Letter from Leish
Written whilst in the air, listening to First Aid Kit (the Swedish Folk songstress sisters).
As I soar high above Australian skies, from Coolangatta back to Geelong, from the warmth of sub-tropical seas to the bite of our cool southern ocean. I can’t help think about how different our cyclical energy is. From Qld to Vic ~ the hours of difference between sunrise and sunset, the humidity, the rains and the effect this has on the growth of produce like fruit and vegetables and the effect on our mood, energy and daily lifestyle patterns.
I had a wonderful time visiting Patchula, our Machiya Australia co-owner, for a little business trip and to offer our Signature Shiatsu Yin for sold out workshops to the gorgeous Yoga Studio ‘Free The Coconut’ down in Yamba NSW. We ran into old friends and soaked up the energy of new bodies falling in love with the nourishment of touch. Whether to another human, animal or experience, the gesture of loving something brings such a shared joy to the present moment. And this is exactly what we hope to share through the experience of Shiatsu Yin.
As we begin to draw a close to the calendar year and welcome the uprising yang and fire energy of Summer, I reflect on some of my recent learnings of East Asian Therapies. Back in October, I took part in a three-day course on ‘Bamboo Moxa’ with creator Oran ~ Ontake Moxa is the application of compressing Chinetsku Moxa into small lengths of bamboo, lighting, then as the bamboo slowly warms we use a range of touch techniques on the body, including rolling, kneading, tapping and holding to name a few. Some of you may have experienced this in our Geelong Clinic with me. See the video below on this lovely technique in use along with our traditional application of moxa in rolled cones directly on the skin, moxa sticks or the use of a moxa box.
We’re landing shortly so I’ll wrap up, Machiya 2023 has been such a big year of growth, both physically with new practitioners, locations and online offerings as well as spiritually for our future aspirations in continuing to share our absolute love and continued studies of East Asian Therapies. The history, dedication and pure joy both Patch and myself along with Aihmy, Ruby and Chloe each hold for this field of folklore medicine and as times continue to challenge us and as we’re asked to show up more and more for each other, can we look towards each other as well as inwards to listen to what it is we need, what it is our inner and outer nature needs to bring…..the flow of life back to our bodies, back to our earth and all its inhabitants.
Leish
