When I went surfing in Nicaragua I hurt my back quite badly. It was so stuck that 'popping up' on my board became impossible (not that I was really good at it before). My friend Isabelle introduced me to a local shiatsu therapist. Shiatsu is Japanese pressure therapy based on traditional Chinese medicine techniques. There's a whole theory behind it, explained quite excessively when you Google it. In simple terms however it comes down to this: the therapist goes a little 'zen', feeling the condition of your body, finding imbalances in the energy circulation, then they apply pressure, using thumbs, fingers, palms, elbows, knees… and attempt to relieve blockages along the way. It's like acupuncture but without the needles. Or, in more Western terms, the therapist attempts to calm your autonomic nervous system. Safe to say that, even without the surfing injury, my body in general was and still is very stuck. During those initial two hours of shiatsu therapy, on a mattress on the floor in Nicaragua, I was finally able to breathe again. So when I came back home, the first thing I did was find a shiatsu therapist here. Francesca is great, because not only does she listen to my body, she also listens to me, even when I sit on her chair sobbing for the first twenty minutes. Little by little, we are working towards physical and mental healing. Little by little, my chest feels less tight and my heart gets some breathing space. Wish #75 fulfilled.
It does not work for everyone, but I find it very helpful so if you're interested, you can find Francesca here: http://www.francescashiatsu.com.
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