try to use alive relaxation rather than dead relaxation. Keep the arms naturally straight (not locked) and the hands as soft as possible.

We used working on the back as our start routine. With both hands in contact when leaning and 1 hand in contact at all times when moving work down the spine towards the sacrum - one hand on the sacrum staying still and the other moving. Achieve movement by leaning the weight on and off the body. Then work down from the sacrum to the heel of the leg closest to you.

We looked at ease of movement. Try to move without the support of your hands so that when you have the support of the receiver it seems very easy, smooth and natural.

Remember the principles I try to work with:

Relax at all times - soft hands
Have no aims to change anything
Create an energetic intention to connect below the surface of the body and
Ask yourself how you feel

Please ask questions and give me feedback with the comments form.

See you next week.

Clients have said ...

2009-06-04T18:44:00.011+01:00

I decided I would keep a list of little gems clients have said, normally on their next visit but sometimes at the end of a session. Most of my work is with people affected by cancer and so most of the comments below are from them. For many the Shiatsu acts as deep relaxation but in addition it also, in a very important way, gives clients tools that they can use. The simplicity of breath, learning to expand around a pain, rather than contract against it, learning to let the neck turn rather than turning it and others. I see myself as inviting clients to try out new ways of being. The more Shiatsu they have the more self-reliant they become. It is wonderful.

Thank you to all the clients that give me such positive feedback. I wish them all well.

I feel deeply relaxed yet I can feel all my blood and something else - energy - moving everywhere in my body. I feel so warm.

I have never been so relaxed

It is the only thing that has boosted my energy

I’ve never felt anything like it before – and I’ve tried a lot

I’d forgotten that I even had a pain

I feel much better than when I came in

I am a happier person because of Shiatsu – thank you

It felt like layers being peeled off and each one was something I wasn’t aware of

Even if I have only learnt about breath awareness it has been great, even when walking the dog it makes a difference

As soon as you touch me there is a deeper level of relaxation than I can find by myself

The touch is so important

I don’t know what you do but it is wonderful – I am glowing all over

I never thought I would be able to move my neck so much. It feels so much freer

I feel two inches taller and my neck feels amazing

I felt light and tranquil for days

My shoulder feels completely different and so do I

I went so far away, further than when I go to sleep, it was wonderful

Your touch is so respectful and safe - thank you

I feel as if I have been scattered to the eight winds, freed and then re-gathered and integrated

Rise & Shine at Hereford Haven - great success

2009-06-04T15:58:00.005+01:00

We had a great morning learning the Do-In, Japanese self massage and played with meridian stretches. We learnt some breathing exercises and used a Ki development exercise to focus the mind and help us raise our spirits.

All the participants said they would like to do it regularly so watch this space for more classes in Hereford Haven.

Thank you to all who came.

There is an ongoing Rise & Shine class starting in September in Ross on Wye

Summer Special Shiatsu Offer

2009-05-28T09:01:00.005+01:00

New Bodywork course

2009-05-24T19:03:00.008+01:00

Being Present - Being Still

A course to explore how we can be more present with a client, allowing their process to be witnessed without being judged. In order to help this we as therapists need to be still, not stationary but easy, spacious and calm.

Come and practise using a variety of solo, partner and group exercises.

This course is open to anyone with an interest in energy work and would be especially useful for bodyworkers and therapists.

Contact me if you are interested and would like more details

simongivertz@btinternet.com

01989 563370

extract from Energetic Health

2009-05-23T10:20:00.006+01:00

Hopefully this profile will do two things. It will show how I perceive my own health and my part in protecting it. It will also say how my connection with others plays a major role in keeping me healthy.

Offering myself time, space, compassion and the possibility of choice helps me take a more proactive role in my healing and informs my Shiatsu.

.... Through Karate and Aikido I discovered some of the ways in which people reveal themselves. Too eager to attack, too reserved in joining a flow, light-hearted or serious, it all made a difference to the overall experience.

Sometimes my Aikido partner’s mood would resonate with me so strongly that I would unconsciously become like them: too reserved some sessions and too aggressive in others.

... I started to meditate and do yoga and qi-gong to improve the clarity of my relationship with my body. Karate and Aikido had taught me about feeling my centre – my one point or Tan t’ien – but I wanted to extend that sense to the whole.

There is one particular Aikido class that affected me deeply. Because of my Karate training the instructor often asked me to demonstrate with him as I was happy to attack him with commitment. On this one occasion rather than just showing the technique once or twice we continued for quite a long time, me attacking, him throwing me. Each attack had more determination to grasp him, each throw had more ease and grace about it and the throw more powerful. At the end of the demonstration I was soaking wet with sweat and he was smiling broadly. The other students were amazed that I was, at times, shoulder height in the air, apparently landing from a great height but I would get up full of energy to attack again. It taught me a great lesson. Commitment to our chosen path can enliven, invigorate and feed us. I felt so full of energy that my whole body (even though I felt a bit nauseous) was buzzing and glowing. What I gave out I got back, but seemingly amplified. I felt fantastic.

...

read full article here

The blog grows

2009-05-17T18:06:00.002+01:00

I just thought I'd put a post up saying that I will be updating the links in the side bar with courses I'm running and any news I think interesting. Keep an eye on it and let me know if it's useful.

My first blog page

2009-05-17T01:52:00.001+01:00

Having spent a bit of time drinking tea and thinking about the meaning of life I have decided to join the 21st centrury and keep a blog. I will (perhaps) post my current thoughts on all things Shiatsu and perhaps on wider subjects. Please feel free to contact me at simongivertz@btinternet.com or visit my work website at www.learn-shiatsu.org.uk

Complementary therapy events and courses in Herefordshire

2009-05-07T12:02:00.002+01:00

Request for Information

2009-01-01T15:56:00.003Z

If you would like any information or more details about anything on the Shiatsu websites (www.simongivertz.co.uk, www.learn-shiatsu.org.uk or this one) please fill out the comments form below.

If you don't know what "comment as" means then you are anonymous - but please do tell me your name in the message text.

Thank you

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