Some time ago I received a book as a gift from one of my shiatsu students; ‘The Living Mountain’ by Nan Shepherd. Highly recommended if you enjoy literature about nature and the mountains. And appropriate if you are looking for an experience about the beauty of nature and how nature is also present in our lives.
I had to think of this book when I made a trip to the other side of the valley yesterday, during my annual stay in the mountains. The past week had been stormy. Strong winds with rain and, at the top of the mountain, a new layer of snow. Cold and harsh weather befitting winter.
Yesterday, during my hike, the weather was changing again. In the morning there was still a dense cloud cover with clouds that barely reached the mountains. In the course of the afternoon the sun broke through very gently and it became warmer. The wind had calmed down and it was almost windless. You could hear a single bird whistling and occasionally you could hear the bells of the sheep that were walking around freely in good weather. The nature in the mountains had a special silence and tranquility about it. Very different from the rough cold weather at the beginning of this week. That silence and tranquility felt like an intermediate phase. A glimmering something that still needs to happen, but that has not yet been set in motion. A promise of what is yet to come.
That brings me to the various energies that we study in the Shiatsu training. Each season, the time of day, but also every phase of a person’s life are characterized by a particular energy. This energy can be felt in nature, but this energy is also present in various forms within us. Being in tune with this energy is being in tune with the rhythm of nature.
The energy that manifested during my walk was an energy we call the ‘earth phase’. Between each season, but also in every change of weather, there is a transitional period. These transitions are characterized by a period of rest and silence. A transition in which the energy changes.
Here in the mountains of southern Spain, during my journey, apart from the change in the weather, the change from winter to spring was also noticeable. This is a special transition. In winter, the energy has turned inward. Spring is characterized by an energy that allows everything to blossom and grow. The transition between winter and spring is peaceful, but at the same time you also feel the strength and promise of the coming spring.
Spring here in southern Spain starts earlier than in the Netherlands. I myself am excited by this energy. I benefit from the peace that still exists and at the same time I look forward to everything that is about to begin again. In the coming weeks, the transition from winter to spring will also be noticeable in the Netherlands. I would like to invite you to feel how this energy is also present within you and what it does to you.
Any transition can be difficult if you haven’t been able to follow the rhythm of nature. It can then help to consciously build in rest, eat well, and do some supportive meridian activations. In a previous blog, my colleagues Mala and Tanja recorded a short video for the meridian activation of the Earth energy. https://www.iokai.nl/do-oefening-strekking-maag-en-milt-pancreas-meridiaan-2/
Do you want to experience for yourself what Shiatsu can do for you and your energy? And how you can also help others with it? Then come to one of our trial lessons Next week!