What is Gentle Release Therapy?

Gentle Release is based on the belief that vital energy (qi) flows around the body, allowing us health and balance. This new therapy combines and draws from various different techniques including Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) principles, abdominal massage, Qigong (energy work), cranio-sacral and neck releases, reflexology, and acupuncture.

The aim of Gentle Release therapy is to gently bring focus and attention to the body, and allow the energy to flow freely to and from areas that it may be holding in stagnation, such as muscle tension, or emotions for example, using energy work with hands usually on the abdomen and head.  Sometimes it’s helpful to use the techniques to balance hormones or the lymphatics by working on the feet, it all depends on the needs of the person on the day. This is a therapy where you do not need to remove clothes, and can also be done remotely, allowing you to remain comfortable at home.

What is Energy?

If you’ve ever experienced a person who makes you feel really drained after spending time with them, or had someone make you feel particularly uncomfortable (without actually doing anything), then you are sensing energy. Sometimes you can also get ‘vibes’ (another way of expressing energy) from buildings or places. Energy is made by us, surrounds us and we are sensitive to it in different ways.

Illnesses occur when these energy flows become blocked or stagnant. We cannot see these energies, but like the wind filling the sails of a boat, we can see the effects of energy manifesting as sound, light, emotions, feelings and so on.

Three Key Organs - The Liver, Heart and Kidneys

Why do we focus on these organs? They are key to many of the body’s most basic functions.

The liver is where our blood is made. In TCM when the body is active (daytime) blood flows to the ligaments and tendons, muscles and sinews, and at night, the blood is stored in the liver. If you find that your joints are stiff or achey in the morning it is a sign of liver energy struggling to move blood back round the body.

The liver allows the flow of energy (qi) through the body, in every direction, which can affect the emotional state, digestion and production of bile (important for digestion of fat). Stagnation of the liver qi can therefore have an impact on proper digestion producing burping, reflux, nausea and vomiting.

The liver is associated with anger - and we can store frustration, resentment and rage - which during the past year we may have an abundance of. Repressing anger can cause a stagnation of the qi or energy, blocking the flow.

The heart is the channel to all the energy within your body. The heart governs the blood by transforming food energy into blood and then circulating it. It also houses the mind - as mental activity and consciousness live in the heart. When the heart is strong, and there is plenty of blood, there is balance - emotionally, with clear consciousness, good memory, clear thinking and sleep.

As the energy of the heart governs the state of the blood vessels, the complexion can be affected - a red face may indicate a heart issue. Likewise the heart qi affects the appearance of the tongue (especially the tip, and the taste buds) and influences talking and speech, talking too much and speech difficulties.

If the heart energy is stagnating or blocked, then we often find that stress and anxiety like to collect here, signs include dull thinking, poor sleep and restlessness.

The kidneys govern our physical and mental strength. They are key to many of the processes that keep our bodies functioning, including those for making bone marrow - including the spinal cord and brain, as well as controlling the manufacture of sperm, and eggs.

They are responsible for birth, growth and development. They also impact on our physical and mental strength and our willpower. Blockages or stagnation in kidney energy can show up as poor memory or concentration, poor sight, dizziness and fertility issues. You might experience lower back pain, problems with the knees, or feeling week and tired.

Our kidneys are key to so much of our wellbeing, but they are also where we store up feelings of fear.

As you can see, just focusing on these three organs, there are a lot of processes and flows which help our bodies to function properly, and any blockages to the energy can have significant effects on our wellbeing, both physically and emotionally.

A Gentle Release Treatment

This is just a brief look at how energy affects three organs of the body. A full Gentle Release treatment would focus on more organs, including the lungs, reproductive systems, the nerves of the brain, and the hormone and lymphatic systems. We also work on emotional releases, which can act as blockages as much as those in the physical organs, and can sometimes helps to release deep-seated feelings or beliefs that you may want to shift.

A full Gentle Release treatment is ideal to use when supporting the emotional aspects of a fertility journey, allowing you to focus on unblocking energy all round the body - especially in the reproductive systems.  Working to correct imbalances from the traumatic emotional impact that people often experiences is as necessary as working on the physical aspects that may be affecting you at this time.  Indeed, we can purely focus on an emotional trauma clearing, if that is what your body needs at the time of your treatment.

I look at Gentle Release as a way of heading off any potential issues, before symptoms appear, allowing our bodies and minds to repair and re-balance in a very simple and gentle way.  It also supports your body back to balance if it's already hanging up the 'out of order' sign!

If we think of the body as housing ‘motorways’ of energy, then Gentle Release is there to unblock the traffic jams and allow the the traffic to flow without disturbance. If the energy flows well, it brings vitality and balance, encouraging the body and mind to be as healthy as possible.

Using Gentle Release techniques on  just these three areas can really help to encourage a relaxed state, where you can step away from the stresses and strains of every day life. It can help to improve feelings of mental and emotional peace as well as physical wellbeing.

When I lead guided Gentle Release sessions online, these are the three organs that we initially work with.

Guided Release sessions online have been very welcome for small groups and individuals, especially for the periods of isolating lockdown that we have all experienced during the past year.

Want to know more about guided Gentle Release for groups? Get in touch with me using the contact form, or book an individual Gentle Release full session here.

Summer Slowdown Sessions

During August, I am running a Summer Slowdown online, using Guided Gentle Release for people who want to re-gather after the past year of pandemic stress, supporting you if you are struggling with stress, isolation, or the ordinary day-t0-day busyness of life.

If you want to be able to take time out for yourself, these sessions are ideal - it's just an hour, every Sunday.  An hour to ensure your mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing are prioritised. I will update a booking link here shortly!