SHIATSU & EAR ACUPUNCTURE SPECIALIST
CLONAKILTY, WEST CORK
My Mission is to support you to live a life of physical and emotional ease!
About Emma Fitzpatrick:
Growing up in the West Cork countryside with plenty of walking and swimming, gave me a great foundation in wellness. I continue to draw nourishment from these resources to this day.
After completing my BA in French and Anthropology, I travelled extensively and lived abroad for many years.
I trained in holistic massage in Brussels in 1997 and simultaneously started to study and practice Tibetan Buddhist Meditation. This led me, in 1999, to an immersive 3.5 years in monasteries in Scotland and Canada, India and Nepal.
In 2001, I discovered the benefits of shiatsu, while completing my MA in Sociology. Regular sessions helped me to manage my stress and anxiety enabling me to feel calmer, sleep better and boost my creativity. Shiatsu gave me an embodied experience of meditation - I was hooked! In 2007, I undertook the 3 year training in Edinburgh and went on to assist at The Shiatsu School of Edinburgh for a further 3 years. I trained in Ear Acupuncture over several years which naturally complimented my shiatsu practice.
I have a background in Community Development having coordinated projects connected to refugees and ethnic minorities, mental health and domestic abuse. I was struck by the impact traumatic experiences had on clients, leading to ongoing stress and stress-based physical ailments. I felt that relaxation through body work had a crucial role in enabling clients to feel resourced and safe and this led me to start practicing Shiatsu and Ear Acupuncture full time.
I moved back to Ireland in 2017 where I live near Clonakilty with my partner, two daughters and our cat. Shiatsu and Ear Acupuncture are very much part of my life; both therapies helped me during the births of my daughters and I continue to treat them when there is an imbalance, such as with sleep or digestion.
In 2019, my friend, Maria Exposito, and I launched Work Well Therapies, a corporate wellness service, in response to the growing number of work-related ailments we were treating in our clinics. It is hard to work when in physical and emotional discomfort, so our onsite and online treatments offer deep release and relaxation while naturally promoting creativity and productivity. We deliver these services through our own businesses.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, I also work online where I integrate my love of meditation and bodywork!
How to translate shiatsu online? I have broken down the elements of a shiatsu session and together we use stretches, self-massage techniques, pressure points and end with a guided relaxation. Using a framework of the meridians, each session is tailor-made and offers a self-care toolkit for use in these challenging times. My weekly classes offer a vital reset for mind and body, I work through the pairs of meridians month by month, addressing emotional and symptoms connected to the meridians and offering dietary and lifestyle recommendations to balance the meridians in daily life.
In April 2021, I launched a campaign for better broadband, which led to myself and my neighbour becoming trial users for Elon Musk's Starlink Satellite broadband! The success of which has enabled me to deliver my business to a national and international audience! I work through English and French.
I continue to develop my skills and I’m currently training in the Polyvagal Nervous System which informs my work. Shiatsu and Ear Acupuncture help to settle the stress response part of the nervous system (sympathetic and dorsal) and to activate our ventral vagal nervous system. When in vagal, we can feel safe, well, connected to ourselves and others, which grows our capacity to respond to life's challenges with ease.
By coming back into the body, we can quieten the mental ruminations which contribute to stress, anxiety and stress-based ailments. The more embodied we are, the more we can be in touch with our needs, make informed choices and live our lives with authenticity, energy and self-empowerment.
I look forward to supporting you on your nourishing wellness journey!
