How did I get here?
The golden thread of Lys
Am I far enough from the scalpel?
"Am I far enough from the scalpel? Far enough from my own personal hospital drama episode to reflect? These were questions rolling around this head of mine. For months. I pondered about writing of my experience, encouraged by friends, but it made me feel nauseous. The thought of sharing the terror of those first weeks after diagnosis left me distracted and distant. And yet a larger part of me knows that only in coming out into full expression will I have a gnats chance in hell of surviving this emotionally.
By nature I’m a recluse. More firmly connected to the trees, hills, seas and hidden places. I think many more have found this gift for self reflection in the arms of nature again. These times we are living in are intense, but I digress. Its often been the way I escape the reality of life, it feels too harsh to me. Humans feel too harsh and unkind. But with a cancer diagnosis I can’t really hide anymore. I think folk like me are needed, or so that’s what the social media memes would have us all believe. Something about standing and being seen, helps when you are redefining your life to have a living meaning..."
Exert from Medium blog post 12 April 2021
"In the heady days of 90’s London, midst a booming alternative scene. I found myself fly pitching as a hair wrapper on Camden Lock. And in that time of weaving colours into folk’s hair, I began to sink more deeply into the conversations that created the backdrop to the patterns I wove. I started to feel I could be of service to people in that market madness. And so I commenced my reiki masters training over a number of years and worked with various groups offering this hands off energy work.
But you know, it wasn’t enough. I kept feeling the urge to pull an arm here, to hold a point there. This was scary territory, I was not trained in massage or other body work and had no idea what this all meant. So I did what many of us do in our spinning 20’s, and I turned from the healing work and began to point my search into learning about my own body.
Healing my traumas and harnessing my emotions with the help of my yoga really helped to focus me and has given me the 27years of daily practice. I call it my drip drip transformation. I qualified as a Contact partner yoga and Amrit hatha yoga teacher. And have gained other numerous qualifications over the many years since. Teaching yoga has satisfied my urge to connect and support others well.
But still, at the back of my heart, I could feel a calling. The spoke of my wheel was yet to be found in terms of the service I could be giving to others. But what? I mused and toyed with thoughts and research into different trainings, but none ignited my soul. Until I stumbled into my first shiatsu treatment and a moment of eureka infused me.
Because this was what I had been guided to be doing all those years ago in my reiki days, and the more I uncovered during my shiatsu trainings, the more I fell in love with the simplicity and majesty of such an ancient map to view the body from. Its profoundly healing and yet meets each person wherever they are. The depth and versatility of this fully clothed hands on system of informed touch is nothing short of magic.
In my years as a practitioner I still rise in joy at the transformations I witness in my community of clients. To be privileged to hear people’s story and to have the tools to be able to hold them, wherever their body is needing holding, is almost indescribable. I love what I do. I bring everything to my treatments. And in those precious moments of supporting others, I come alive. I finally know who I am.
And this is what has brought me here and will keep me here for many happy years to come."