Over the years of working with people through Shiatsu, bodywork, and energy-based therapies, I’ve come to realize something profound: true learning doesn’t happen in the head alone—it happens through the body. This is why I feel so honoured to be part of the teaching team at the School for Experiential Education. Our approach is very different from traditional learning models. Instead of simply filling the mind with information, we create spaces where people can experience knowledge directly, through movement, touch, and awareness.
In most learning environments, the emphasis is on memorizing, analyzing, and reproducing knowledge. While that can be useful, it often leaves out the body, the senses, and the deeper layers of our being. Experiential education turns this on its head. When students engage with practices like somatic experiencing—where the body’s sensations and responses guide the process—they learn in a way that is integrated and lasting. This kind of learning doesn’t just sit in the mind; it reshapes patterns, awakens awareness, and empowers people to embody new possibilities. In my experience, this is particularly powerful for:
This approach also resonates deeply with my roots in Shiatsu and Chinese medicine. In Taoist philosophy, knowledge is not something abstract—it arises from living experience. Taoism teaches us to listen to the rhythms of life, the cycles of nature, the wisdom of the body. Shiatsu embodies this beautifully. The practitioner learns not only techniques, but also how to listen through touch, how to feel the qi (energy) moving, and how to adapt to the client’s unique needs. This isn’t knowledge that can be memorized from a book; it’s knowledge that must be lived, breathed, and practiced in the moment.
Experiential education, especially in the somatic field, offers some unique benefits:
I believe experiential education benefits everyone—but it’s especially transformative for those of us working in healing professions, where presence, sensitivity, and authenticity matter as much as technical skill. For massage therapists, Shiatsu practitioners, and somatic workers, this way of learning expands both our professional toolkit and our personal growth. For people navigating life transitions or healing journeys, experiential practices provide a doorway into deeper self-connection and empowerment.
As part of the teaching team, I witness again and again how this approach changes lives. Students don’t just leave with new techniques—they leave with a new sense of themselves. They discover the intelligence of their bodies, the wisdom of Taoist traditions, and the power of learning through direct, embodied experience. This is what excites me most about teaching: seeing people awaken to the fact that the body itself is a school, and every sensation, every movement, every breath can be a teacher.
🌟 I’m excited to invite you to our next in-person workshop: Teaching Basic Shiatsu & Experiential Learning of the Fascia, increasing flexibility (3rd Stage)
📅 Saturday 20th September
📍 Atlantis Spiritual Centre
🕥 10:30 am – 4:30 pm
💷 £80This session is the third stage of our ongoing workshop journey:
1️⃣ Embodiment – Somatic Experiencing & Shiatsu ( Metal and Earth, Lungs+ Large Intestine, Breath, Letting go / Spleen+Stomach, Muscles)
2️⃣ Activating Motivation & Creativity (Fire and Water , Heart+ Small Intestine, Motivation, connection / Kidneys + Bladder, Bones)
3️⃣ Increasing Flexibility ( Wood+ Secondary Fire, Liver+ Gall Bladder, Joints, Fascia /Triple burner+ Heart Protector, Body temperature regulation (this September session)
✨ Open to therapists, bodyworkers, and anyone curious about deepening their relationship with their body and touch.
👉 Book your place here: www.heartfelthands.org/workshops
