We caught up with Kate Burford, a Shiatsu practitioner and teacher based in Cornwall!
I am grateful that I came across Shiatsu in my 20s. It was the 80s, I had a degree in English and Drama and was enjoying a variety of jobs, but I also had a long list of things I wanted to do and a massage course was one of them. I found a little brown book about massage which in the glossary described Shiatsu as a type of massage using pressure points, so thinking Shiatsu was massage I went to an Introductory talk by The British School of Shiatsu-Do at The East West Centre in Old Street. I rocked up on my way to doing some PR in the VIP lounge at a night club and was blown away by what the teacher Hilary Totah was describing – I had an answer to the curious occurrence of my big toe being sore the morning after eating takeaway Indian food. As well as this Chinese Medicine making so much sense, I also loved the fact that we had got up and moved around so I signed up for the Foundation course there and then. That big list of things I wanted to do? Not relevant any more. All I wanted to do was study Shiatsu. My focus narrowed but my understanding of life expanded as the world of energetics opened up to me.
At the start of my third year I moved to a new city and I had two phone numbers of friends of friends, I rang them both and offered them free Shiatsu and it wasn’t long before I had a practice and apart from two maternity breaks, I have been earning my living giving treatments ever since.
I assisted every weekend I could and started teaching a year after graduating. I love the ripple effect that teaching creates and the connections it brings and deeply value the relationships I have with Shiatsu folk around the world. I set up a branch of the BSS in Sheffield and also worked in the community, mostly in Adult Education at a Women’s Health project. After having my second child I moved home to Cornwall but continued to teach, travelling to the BSS-Do in London and also to the Devon School. It feels fun that I can celebrate 30 years of teaching among peers in the lovely atmosphere of Shiatsu retreat this September at Poulstone Court in Herefordshire. To join us click here: https://www.kateburford.com/shiatsu-retreat
I enjoy the flexibility and independence of being self employed. I love how every day I am doing something that keeps me moving and well, is in itself a practice of staying in the moment and importantly makes a difference in the world. The more people who are at ease in their bodies, more at peace with themselves, have more understanding of their connection to the Elements, eat more seasonally, have more information about their health and so are empowered to trust in themselves and make more informed choices, the better the world can be.
I love that I am always learning and am grateful to everyone that I have learnt with from Shiatsu teachers to indigenous midwives. Recent continued study is with the fascia and also ongoing delightful exploration of the energetics of essential oils on points.
I think my Shiatsu is pretty simple really. I have the theories I have studied in my head but it is my hands that are constantly diagnosing and treating. A client recently described what her treatment felt like: “Your hands are like a wild animal" - at this point I am cringing inside - but as she continued explaining that they are snuffling around in the leaves working out where to spend time, where to burrow in, where to ignore, where to press deeply and where to touch very lightly, I totally understood and I agreed that yes, this is my work. I work quite simply with my hands just snuffling around but it is often so profound and sometimes pretty magical. Our bodies are incredible in their ability to rebalance and I am always amazed how they respond to the touch of my hands and how everyone is so unique. My work is never boring and that is another of the many things I am grateful to Shiatsu for.
Contact details: Ms Kate Burford (FwSS)
07989 351997, 01736 350517
Kate Burford - Shiatsu practitioner - Kate Burford Shiatsu | LinkedIn
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