Watsu therapy: get back in touch with your body and your emotions

Many people experience a sense of security and inner peace during my Watsu treatments. Thoughts aren’t important, or for a while just aren’t there. Fears may disappear. Would you like to discover what Watsu therapy can do for you? Book a session if you would like some me-time, if you’d like to clear your head, if you’d like to stretch or if you want to reconnect with your body, your emotions and with yourself.

Watsu therapy for physical wellbeing

The deep state of relaxation that occurs during a Watsu session has a visible physiological impact on your body. Your heart rate slows down, your blood pressure drops (but not too low!) and you will breathe deeper. In addition, endorphins are released in the body, which strengthen the immune system. These positive effects can be felt in the days after the Watsu session. This means you will sleep better and that your digestion is optimized. Although you will often already notice a difference after the first session, multiple sessions are recommended for relieving physical issues.

Watsu can relieve:

• Pain
• Stress
• Feelings of anxiety, including fear of water
• Depressive complaints
• Insomnia
• Processing emotional trauma
• Pregnancy related issues

Watsu therapy during Pregnancy

When you are pregnant, relaxation is very important for you and your baby. Watsu can help you relax. The warm water reduces stiffness in your muscles. Your back and joints are relieved while you float in the water. I will support you and guide you through movements that increase your body’s flexibility. You’ll feel weightless, allowing your body to relax properly. It’s a beautiful moment for you and your baby to connect.

Watsu therapy for babies in breech position

Babies who are in a breech position often turn during the Watsu sessions. If your baby is in a breech position and you are between 32 and 38 weeks pregnant, you could give Watsu a try. Perhaps the movement and extra space created by the relaxation will cause your baby to turn. If this does not happen, at least you have had a wonderful experience together!

About Watsu therapy

• A Watsu session takes place in a pool with water at around 35 degrees celsius. That in itself is beneficial and relaxing! This comfortable temperature allows you to remain passive in the water for 45 minutes or more, usually without feeling cold. During the session (if the session is provided at Akasha Spa), you and I will be the only people in the pool, so you can completely relax.
• Because I am there for you at all times, supporting you throughout the session, it’s not necessary to be able to swim to enjoy a Watsu treatment.
• The word Watsu is a combination of water and shiatsu. Shiatsu is a Japanese holistic manual treatment method in which, by touching and applying pressure to specific places on the body, the flow of life energy (‘Ki’) through the meridians in the body is influenced.
• Watsu therapy combines the best of both worlds: the relaxing warmth of a hot tub with the healing power of touch.
• Are you looking for an original gift for a friend who is expecting? She will be very grateful if you surprise her with a Watsu session! A gift voucher for a Watsu session is available through Akasha Spa.

The Watsu sessions take place in Akasha Spa, in the Conservatorium Hotel in Amsterdam. Would you like to make an appointment or would you like to receive more information first? Please contact me.

The Practice

In Zen Shiatsu, the genital area is traditionally not touched and is largely excluded from direct work, even though the pelvis is one of the primary places where tension, stagnation, pain, disconnection, and unexpressed experience are often held. Pelvic Shiatsu gently and consciously expands this framework.

This is not a technique of “doing.” It is a practice of listening.

Located at the base of the torso, the pelvis is one of the most vital spaces we inhabit, whether or not we give birth. It is a place of grounding, creativity, instinct, movement, and deep life force.

Each pelvis tells its own story – sometimes carrying layers of meaning, sometimes simply waiting to be met with curiosity or called upon when there is discomfort.

Through safe, grounded, and conscious touch, supported by breath, guided awareness, and energetic listening, space can open. What no longer needs to be held can soften and release, allowing circulation, sensation, and vitality to return.

The Foundation

This work is informed by my years of experience working with women’s pelvises, particularly during pregnancy and around birth as a doula, and is inspired by the teachings of Tami Lynn Kent, whose work I deeply respect and follow.

Holistic Pelvic Care^™ is offered in my practice as a separate modality and only takes place after:

• A clear, open conversation
• Informed consent
• Explicit agreement that this is the technique we will be working with

What This Is (and Isn’t)

This is not tantric massage. This is Shiatsu for the pelvis. An intimate yet professional practice that honors the intelligence, depth, and wisdom of the female body.

Pelvic Shiatsu may be supportive for women who wish to:

• Reconnect with their pelvis and what’s happening there
• Explore pelvic awareness after pregnancy, birth, or loss
• Soften chronic holding or tension in the pelvic area
• Cultivate a deeper sense of embodiment and grounding
• Meet their body with curiosity and care

Offered only with clear communication, informed consent, and explicit agreement.

Read more about Holistic Pelvic Care™ 

Beginning HPC with me

If you’re interested in Holistic Pelvic Care™ and we haven’t worked together before, there are a few ways to begin:

• If you already know me, you can book an HPC session directly through the Contact Page.
• If we haven’t met: Start with a few Shiatsu sessions so we can get to know each other, or book a 60-minute intake session (€65)
• Combined first session: Intake and HPC work together in one extended session (€205)
• Pelvic Shiatsu Consent Form

A different approach to pain

Shiatsu is based on the connection of body, mind and spirit. The lungs for example, do not only represent breathing, they also represent emotions, communication and relationships with others and yourself: making your voice heard. Pain can therefore originate from something other than a purely physical problem. And usually the two are connected. We’ll try finding the cause of your complaint by looking at it on a deeper level. Could there be an emotional or spiritual blockage maybe? If you are open to this approach, I can help you by creating awareness and using therapeutic touch therapy to initiate the process of healing and hopefully relieving your complaints.

Zen Shiatsu: body and mind back in balance

Zen Shiatsu is different from other styles of Shiatsu because of its emphasis on the traditional principles of Eastern medicine. During a Zen Shiatsu treatment I use movements that were especially developed for Zen Shiatsu. Zen Shiatsu therapy might help alleviate all kinds of complaints, such as:

• Pain in neck, shoulders, back and knees
• Digestive issues
• Insomnia
• Menstrual problems (including pain, PMS, PCOS)
• Menopausal symptoms
• Stress

Zen Shiatsu mainly helps to restore your physical and mental balance. You’ll become more aware of possible blockages and how to deal with them. Zen Shiatsu has a healing effect and stimulates your body to find a new balance, so stress and emotions will have less of an influence on you.

About Zen Shiatsu treatment

• Zen Shiatsu takes place in my practice. We’ll start with an intake in which we discuss any complaints, wishes and expectations you have.
• You can take a seat on the comfortable futon. There is no need to change clothes or undress. To be able to relax I do recommend wearing comfortable clothes.
• During the Zen Shiatsu session I will not talk much. Through therapeutic feeling and touching I will connect with what is going on in your life.
• A Shiatsu session lasts from an hour to an hour and a half.
• Please bring some warm clothes with you, because due to your body relaxing, you might feel cold afterwards.
• Please pay for the session using i-Deal. The payment is linked to your digital invoice.
• I observe all hygiene regulations and ask you to wash your hands with soap before we start the session. If you have any Covid-related complaints, please let me know as soon as possible (preferably via WhatsApp).

Zen Shiatsu treatments take place in my practice in The Rub Amsterdam, at Kromme Mijdrechtstraat 100 HS. Would you like to make an appointment or would you prefer to receive more information first? Please contact me!

Foot reflexology for stress-relieve

If you have no specific physical complaints, foot reflexology can be a wonderful way to reduce stress, relax and to maintain good health. Foot reflexology massage can help you to let go of problems and anything else that is weighing heavy on you. While you enjoy the massage, endorphins are released, your racing mind slows down and you can feel the tension leaving your body. Afterwards, not only your feet, but your whole body may feel relaxed.*

*Sometimes you may experience a headache after a foot reflexology session. This is usually caused by the release of toxins. I recommend drinking plenty of water afterwards to help your body release those toxins.

​​Foot reflexology massage for physical wellbeing

The 7,500 nerve endings (receptors) in your feet are connected to the nervous system. Stimulation of these receptors can cause physiological changes in your body. As a reflexologist I know a lot about the relationship between the body and the corresponding zones on the feet. By applying gentle or stronger pressure to your feet, I can reach organs that can be difficult to reach otherwise, such as the liver and gallbladder. Foot reflexology can also help when you suffer from, for example, insomnia and physical complaints such as painful and tense shoulders. It sometimes feels as if your body is ‘resetting’: by treating the feet, the flow of energy to the organs and the self-healing capacity of the body is stimulated.

Foot reflexology can relieve:

• Pain
• Stress
• Difficult digestion
• Hormonal fluctuations
• Menstrual problems (irregular cycle, PMS)
• Problems with fertility
• Reproductive disorders
• Menopausal symptoms
• Migraine
• Insomnia

Foot reflexology during pregnancy

Foot reflexology is highly recommended during your pregnancy. It helps your body relax and gives your feet, which are having a hard time, the attention they deserve. By using foot reflex therapy I can also help you with specific pregnancy complaints such as swollen feet. There is no contraindication to foot reflexology during pregnancy. However, when treating a pregnant woman, I will make sure to avoid certain reflex zones or to stimulate them when the time is there. For example in order to stimulate the start of birth when needed.

About foot reflexology treatment

• Foot reflexology stimulates blood circulation, which among other things regulates the functioning of hormones, organs, antibodies and heat regulation.
• Due to the pressure applied to various points on the feet, the nerves signal the brain, which in turn produces endorphins. The release of endorphins makes you feel happy and reduces pain and stress.
• This creates a total and deep relaxation.
• The foot reflexology treatment takes about 1 hour.
• Afterwards you may feel a bit dizzy due to the process happening in your body. My advice is to not schedule too many strenuous activities for the rest of the day and to drink plenty of water to help your body get rid of any toxins.

Foot reflexology takes place in my practice in The Rub Amsterdam (at Kromme Mijdrechtstraat 100 HS) or at your home. Would you like to make an appointment or would you prefer to receive a bit more information first? Please contact me!

In 2021 I learned a beautiful and deep additional technique that complements Shiatsu and other modalities I’ve encountered. It’s called Chi Nei Tsang. By working on the belly, I aim to address the root cause of various ailments. I find it fascinating how this practice combines physical touch of the internal organs, can create emotional release and restore balance on a deeper level.

Chi Nei Tsang originates from ancient Taoist traditions. The name itself translates to ‘Internal Organs Chi Transformation,’ which can give you an idea of its focus. Essentially, Chi Nei Tsang involves gentle, yet deep massage techniques applied to the abdomen to release tension, promote relaxation, and improve the flow of energy/ chi throughout the body. It’s believed that many physical and emotional issues stem from blockages or imbalances in the abdominal area, such as digestive problems, fertility, or hormonal imbalances.

If you feel suspicious about this approach, maybe think of the phrase “butterflies in the stomach” as people use it to describe falling in love, or that we get muscular contractions caused by worries and stress.

Maybe understanding that a physical pain might be the result of emotional trouble, is not such a crazy thought, is it?

Thousands of years ago, the Taoists realized that emotions affect the organs, and saw that one of the main causes of the disease is emotions which get stuck in the different areas of the body.

We may feel emotions such as anger, sadness, fear and don’t know how to let them go. Each of these emotions is correlated to a specific organ and may interrupt their normal functioning.

Even though emotions can not be classified according to moral judgment, I mean there is NO bad emotion or Good emotion, as many may think because we don’t choose the way we feel But we do choose the way we manage them.

If we cannot overcome anger, odds are it will turn into sustained rage. This can create pathologies such as chronic pain and constipation, menstrual dysfunction, or migraines.

Chi Nei Tsang claims that this is our body telling us exactly how we feel, because we seem to be incapable of noticing it in some other subtle, healthier way.

This method starts in the abdomen because the digestive system is believed to be an emotional regulator. This is why we usually talk about “digesting” our emotion, an emotionally blocked intestine does not process food well. In fact, it is proven that many of the neurotransmitters responsible for happiness and wellbeing are produced in the intestine.

So, a healthy intestine will better perform this function and contribute to optimal emotional health. ​​According to Tao and traditional Chinese medicine, each organ is especially sensitive to certain emotions and is therefore affected by some and nurtured by others.

At the same time, a weakened organ can generate specific unpleasant emotions. On the contrary, a healthy organ endows us with specific positive feelings.

By massaging each (painful) area in the abdomen with Chi Nei Tsang techniques, I work with our vital energy, looking for emotional obstacles and unlocking them to free us from the pain.

This massage technique can be a little uncomfortable at the beginning, but as the treatment goes on, accompanied by conscious breathing, guidance and relaxation, each knot starts to loosen.

It is then that we can feel how our body’s energy flows and nourishes the physiological/ emotional processes that were previously stagnant.