Shiatsu and the body with Liselotte Brand

A while ago I met Liselotte Brand, a shiatsu therapist. I really like her energy and how she sees the world. I am very happy to share our talk with you about how shiatsu can improve your relationship with your body.

Describe yourself in five words?
Fire, humor, insatiable curiosity and spaceholder.

What is Shiatsu?
Shiatsu is a form of therapeutic bodywork developed in Japan in the early 1900s. Shiatsu therapy involves stretches, pressure and joint movement to support the body's natural ability to strengthen and heal itself. By putting pressure on the body with my thumbs, hands, elbows or even knees and feet, the Ki (vital energy) starts to flow and balances out. It’s a preventive therapy and it approaches the person as a whole, a human being with not only a physical body but also emotions, feelings, intellect, and spirit.  Due to mental and physical stress, lack of sleep, lack of exercise and poor diet you can obstruct the body's power of self-healing.

Shiatsu has a positive influence on your organic functions and supports your digestion, respiratory, circulatory and immune system. After a treatment your body and mind will feel calmer, lighter and more relaxed.

What has shiatsu given you so far?
When I give shiatsu my mind is quiet. I am focused, relaxed and in the moment. Shiatsu taught me to take one step at a time, take things not so seriously and accept life as it is. In combination with qigong, a form of moving meditation, breathing techniques and self-massage, I am more grounded than I ever was. Lao Tzu said in chapter 13 of the Tao Te Ching:  “When you stand with your two feet on the ground, you will always keep your balance.”That is what shiatsu is giving me.

What can humans expect if they end up at your mat?
Shiatsu therapy can confront you with tensions and uncertainties in body & mind. At the same time shiatsu offers solutions and knowledge about the human body’s ability to self-heal. It’s also relaxing and has a positive influence on your energy system. When you end up on my mat I will create a safe space where you can relax and maybe I will surprise you with how much capacity you actually have.

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How can shiatsu help to have a more loving relationship with your body?
Shiatsu can help you to discover where you hold certain emotions captured. Your issues are in your tissues. When you feel where it hurts in your body you can accept it and let it go. So this part becomes whole again. Body and mind are one, in shiatsu we call this shin shin.

What tip would you give to improve a healthy relationship with your body?
If you want a healthy relationship with your body you first have to know your body. What messages do you get from it? A good exercise to come in contact with your body is the bodyscan. Go lie on the floor, close your eyes and take ten deep breaths, in and out through your nose and make the out breath longer. Feel which body parts make contact with the floor. Then start with your head, neck, chest, arms, belly, legs and feet. Where there is tension or pain, send your breath to it as if you blow new life into it. Good breathing is key. When you build a healthy relationship with your breath, you build a healthy relationship with your body.  

A very easy but powerful breathing technique is this one:
Find a relaxing and quiet place to sit down. Close your eyes, breath through your nose from your belly up while counting to five. Allow your lungs and stomach to fully inflate. Hold your breath for several seconds and then exhale counts. When you think you can’t exhale any more, keep blowing from the deepest depths of your lungs and stomach. Repeat this breathing 9 to 12 times. If you do this on a daily basis it will help increase your lung capacity, relieve stress and build up energy. Try it!