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Some highlights from our Autumnal Shiatsu retreat.

Some highlights from our Autumnal Shiatsu retreat. Made up of Shiatsu practitioners and students, we co-created this retreat which consisted of Shiatsu themed workshops as well as a mix of others as between is all there is such an eclectic range of knowledge and experience. Feeling so lucky and grateful to be a part of this bunch of magical folk. Always so special and important to top up our love for what we do and refresh and add to our skill set. Everyone had the option of running a workshop if they felt like it. The retreat running this way makes it a super affordable way to have an epic weekend of community, food and learning. Can’t recommend doing this enough! Be it bodyworkers, creatives or any modalities.

Happily obsessed with my latest pottery friend fro

Happily obsessed with my latest pottery friend from Kristin @kristinolds

Now offering lemon verbena tea at appointments, leaves picked from my garden.

Years ago a friend in Guatemala taught me about Chinese tea ceremony and said that each ceramic tea pot would be used to serve the same tea over many years until the flavour of that tea was embedded in the ceramic and you could serve that tea by just pouring hot water into the tea pot.

Time will tell if this tea pot follows that tradition 🥰

ID: a dark video of a night sky with silhouettes o

ID: a dark video of a night sky with silhouettes of trees and noisy frogs. Words that say ‘soundtrack of an evening’s treatment’.

Lighting incense to put out the front door of the

Lighting incense to put out the front door of the treatment room is a lil ritual I have before a full day of clients. Gives me a moment to breathe, connect with myself, the intentions I have with my clients that day and most of all the land on which I live and do my work. Moments of appreciation and connection like this are so grounding for me before heading into a day of service. I often get asked how I work with people and not take on their ‘stuff’. I used to be very proactive about this but now countless moments like this are woven throughout my day and keep me able to sit with someone in their big emotions while not taking them on.

Autumn 🍂 you beautiful thing. Some themes of

Autumn 🍂 you beautiful thing.

Some themes of Autumn from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective:

Lungs
Large intestines
Metal
Grief
Skin
West
Smell
Root vegetables
Rice
Pungent
Storing

A great time to lean into any/all of these things. Slow cooked warm foods are a great friend in Autumn.

Moxa is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practice th

Moxa is a Traditional Chinese Medicine practice that refers to any type of heat therapy. Here I am using a stick of mugwort that is lit at one end and held close to the client's back, moving in a 'fan' pattern. Starting from the sacrum and fanning out across the lower back. This technique awakens the yang energy in the body and warms the kidneys and womb. I love it for people who are just about to bleed, are bleeding and early postpartum as it is so warming, nourishing and gently energising. If suitable I sometimes do it while cups are sitting on the upper back. It can easily being incorporated into Remedial and Shiatsu treatments.

If you are feeling a bit bent outta shape from the

If you are feeling a bit bent outta shape from the silly season I'm very happy to help you find equilibrium in your body again. You can book online at eucalypt.wellness.com.au
Jan is almost full so jump on board or let me know if you want to go on a waitlist 👾

FAQ: Remedial Massage x Shiatsu Bodywork, how do I

FAQ: Remedial Massage x Shiatsu Bodywork, how do I choose which one?

I could talk about this from so many angles and so reach out if you have any questions or want anything clarified. In the meantime, here are some things to consider:

Practical set up:

Shiatsu bodywork is received on a futon on the floor and fully clothed (some clothing maybe be removed if using cups or moxa).

Remedial massage is received on a massage table and uses oil on skin.

Sometimes this difference of set up is enough to decide which one feels right for you.

Philosophy behind the practises:

Remedial massage comes from a Western background. It focuses on the musculoskeletal body and addresses soft tissue ailments.

Shiatsu bodywork is of Eastern background and addresses both physical and energetic (qi) body imbalances. Alongside muscle tensions, a Shiatsu treatment plan may be directed just as much by your presenting emotions/digestion/temperature patterns.

The way I think of it:

If you are feeling more general tensions/stiffness in the body then Remedial Massage is likely the one for you.

If you are feeling energetically/emotionally imbalanced and want a more nurturing and holistic recalibrating then Shiatsu Bodywork is likely the one.

Having said all this, both styles naturally influence my work always and parts of each can be incorporated if you feel more drawn to one but want aspects of the other.

Recent favourite blending examples are; giving a Remedial Massage and towards the end holding a couple of Shiatsu points. Because once the physical tensions are released the qi flows more freely. And during Shiatsu treatments I often use Remedial techniques to release tension in the shoulders and neck.

Pondering the art of stillness. Sometimes the pr

Pondering the art of stillness.

Sometimes the present touch of stillness is the most powerful thing to receive during bodywork.

One time a friend and I were at a festival by a lake and we spent many hours within a few meter radius. It went into the night and it has always stayed with me how much we witnessed and experienced in that small area during that time. We were close to the lakeside and it went from being only us, no one nearby, to being quite squished in a crowd when two artists dressed as lotus flowers came and did a performance in the water with fire to then being the only ones for a wide distance again. We had many interactions with people passing by and the water and land around us. By staying still we were witness and participants to so much movement both gross and subtle.

I think of this time when I think of holding meridian points in Shiatsu for an extended time. It is profound how much can move and shift in the body when you stay still with it. As the saying goes, less is more, and this can be true of touch. Sometimes there is a perception that we want a lot of movement to happen during a bodywork session (which can be amazing). However I think one of my favourite learnings to come out of the Shiatsu diploma was the power of stillness, staying with the breath and feeling the rhythm of the body. Essentially the practitioner's caring and still presence can allow the body the time and space to feel where it is needing to recalibrate. To feel what layers of tension it can afford to release at that time and where in the body might be calling for some more nurturing energy.

There is surprisingly so much movement in stillness.

My favourite pressure to play with is to get in de

My favourite pressure to play with is to get in deep to meet the muscle fibres at their place of tension whilst being subtle enough that the nervous system doesn't go into alert mode. You might call this the 'sweet spot'.

There's something magic about the body feeling calm and softening whilst you are finding the treasure/grit/tension and encourage it to pet go. Having said that, when the moment and/or body calls for it, I can go as feather light or dive in as deep as we need.

One of the reasons I got social media was to have

One of the reasons I got social media was to have a way to familiarise people with my clinic space and with me.

Bodywork can be such a vulnerable experience even when you do know the practitioner and the place. Let alone if the person and place are new!

Inviting people into my home to support them in feeling good in their body is special to me and I believe the whole process matters. The before, after and the setting can be just as important as the treatment itself.

And so, if you are curious about what it might look like to walk into a treatment with me, here is a video and a few pictures of the entrance and treatment room.

Video ID: a silent video of a sign that says 'eucalypt wellness entry via side gate' then it travels along and uneven pathway with flowers and eucalyptus trees, ending at a treatment room that is set up with a massage table.

Picture ID: multiple photos showing the treatment room set up with a massage table and green sheets and a one with a futon set up on the floor for a shiatsu treatment with a green sheet.

It's a sign! I now have signs 🌟 Gone are the

It's a sign!

I now have signs 🌟
Gone are the days (hopefully) of people driving down a gravel track and just crossing their fingers they have come to the right place.

The prettiest of morning sights out the window.

The prettiest of morning sights out the window.

ID: a short video of a tree with the morning sun warming it and the rain from the night rising up in mist. Text over video says - 'Invitation to take some deep breaths and imagine the tension melting off your muscles like the morning mist off these trees.'

Self massage demo for the Jaw. An intense area for

Self massage demo for the Jaw. An intense area for many, releasing this area can help with stress, quality of sleep and generally feels great. Go slowly and listen to your body always. Breathe deep and shoulders down and back while you play. After you have done one side, take a moment to notice if the two sides of the jaw feel different. Have fun!

A snippet of what your eyes get to enjoy looking u

A snippet of what your eyes get to enjoy looking up at from the table or mat. Courtesy of one of my favourite artists @yuria.okamura 💫

ID: a photo of the roof of the treatment room that features a roof mural by Yuria made up of geometric shapes with line work. Green, blue, pink, yellow and gold are the main colours.
#remedialmassage #shiatsu

Shiatsu bodywork can look so many ways. In this tr

Shiatsu bodywork can look so many ways. In this treatment the focus is on cupping and a technique called barefoot where as the name suggests the treatment is given with the feet.

Barefoot is grounding to receive and calming for the nervous system. My favourite with this technique is working the side of the body, the glutes and hamstrings.

Many people comment on how wonderful the side of the body feels getting thorough attention. And the hamstrings tend to be able to receive much deeper treatment comfortably with the feet.
I also love 'walking' on people's feet, it feels amazing!!

The season of Autumn🍂 is linked to the lung and

The season of Autumn🍂 is linked to the lung and to grief. Midwifing the world through to the season of death and stillness that is ❄Winter.

The tapping over and around the chest is particularly nice whilst taking some deep breaths.

If you are unable to do these movements yourself, you might ask someone else to do the tapping for you.

It is always good to do both sides of stretching and tapping and ideally hold stretches for minimum 30seconds. I race through them here for video time efficiency 💫

As well as supporting your muscle fibres with smoo

As well as supporting your muscle fibres with smoothest movement, being hydrated after a treatment also helps to flush out any stagnation/toxins that have been released from the bodywork. If you are dehydrated after a treatment any of this stuff will likely just hang around and get stuck again when the muscles likely dry up and stick together again. Yet another reason to drink all that delicious water everyday and especially on treatment days 💦

Apologies there are no closed captions on this video, I couldn't get them to work. Please contact me if you want them!

VD: Claire's hand moving a recently picked sunflower head around showing how the seeds smoothly glide alongside each other. Next there is a fully dried sunflower head and shows how stiff and immobile the seeds are when dehydrated.

I now have an online booking system. After the rol

I now have an online booking system. After the rollercoaster of life with pandemic and baby/toddler that has made my work hours quite unpredictable, I am now feeling able to offer more clear works hours (which feels very exciting) and so I present my online bookings!

I imagine there will still be variations some weeks however here is the baseline of time offerings:

+Monday evening 8.15 - 10pm
+Tuesday morning 9am - 12noon
+Thursday all day 10am - 7pm
+Saturday afternoon 12noon - 4pm

Feel free to spread the word to any folks in the area of North Warrandyte, or anyone who may want to come for a little trip to this beautiful bushland and go for a wander by the Birrarung River post treatment. 🤲

🕯Cupping🕯 A traditional Chinese medicine pr

🕯Cupping🕯

A traditional Chinese medicine practice.

+Used to draw out stagnation, cold, heat and damp in the body.
+Increases blood flow.
+Is also great when areas of tension feel extra sensitive to touch as they create a negative pressure.

Cupping can be incorporated into either remedial or shiatsu treatments.

Often while the cups are on I will work on the legs, in a shiatsu treatment I might also hold acupressure points to stay with the moments of stillness, all depending on the treatment plan we created.

Cups can leave circular marks often mistaken for bruising. This colour (usually shades of red or purple) is stagnation in the blood being drawn to the surface, whereas a bruise is damage to blood cells from an impact. The length of time the colour stays varies person to person and circle to circle.

ID: video of Claire using glass cups with a flame to suction onto a person's back. Claire is wearing a green top and there is a wooden wall in the background.

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Location

North Warrandyte, Victoria

Phone

Email

hello@eucalyptwellness.com.au