Hi I'm Rebecca, I'm a qualified and insured Shiatsu Practitioner and Doula and I live in the marvellous city of Bristol. After years of somewhat nomadic wandering about the UK I feel really settled here and couldn't think of a better place to be.

My Qualifications and Experience 
 

Being a Midwife
Born and raised in Hampshire I went through the obligatory GCSE and A-Level slog before spreading my wings and flying for West Yorkshire and Leeds University to commence an honours degree in Midwifery. My degree was three years of intensive study at the University, run simultaneously with hands on training at St James University Hospital and York District Hospital Trusts. 
 
Working in both clinical and community environments I received a
balanced introduction to maternity care and met some inspirational
women, midwives and teachers. I learnt about the importance of supporting women to make informed choices, providing safe and respectful care and that this care encompassed the emotional and spiritual needs of the woman as well as the physical.

I qualified in 2001 and left for London to begin work as a caseload
midwife. Caseload work aims to provide women with a consistency of carer throughout pregnancy, labour and the postnatal period, in turn raising the normal birth rate and reducing the need for caesarean section and medical intervention. It was clear to me that having a person you had met, and built a relationship with, present during your labour was incredibly important to women. 
 
Working with families from a diverse mix of cultures, religions and
backgrounds I was privileged to welcome many new babies into the world. I loved home births and particularly water births but had some equally rewarding experiences in the hospital.
 
 
Shiatsu Study
In 2006 I felt I needed some time away from clinical care and the NHS,
deciding to develop my interest in alternative health and commencing a
three-year diploma course in shiatsu (qualified March 2010) with the Heart of England School in Warwickshire. I wanted to find a totally holistic way of working with people, where someone's working lifestyle or relationships were just as important as their medical history.

In my experience as a practitioner I've found that shiatsu works on so many different levels, from the short-term problems (resolving neck pain caused by a misjudged headstand!) to the more lasting issues (helping to rebuild life following breakdown or trauma). I love the fact that Shiatsu gives a person time dedicated to themselves and a place where they can relax and feel nurtured. Clients have brought so much to their own sessions and I've been fortunate to 'walk alongside them'.

I love the powerful one-to-one connection that shiatsu creates between practitioner and receiver, at times the session feels like a dance as both the body and energy move with the work we do. The body tells us so much about how a person is feeling and where pain in centred, it gives a picture of the events and incidents that have shaped a persons life. I am constantly fascinated by our individuality and how everyone's body reacts and moves differently, how different our voices are when we are sad, happy or angry or how posture can change as treatments progress.