It begins to dawn on me, this thought, that it is actually going to take me a whole lot longer than I first envisioned to make it around this vast country.

The Mobile Shiatsu Clinic has been in Norther Rivers now for 6 months. A whole lot longer than we first intended. I remember driving down what is now the old highway, taking in the first sight of Byron from the top of the hill. We were discussing that our length of stay would be around 1 month, no more, that getting up to the most northern part of Australia was the actual goal. We’d save a bunch of money to fund our path north and refresh vista after vista after vista.

The ride down that hill is so smooth, so easy. The valley is lush and full of distraction. The road out on the other side, as it would seem, is slippery and hindering, making an escape from paradise almost impossible.

Our time here in Byron has been wonderful. So wonderful in fact that a whole lot of growing happened whilst we were grounded here. I’ve met some colourful characters in my wanderings and treatments here. I’ve had the opportunity to up skill and up skill, I’ve processed, set free and grown in new directions and my vision solidifies every day.

In the time here we have experienced moments of great joy, the feeling of soaring high in the skies, just riding off that proverbial mountain wind. We’ve stormed and been dumped by the tides, floated on calm waters and dreamed of never leaving and turned over new leaves only wanting to escape.

Our time here in the Northern Rivers is swiftly coming to a close. As it does that yearning to stay wells up and threatens to plant new seeds. The time has come however as we make plans to head a little south for an undefined period of time to Newcastle and its surrounds.

I’ve learned in this time that it is impossible and incorrect to enter in to a town with the idea of staying for a short period of time. It is neither beneficial or respectful to take clients on this journey of healing only to leave them too early and in the same respect I can hope to learn nothing about the places that have been visited if time is not spent walking its grounds, peeking into spaces and touching all that can be felt and without knowing the landscape, the ecology, then only half my job can be done when working in the clinic.

I’ve infused my trusty steed, Tsubo (the truck, my clinic, our home), with a personality, a story. I’ve taken a page from that story. You see, he’s really slow. He takes his time where ever he goes. I’ve noticed in our drives that I see so much more purely due to the pace. I watch as other vehicles zoom past us, some with frustration for having been stuck behind us for periods of time, the many thanks given when we pull over to let others pass so they can go on their merry way at the speed designed for that path. On our rear door I want to paint a sign that lets people know that we are slow. That sign has transformed from an image of a speed sign with 80 written on it to a story about roasting potatoes, anyway, the point is about time. In the time I’ve been here, I’ve learned to move a lot slower. Really slow. There is so much going on around us it’s impossible to observe when doing too much and moving so fast. A good roast potato is cooked for a long time or even better, have you heard of the 63 degree egg? Eggs actually cooked at 62.7 degrees for one hour. Apparently their amazing. The point is things taste better when they’re cooked slowly. Life feels better when you move slowly.

I’ve been practicing taking moments during the day to move slow. To grow smaller the center of attention and activity around me so that I can observe better my surrounding and myself. Shiatsu treatments are sometimes set to the breath of the client. As a practitioner we move slowly, observing, monitoring, feeling. This practice has flowed outward into my life. The clock has been thrown out. Slow is the only measurement.

I can thank Tsubo for that.

 

If you know of somewhere in Australia that really needs a Shiatsu Practitioner, let me know. I’ll head there and promise to stay a while.

Till then, you’ll find me in Newcastle. Moving slowly.

 

 

 

Image thanks to freshpotatoes.com.au