Paulo Coelho, as we know, has recently left us, his heart has returned to the Soul of the World, but his texts remain as beacons that illuminate our path. I therefore like to remember it precisely with these words, which well express the power of the heart. Over the centuries and at the four corners of the world, poets, writers, philosophers, singers have no doubt about it: the heart knows.

In classic Chinese texts the heart is called the ruler of organs, the origin of consciousness. His Majesty the Heart (not the mind!) is the seat of man's higher activities and serves as a sure guide for the realization of our deepest self. The heart is manifested in the clarity of the gaze and is related to the condition of the language, both in a physical and psychic sense: our way of speaking depends on the condition of the heart, the words we choose to use are the expression. The heart is depicted with the ideogram of an open bowl at the top, able to accommodate everything that arrives, without ever filling up: a fundamental condition for balanced conduct is an empty, calm and receptive heart.
 
 In the theory of the five elements, which we have already learned to know and on which Traditonal Chinese Medicine is based, the heart meridian, paired with the Small Intestine, is classified as belonging to the Element Fire, an element that has its maximum expression in the summer. After the awakening of the vital processes of spring, summer brings energy to its maximum development, the heart spreads everywhere the life and brightness of the spirits it hosts, the joy of existence radiates, ensuring the flourishing of human nature. It's a magical season in the summer, and the one we have in front of us even more, because it will represent a phase of restart at the planetary level.

In recent months, the hearts of all of us have been weighed down by worries and fears. The language has been tense and sharp, full of conflict and extreme polarization. It is now time to rethink new words and focus on all that can harmonize our hearts: meditation, dancing, prayer, singing, are all activities related to the Element Fire, excellent for toning the heart's meridian. Laughter is a fantastic tonic of the heart. The Makko-Ho exercise performed by our Beatrice will allow the correct stretching of the meridian of the Heart and the Tenuous Intestine and, on a more subtle level, will give us the opportunity to live even for a few minutes a day in a state of quiet contact with our deepest and most precious parts.

Only by letting ourselves be guided by the heartbeat of our hearts, open and empty, can we joyfully reap every new experience that this summer, now at the door, will bring us, and treasure it.

Content Writing by Alexia Mariotti
 
 

 Celebrating Refinement Since 1944

 
 Master Ohashi, born 11 June 1944, never seizes to amaze the multitude of Ohashiatsu students across the globe, as they are regularly astonished by his evidently boundless reserves of energy in every sense of the word.
 
 His unique presence begs the question of how could someone in their 70’s be as fit physically, mentally and even spiritually? What’s the secret?
 
 “The secrets of your life are written on your body. In this book Ohashi helps you to learn these secrets by showing you how to read your body to determine both your physical and spiritual condition as revealed in the physical self. Because, as Ohashi notes, the body is the physical manifestation of the soul, your posture, your features, and the texture of your skin can tell you who you are.”

- Reading the Body: Ohashi's Book of Oriental Diagnosis, Arkana Books 1991

HEARTFELT HAPPY BIRTHDAY MASTER OHASHI!

Ohashiatsu in the United Kingdom monthly newsletter shares survival strategies for staying afloat in a submerged spring.

THE PROMISE OF A NEW BEGINNING 

 “Is it winter or spring? We don't know, we are and we are nothing
 in the multiplicity of appearances,
 but inside life, inside
 the wonderful moment.”
- Mario Luzi, Gocce
 
We will remember for a long time this strange spring that tastes of winter: immobilized by a health emergency, nature, free from our cumbersome presence, which explodes and joyfully occupies new spaces. Birds chirp louder than usual, we observe, admired and incredulous, wild animals strolling the streets of cities, the waters of our seas clear as never before, the skies of a blue so intense as to hurt the eyes. It is spring, there is no doubt, a spring indeed to yet another power.
 
Yet there is still winter in us. It's fear. Right now we have a constant feeling of danger and instability, and we can't get rid of fear. In Traditional Chinese Medicine fear is an expression of the Water element, which resonates in the winter season and manifests itself in the kidneys. TCM tells us about an infinite cycle in which each element (Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal) generates the next.
Water is therefore the mother of the Wood and nourishes it. It is easy to understand how the condition of the mother can affect the child: if fear dwells in us, it undermines the health of the kidneys and the element Water will not feed her son, the Wood. Wood is the element that is expressed in the spring, it is strong, determined, flexible; the energy of the Wood is that of the principle of everything, of the buds, of flowering, of the movement that rises after the stillness of winter. In harmony with the universe, even if fear and isolation create dissonance, this feeling pulsates strong even within us, and we can still find a way to tune into the energy of the Wood that naturally expresses itself in this season, and cultivate that spring bud that we feel move in us.
 
We can do this with power. Spending more time in the house, we are brought to cook and eat a little more. We take this opportunity to devote ourselves to cooking healthy foods that can delight our palate and support us at a time when it is important to keep up the immune defenses and lighten the work of the liver, which in the spring is at its maximum activity. We prefer simple cooking, such as steaming; we use fruits containing vitamin C, kiwi, oranges, strawberries, spinach and other green leafy vegetables, perhaps seasoned with a drizzle of oil and lemon juice. Let's not forget artichoke and dandelion, precious liver purifiers, which can also be consumed in herbal teas and decotti.
 
We can do it with movement. Wood by its nature can tend to stiffen, it is important to remain flexible, in thought and action. Although confined to the house, we take care to move our body to free it from winter numbness. The videos of our Beatrice are a valuable help in this: the stretching of the meridians and the Do-In are priceless to regain harmony in the body and calm the mind. But we can also practice yoga with our children, dance with the consort in the living room to the sound of our favorite music, organize a round of somersaults tournament on the Latvian with loved ones. Are we alone? Better yet, the house will become our personal gym and a beauty farm of excellence to prepare us to welcome the summer in full shape. But let's move, the Wood needs movement to express its power.
 
Let's tone our bodies up, keep it ready. This winter of the soul will pass, fear will pass, and we will return to embrace, move freely in nature, enjoy the companionship and contact of our loved ones. It's going to happen, it's a promise. The promise of this strange spring that gives us a precious opportunity and challenges us to invent a new world.
 

CONTENT WRITING BY ALEXIA MARIOTTI 

 An Unforgettable Birthday

 
 Your baby's first blown out birthday candle is never forgotten.
 You can remember all your life how many emotions you have experienced when he is born.
 How many worries in your heart, how many tears in your eyes, full of love to see he grows every day and even every time he falls.
 The first birthday has arrived!
 Even though if this time, we are not allowed to organize a party with family and friends, I want to celebrate with all of you this unforgettable day:
 

 HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY OHASHIATSU in the United Kingdom

 It was on 18 of May last year, the sunshine warmed the lovely city of York, in the North of England, in a beautiful studio, (thank you Louise Fellow of York Pilates People) there was my first Open Day Introducing Ohashiatsu.
 I remember all the emotions, the stress and how much I was afraid! My first time to speak in English for 3 hours in a class!
 I could not imagine it?  My dream from inside a drawer was there! Ready, concrete, just born surrounded with love. 
 And this LOVE of those who had believed in me, I want praise, to celebrate and to say a Big Thank You to everyone, near and far.
A special thank you, Master Ohashi, who supports me and guides me like a father.

I also want to remember in that day, my first students, the help from my partner Zakaria Makuyi and my colleagues, Alexia Mariotti and Rosy Rizzo, my fellow Ohashiatsu graduates from 10 years ago in Italy.
Here’s to one hundred amazing days!

with love Caterina Matteoda, Certified Ohashiatsu Instructor