Today i had my first ever Massage over at the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre. I had been advised to try it after telling Herb-Ally from Grass Roots Remedies that I had a sore shoulder. It just so happened the first available therapist was a Shiatsu therapist called Dawn who also runs her own practice as well as providing this amazing low cost service in Wester Hailes. When I arrived today she told me February happens to be Shiatsu Awaresness Month too, excellent timing for a blog post.

You can find Dawn’s website here https://www.dawnoei-shiatsushintai.com/

Shiatsu is described by the Shiatsu Society (UK) as follows…

“Shiatsu is a physical therapy that supports and strengthens the body’s natural ability to heal and balance itself. It works on the whole person – not just with the physical body, but also with the psychological, emotional and spiritual aspects of being.”

https://www.shiatsusociety.org/about-shiatsu

So i went in really not knowing what to expect, i even took over shorts and a towel in case i had to take some clothes off, but it turns out Shiatsu is fully clothed and fully relaxing.

I was greeted by a lovely lady dressed in immaculately white cottons and white hoodie. The white would normally feel clinical, like a hospital doctor, but it felt clean, pure and relaxed. First we sat down and I was offered a hot drink, we then chatted about what Shiatsu was, what was wrong with me, a little medical history regarding aches and pains and the back surgery I have had, my sleep pattern, how i was feeling generally and what I expected from it and how I wanted to feel afterwards. Apparantly a 6 pack and next weeks lottery numbers is beyond the powers of a Shiatsu practitioner, so we agreed on my shoulder feeling less stiff and maybe feeling a bit better as a whole.

Then she asked me to take off my shoes, as I looked down I realised that after our 4 mile walk this morning my dog had decided he was not coming home, I finally caught him 30 minutes before my appointment so never had a chance to change out of my mud splashed boots and jeans. So feeling a little ashamed that the immaculate white she was wearing would be getting dirty, I got down onto the traditional Japanese Futon with an ergonomic therapy cushion on top, she then spent a little time making sure I was comfy, padding up around my sore shoulder and putting a blanket over me, getting a blanket put over me always reminds me of staying at my grannies as a child and she would “tuck me in” when i went to bed. I was feeling relaxed, face down and then I felt a warm healing hand resting at the base of my spine followed a few seconds later with the other hand up nearer the top of my spine. I am unsure what was going on but I felt like this was a ritualistic part, maybe a bit like gathering the enregy or transferring healing energy from the practitioner to me, as i was face down i have no idea, she could have been checking her Instagram for all I know!!!! Then more pressure was applied to various areas and she started hitting points that seemed to releive pressure and tightness. She could see my shoulder was uncomfortable so spent some time on there making that area more comfy. Then i lay on my back and my favourite part of that was probably having my stomach worked on to help aid digestion. At the end she still had time so I lay on my side and my shoulder was worked on for a bit longer. As I was putting my shoes back on we had a quick chat about how I found it and how I felt. More notes went in her book

So the result is I came out relaxed, 4 hours later my shoulder is certainly less stiff and painfull my neck doesnt seem crunchy when i roll my head. The massage on my calfs was also really nice especially after a longish walk then chasing my bad doggy around like a madman. Yeah I would return for more of the same. I am now away to read a bit more about Shiatsu but that is my thoughts, fresh out the therapy room with my only prior knowledge or thoughts on Shiatsu being “It is some sort of Chinese massage” . I do not normally jump into things without research and knowing what they are but I trusted Herb-Ally in her reccomendation of giving it a try. It also meant my mind was not influenced by what was supposed to happen or how I should expect to feel. Maybe a second session will be different with some knowledge and expectations. Who knows?

Shiatsu and more holistic services are available to residents of Wester Hailes at a discounted rate over at the Green Reception at the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre. I think this is an amazing initiative and I thank all the practitioners and workers at the centre who work at a reduced rate or volountarily to bring these services to people who do not normally have access to them.