Voice, Breath & Energy

The voice is a great barometer (and thus a very useful diagnostic tool) for our health and well-being - a fact often overlooked in our age, which is becoming more visually oriented by the day.

The breath is crucial to our sheer existence - we speak of taking our first and our last breath. Oxygen is a prime mover of our metabolic system and of all processes on our planet.

Voice and breath are closely related and both are relying on a proper posture and a balanced mind to unfold their full potential.

Eastern traditions are well known for their emphasis on balancing body and mind. They all have their own specific forms of exercise (e.g. Yoga, TaiJi, QiGong, KumNye) to prevent or resolve unease and disease; and while most use the breath as well as the body to help move the vital energy (Qi), the voice is used much less and often lost on a tradition's journey to the west.

The recently developed system of First Nature puts its main emphasis on working with breath and voice. On a philosophical level the work is based on the understanding that everybody has an authentic voice, which is an essential aspect and thus a true reflection of their core being.

Move with grace, breathe with ease, speak from the heart ......sing!

How we are, may be reflected in your physical and mental state, as measured and assessed by western medicine. But hopefully we can also experience it ourselves as a feeling of well-being and happiness. And, last not least, we see it reflected in the responses of the people around us. Life seems so much easier and so much more colourful, when we can breathe with ease, speak from the heart, smile readily, sing out loud, dance to all and every music, wake up full of energy and aspiration - in other words: when we are at ease, when we are happy.

Happiness is the sister of well-being. But, as a matter of fact, it also is a state we can achieve inspite of physical ailment or difficult life circumstances. If we have forgotten this fact or if we find it difficult to believe, the chance is that we have forgotten how to breathe; in other words, that we have allowed our Qi to leak away and we feel cut off from its natural source und thus unable to replenish it.

Why combine Shiatsu with Breath, Voice and Body work?

All exercise, whether focussed on the body, the breath or the voice, generally, if unwittingly, moves Qi. However, exercises derived from or closely following eastern traditions tend to cultivate Qi and Qi awareness and can thus be used as systems of self-healing.
Because Shiatsu is a healing art based on Chinese Medicine and Japanese body work, it predominantly uses Qi exercises to support the process of healing.

The combination of treatment and exercise has proven very beneficial during periods of change and transition, resulting from natural causes, traumatic experiences or illness. While, during a Shiatsu treatment, the client is asked to let go of his or her need to do and instead allow themselves to simply be and be aware of how that feels, the Body, Breath and Voice work asks for more active involvement. Exercises are given, not so much to be done obediently and correctly, but to be explored, experienced and then used to move our own energy in a way that helps us to increase our self-awareness and consequently become self-empowered and much more self-reliant.

Thus Body, Breath and Voice work is, on its own or in combination with Shiatsu, beneficial for all who seek to improve their health and well-being. It is, of course, highly recommended for those who use their speaking or singing voice professionally (e.g. singers, teacher, lecturers, speakers, politicians).
It also is a wonderful tool for health practitioners and social workers, be it for their own relaxation and self-development or as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool.

It is taught to individuals and in groups. Please click on Workshops and Events for details.