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OTHERS FOR YOU

Experiences with Marjolijn on the mat

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IF THE BACK DOESN'T COOPERATE

Floris's body does not always cooperate. The back and hips in particular play tricks on the discomfort. Last session Floris couldn't even walk (after the session he actually could, and he went straight into his studio that day). Fortunately, this time he was a bit more mobile in life. Still, especially for Floris I added a housecall  ;) 
Floris is now briskly walking around again.

SURF THE SHIATSU GOLF

Problem: RSI on your wrist and a surfing holiday on the agenda. Solution: super fast shiatsu on Marjo's couch!
I am such a fan of this adventurous lady! Naomi  tapped me on the shoulder this summer during my presenting job at Surfana festival. After the documentary Down to Earth (not seen yet?! Do it!) we got to talking. And a few days later at The Shore she suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of my snoop. And again today it felt like we've known each other for years. No nonsense, full of vulnerability and with a lot of humor, life was discussed: love, the universe, yin and yang, moon cycle, food and reiki. Really clap like chicks can with each other. Nice emo together on the couch. That's it!
Naomi after 20 minutes of sitting treatment: 'I can really feel it flowing again. And: the bulge on my wrist has shrunk a bit! Curious if it continues, I'll keep you posted!'

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COUNTRIES WITH SHIATSU

Just back from Thailand with a yoga teacher diploma in his pocket, Marlies takes a seat on my couch. A journey like Marlies's is full of personal development, emotions, and discoveries. The school in Thailand that she is affiliated with goes deeply into self-awareness. You'll find yourself nice, say  ;)

That immediately led to an open conversation. Thank you for your openness, your smile and your tears.  

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Marlies: 'A shiatsu session from Marjolijn is like a nice mental massage in a warm cocoon'.

STAND SOLID

Hans wants to strengthen his base, and is already making some wonderfully powerful decisions. Some decisions are not always immediately visible and their power is not immediately felt. That's delicious food for the gallbladder meridian  ;)  Get started with nice poking, leaning and moaning in the sides and legs.


The search continued for the feeling of being at home, love and sexuality. How do you let that flow?
Our conclusion: Believe in yourself, don't get too involved with the opinions of others, and feel your body! We are all part of that bigger picture. Allow that thought and the feeling will follow.

Oh, and tip: that bigger picture now also affects us with the change of the seasons. And with the autumn-like weather that is making itself felt here in the Netherlands, Hans and I are tackling that right away by stimulating the lung (metal element, season autumn). Go to the drugstore to get a shower brush. Sword fighting with the brushes, we're ready to turn on that breathing organ called 'skin' with some dry brushing.
Us vs the elements. We got this, baby!

Hans: 'It's very special how Marjo manages to hit the right (sometimes painful) points. Because of her soothing appearance during the treatment, I can expose myself with all my being'

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RELAX FOOTBALL MUSCLES

Also men from the football hug my mat for some rest and relaxation. Barry works on the Grote Markt, the square in front of me. For several days in a row he saw colleagues and customers with very relaxed faces cruising past. When he asked where they came from so relaxed they replied: 'just had a shiatsu session with Marjolijn...' Look, that's still advertising  ;)
So then Barry was right in front of me.
 

Barry after the treatment: 'I feel like I wake up after a very good night's sleep, completely rested... And I don't feel the muscle pain from football anymore either!'


Ok, soccer muscle pain relief is not directly the goal of shiatsu, but ey, if it ain't broke...  ;)  Next time we will make a plan to process your pilates back exercises (from your physio++) into a meridian Do-In program. 

COMPLETE SUBMISSION

Jojanneke lay on my mat with curiosity. She didn't know shiatsu at all.


Jojanneke: 'During the massage I felt that I could and should lean on Marjolijn. It was valuable to realize in that moment that relaxation (for me) lies in leaning instead of carrying. Thank you for the nice massage and being able to lean back (and therefore relax)!'

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BROADEN YOUR HORIZON

Yoga teachers also find it refreshing to sometimes be pulled back into the body by someone else. 
What started as a conversation about caged birds and good food turned into an hour-long shiatsu session. Yoga demands a lot from the body and could use some smoothly flowing chi.

Charisha: 'It is special to feel how many similarities your style of shiatsu has with my style of hatha yoga. You take your time with each point, each limb and crawl into it with full attention and then give it the movement it needs. I'm completely back in my body!'

EMBRACE YOUR PAST

This lady took place on my mat for the second time. Somewhat late because her horse decided to have a competition with an HTM bus, I was allowed to examine Merlot Lucille's Hara with my hands after drinking a tea to catch my breath. And guess what: a number of interesting points (including CV6 and CV14) were much more helpful than the first time!
Connecting with the people around you and being able to give the past a place  often go hand in hand. We go through a lot in life and we create routines to deal with situations. We often forget from time to time to check whether we have already been able to change our situation in such a way that certain defense mechanisms can be released. Sometimes these clever tricks get in the way more than they help us on our path. It is good to start a conversation to create space, you can ask for help, and body work helps with that. Or an elbow, or a knee  ;)  With shiatsu you start a process together. And that flows on after you get up from the mat. Back to the world with arms open!

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TRIP INSIDE

Jord still had some time before he would dive deep into the Tiki Pool with his next appointment (yes, Duinrell galore!). Jord goes out with people; sometimes a road trip, sometimes a surf trip, sometimes with a small young man to a swimming paradise. But first I was allowed to take a dip in Shiatsu with him.  A few years ago, such a wonderful life-changing event happened for Jord. Jord was always into doing, the physical exertion, he indicates. It then became 'just in place'. The question was asked: 'what are we actually doing it for' and 'what is the core that makes me happy'.
Answers of this kind are not always readily available, or so it feels. Somewhere in your very own core, these answers are ever present, waiting for you and how to find your way to that core on that erratic life path. I don't know exactly what they're doing there all this time, maybe a game of cards all together, observing how you bumble, discover and experience. How you get closer and closer, but also thunder off that path through fun and less fun distractions. I'm finding more and more that there are many pathways in the body that can tell you more about that core, and about the shells with which you have covered that ferociously powerful core. With Shiatsu you take a trip inside together. And don't forget that touch alone unleashes all kinds of fine body chemicals that can evoke a feeling of safety and being allowed to be. Come home to yourself again.

CONNECTION WITH YOURSELF, CONNECTION WITH EACH OTHER

After a flying start in the legal profession, Pim has chosen to pack the bag to discover South America. A four week holiday culminated in a four year adventure mainly in Colombia. That took him on a whirlwind journey inside. And today I was allowed to contribute a bit to that. 

There's something in the air... Many people feel a little tingle, something that leads some to change gears. Sometimes quite a stir. Many of us, often rooted in the West, would like to change the environment in which we grow up. The growth often wants to go somewhere else than where the tools in your immediate environment offer space. There is an increasing need for 'real' connection, but how do you manage that again? Maybe that going on a journey within is a good first step...

Pim: 'Thank you, because coming to this shiatsu session was certainly a good step! A true balm for the soul, a must for everyone because the true journey is inwards... Actually, life is one big muesli bar! '

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EVERY MOMENT IS DIFFERENT

Omar immediately felt like a second session. Cool, when someone realizes that the body and mind together need a little more attention, and how easy it actually is to give that attention!
After the first session where we kept a continuous stream of words alive, this session was completely silent as soon as we hit the mat. So you see, you need a new formula for every moment  :D

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NOTHING MUST

Completely relaxing and surrendering, that often turns out to be quite a task. The client always moves along when I lift an arm or leg. And the biggest challenge: letting the head hang relaxed... What a tension always on that neck! And that is not at all surprising, because life simply demands a lot from people nowadays. It seems as if I hear from at least two new people every day that there is someone in their house that is stressed.
Marijn herself works in healthcare, and they have been through budget blows! That doesn't make work any more fun. And then her story that despite all the research, her own knowledge and that of her colleagues, it turns out that she has been walking around with Lyme for 20 years. She only found out when she decided to give the alternative care circuit a chance. The diagnosis was quickly made with a live blood analysis. Finally the right treatment, on the way to a healthy body!
But then, what does the healthy body want? Are your hobbies, your eating habits, your work changing? What do you actually want? And how do you stand up for that? How do you love yourself enough to answer these questions and then build that world?
Questions for next time maybe
  ;)


Marijn: 'You become very relaxed with Marjolijn. She removes blockages. My back, for example, has much more room! It soon becomes clear to me during the conversation that I have too much of myself. Marjolijn keeps on insisting: Nothing must be done! And I think I can relate to that  ;)'

IT GOES A LOT DEEPER

A designer who takes human connection and intimacy as a starting point: interest aroused! Tom is the creator of the Embassy of Intimacy exhibition, which can be seen at the Dutch Design Week. There we started talking and an appointment for a shiatsu exchange was quickly made.
Last week Tom went to The Hague. The first hours filled with exchange of life philosophies, design solutions, future plans and the importance of intimacy and creativity. Which creative designs invite people to touch, to communicate without words, to have more contact with their own body? It became a layered conversation. Systems thinking, personal experiences and professional solutions; everything passed by and everything turned out to be connected.

And with a head full of new thoughts, it was time to crawl back into the body. Tom willingly and somewhat expectantly took a seat on the shiatsu mat...

Tom afterwards: 'Well, that is quite different from a normal relaxation massage... It goes a lot... deeper...? There are real processes going on. Next time I will plan a little more time to process!'

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SURF THE SHIATSU GOLF

Problem: RSI on your wrist and a surfing holiday on the agenda. Solution: super fast shiatsu on Marjo's couch!
I am such a fan of this adventurous lady! Naomi  tapped me on the shoulder this summer during my presenting job at Surfana festival. After the documentary Down to Earth (not seen yet?! Do it!) we got to talking. And a few days later at The Shore she suddenly appeared out of nowhere in front of my snoop. And again today it felt like we've known each other for years. No nonsense, full of vulnerability and with a lot of humor, life was discussed: love, the universe, yin and yang, moon cycle, food and reiki. Really clap like chicks can with each other. Nice emo together on the couch. That's it!
Naomi after 20 minutes of sitting treatment: 'I can really feel it flowing again. And: the bulge on my wrist has shrunk a bit! Curious if it continues, I'll keep you posted!'

AUTOMATIC PILOT ON PAUSE

We get to make so many decisions, every day. It is tempting to be less and less aware of it when making those decisions. It is increasingly on autopilot. And then it seems like you have it all under control, until you notice that you have rolled into a lot of automatic systems. Am I alive now? What would I really want? Where does it come from that I am no longer with myself? Often associated with underlying processes, perhaps about self-esteem. Over the years it must have been accompanied by sadness, frustration and eventually even anger. And if you don't let them out, then staying with yourself may be a bit difficult. I did experience that. And Eva also found some recognition in that.

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MOTION STILLS THE HEAD

Going along with the issues of the day, with a lot of to-do's and should-haves that make it a mess in the head: what is it I think I have to do? Often something gnaws but you can't put your finger on it. And just think, grind, and still keep going...
This is Jihn.
 

Jihn is always stuck in her head, and sometimes has the feeling that she can't get any further. Frustrating! Immediately at the Do-In to continue the conversation while moving: out of that head and into the feeling! Then be taken care of on the mat. I've never talked so much during a shiatsu massage! But that is also possible: on the couch with Marjo for a conversation, with some shiatsu to distract you from the chaos and therefore suddenly find the words for the real feeling behind that tangle. 

RELAX FOOTBALL MUSCLES

Also men from the football hug my mat for some rest and relaxation. Barry works on the Grote Markt, the square in front of me. For several days in a row he saw colleagues and customers with very relaxed faces cruising past. When he asked where they came from so relaxed they replied: 'just had a shiatsu session with Marjolijn...' Look, that's still advertising  ;)
So then Barry was right in front of me.
 

Barry after the treatment: 'I feel like I wake up after a very good night's sleep, completely rested... And I don't feel the muscle pain from football anymore either!'


Ok, soccer muscle pain relief is not directly the goal of shiatsu, but ey, if it ain't broke...  ;)  Next time we will make a plan to process your pilates back exercises (from your physio++) into a meridian Do-In program. 

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SLEEPING MAINTENANCE JOB

Shiatsu can also be done on location, such as here at Urban's office. Urban is a nurse and mad hobby botanist (ooh, what does this chrystal do to my wheat grass, muhaha). I met Urban at the Open Up! Festival. While lying in the grass in the sun, he got a shiatsu massage for his aching lower back.

Urban: 'I even floated a bit afterwards!'
Back in The Hague it was time for a sequel. The back was still a bit vulnerable, but instead of working directly on it, I decided to apply the holistic view and look for the underlying reason of the overload. Kidney, spleen, and lung meridian were given focus.

The result may not be immediately recognized by the person undergoing the treatment, but in the long term this may be the most healing way. We ourselves are responsible for the maintenance of this beautiful body that we have been given. Shiatsu opens up the possibility for an even deeper conversation. Shiatsu remains a collaboration between client and practitioner.
And Urban fell asleep on three occasions.

SELF HEALING BY MOVING YOURSELF

Do-In is the yoga form that takes into account the Chinese wisdom about meridians. You actually give yourself a shiatsu massage with this  :)  That sounded good to Dennis' ears... Whoops, Marjo is a mini Do-In teacher for a while! This secretly also makes it easier to give and receive a shiatsu massage. After some shoulder work and some precarious work on the neck ('wow, that was a real trip!' - Dennis) Dennis jumped up to continue this with a mini meditation in the sun on my balcony.

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WITH PATIENCE COMES REST

And before boarding a plane to Dubai again, Marloes came to try out my shiatsu mat. Came in a bit uncomfortable, no idea what shiatsu exactly is, almost shocked by the fact that it often takes me 1.5 hours or more, but full of confidence she stretched out on the floor of my living room. First some work on the back and legs, to end with a treatment of the face. That's where the real peace came... At the end of the treatment she slowly opened her eyes, I think she was not aware of where she actually was for a while, picked up again and said: 'amazing...'

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©2022  by Marjolijn Soelaksana

Photos by Fatih

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