About me
qualifications
2010 - Completed the 3 year Diploma in Advanced Shiatsu (DipAS) with the Zen School of Shiatsu, London. Established a practice at Optima Health, Cobham.
2012 - Chi Nei Tsang practitioner (CNT) with the Zen School of Shiatsu, London
2013 - Meridian Massage practitioner with Shiatsu Wales.
2014 - Attended the Wellmother course in Bristol to study and gain experience in Shiatsu for fertility, pregnancy and birth.
2016 - Lomi Lomi Hawaiian Massage with the Hawaiian Huna Massage UK Training Centre, Brighton.
2016 - Tai Chi teacher with Universal Healing Tao UK.
2017 - Qigong teacher with Universal Healing Tao UK.
2018 - Jade Circle® Ambassador with Jade Circle Anamarta.
2019 - Taoist Trainer (TT) with Healing Tao UK.
2022 - Hawaiian Lomi Lomi Massage (Temple Style)with Ricardo Balkhoven
2023 - McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release® with Susan Hagan and Alastair McLoughlin
I am fully insured and a member of the Tai Chi & Qigong Union for Great Britain and the Federation of Holistic Therapists.
My career in complementary therapies began with a chance meeting with Kris Deva North at the Mind Body Spirit show in London. He shared the Inner Smile meditation and I was impressed by its immediate uplifting effect. I’d had a long-standing interest in Shiatsu and massage, and I attended a taster course with Kris at his Zen School of Shiatsu. From the first day I realised that I wanted to commit to Shiatsu and become a practitioner.
I have spent the past 15 years learning and sharing energy-enhancing practices for body and mind. Hands-on therapies release physical tension and pain, relaxing and grounding you in your body. Tai Chi and Qigong help you move with flowing energy, increasing your strength and flexibility while calming your mind. Taoist meditation empowers you to restore your emotional harmony, reduce stress and enhance vitality. All these practices help you build the resilience to flow through life’s challenges. I’m very grateful to all my teachers.
Before I trained in bodywork, the poetry of touch, my main focus was the written word. I studied English Literature and have an MA from the University of York. I am a published poet and I read regularly at open mic events; for updates please connect on Twitter and Facebook and visit my website The Edge of the Woods.
In 2024 I published the award-winning MeetUs and Eat Us: Food Plants from Around the World. Co-authored with Vilma Bharatan, this illustrated hardback is a celebration of food plant biodiversity. The book combines poetry, prose, and fine art photography, connecting the arts and sciences to explore how plants have travelled the world and changed history. You’ll discover the nutritional and medicinal benefits of the plants we eat, see their botanical family relationships, and hear their fascinating stories, all illustrated by Vilma’s glorious full-page artworks. Buy your copy and read reviews
here
Visit https://meetusandeatus.co.uk for the story behind the book, and to join our free monthly newsletter where we share exclusive recipes, research, and event invitations.
