Community Shiatsu Cooperative Coshico Melbourne

14/11/2021

Hi Shiatsu community!

Armelle and Christine here.

After 5 years of running Coshico, we’ve decided to close our clinic.

We started Coshico with Lucy 5 years ago after graduating together from the Australian Shiatsu College in 2015/16, with the vision of making Shiatsu more affordable and accessible to the wider community.

Lucy stepped back from the Tuesday clinic in 2019 to concentrate on her studies, but we kept collaborating and we ran several online shiatsu events during the first covid wave.

We continued running the Tuesday clinic throughout 2020/2021 whenever Melbourne was not in lockdown - so, not a lot, hey!

It has been a very difficult time for everyone: motivation, positive attitude, spark of life, ease of body and mind have been observed to be elusive at times.
We feel that we all need a fresh start.

We know that regular shiatsu is an effective therapeutic modality that supports our clients mental and physical health. Under the current Victorian public health rules, both client and practitioner have to show proof of double vaccination.

We are not entering any debate on the pros and cons of the vaccine here, simply we are not comfortable with the dividing of people into two new distinct categories.

We still think that shiatsu should be available to everyone. We don't consider it reasonable to be put in the position of being responsible for policing and enforcing compliance of the current rules under the ever-changing Chief Health Officer Victorian public health orders.

Therefore we have made the decision to close this model of clinic.

Since October 2016, we have helped over 300 clients and we have seen great results especially in the domains of:

✅ Sleep

✅ Digestion

✅ Better blood circulation

✅ Musculoskeletal conditions, cramping problems

✅ Mental health

✅ And overall a better understanding of holistic health and nutrition

We ran 15 food and shiatsu workshops, based on the five elements and seasons and we created over 50 seasonal recipes.

We connected with genuine and interesting people.
Much gratitude to all our clients over the years for trusting the power of Shiatsu.

A huge thank you to SPAN Community House Thornbury for hosting us, for their friendship and their affordable rent that enabled us to run a low-cost community clinic.

Ending the Coshico clinic after five years feels somewhat natural, keeping with our focus on five elements theory (wood, fire, earth, metal, water).

The five elements succeed to one another, with wood element starting the cycle of growth, and with water element finishing the cycle (and also starting the cycle, as everything is in perpetual movement) with death.

The Coshico vision started in the year of Yang Fire Monkey, with a lot of excitement, motivation, and sparks of life. We are currently in the year of Yin Metal Ox, in an energy descent trajectory (in more ways than one).

Next year, starting February 1st 2022, we will enter the year of Yang Water Tiger!

The Water Element is characterised in Tao Te Ching as:

‘’Under heaven, nothing is softer and yielding than water. Yet for attacking the solid and strong, nothing is better. It has no equal.’’

Yang Water is represented by big bodies of water, lakes, rivers, oceans and seas.
It is very dynamic and likes to move from place to place all the time.
Yang Water is able to find a path through anything, without using force. It dislikes being controlled or bound.
Yang Water is reflective, rather than creative. Yang Water sees the big picture.
It likes to run free, but it needs the stabilising influence and boundaries of Yang Earth to avoid overspills and aimlessness.

As for the Tiger, it is a symbol of active strength and beauty, but also of cruelty and irrationality.

We're welcoming a new cycle.
Thank you again for 5 wonderful years sharing the benefits of shiatsu and Qi nutrition with so many.

If you have any questions, ideas, or comments you can email us at coshicomelbourne@gmail.com.

To find a shiatsu practitioner near you, feel free to check out our Shiatsu Therapy Association of Australia Inc. website https://www.staa.org.au/Find-a-Therapist and you can also book at the Australian Shiatsu College - TOID 3609 in Brunswick East with regular student and practitioner clinics https://bookings.australianshiatsucollege.com.au/

Thank you,

Armelle and Christine

12/10/2021

Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is a global spiritual leader, poet and peace activist.
He just turned 95!!
We hope you'll enjoy his meditation.

Thich Nhat Hanh offers this mindful meditation to show how practicing breathing meditations is very important as a foundation of meditation and a way to find...

23/09/2021

Glorious day today for Spring Equinox!
Spring has now officially started 🎉

05/09/2021

We’re wishing all the dads out there a happy Father’s Day and sending our love and support to everyone for whom today is not a celebratory one ❤️

01/09/2021

The calendar says it's Spring, the weather looks like spring so is it Spring?

Whatever works for you really! It seems that most Melbournians are ready to leave Winter behind and feel this rising energy typical of Spring.

In Shiatsu though, we'd say that this period is a transition between seasons where it's important to keep grounded and nourish our Earth element.

What do you do to stay grounded? Any tips you'd like to share?

26/08/2021

The Shiatsu association of Australia is running an online workshop this Sunday focussing on the breath, the lungs to increase our vitality and immune system.

Would you like to attend? $30 for 90 min facilitated by Linda Rago, an experienced Shiatsu and integrative breathing Practitioner.

10.30am this Sunday, booking closes tomorrow 5pm.

Armelle will be there:)

fb://event/?id=360474018910938

15/08/2021

What’s free and accessible in Melbourne?
Fresh air 🌬

Make sure to step out and enjoy this beautiful winter day.

We’re still currently closed unfortunately but we hope we’ll be able to reopen very soon.

Tell us how we can help in the meantime. Videos? Recipes? Stretches? Articles?

03/08/2021

Happy birthday to our twinnies Lucy and Christine! 🎊

01/08/2021

A bit of background on the recipe we shared yesterday - Lacto-fermented chilli sauce

It is called lacto-fermenting because lactobacilli present (probiotics) on the raw vegetables create lactic acid and multiply during the fermenting process, all without the aid of a culture.

Lacto-fermentation is the process that produces traditional dill pickles, kimchi, and sauerkraut among other fermented delights. This simple fermentation process requires nothing more than salt, vegetables, and water—no canning, no fancy equipment.

The lacto-fermentation process works because of the lucky fact that bacteria that could be harmful to us can't tolerate much salt, while healthy bacteria (think yogurt) can. Think of them as the bad guys vs. the good guys.

Lacto-fermentation wipes out the bad guys in its first stage, then lets the good guys get to work during stage two.

The good guys on the salt-tolerant team are called Lactobacillus. Several different species within this genus are used to produce fermented foods.
Lactobacillus bacteria convert sugars naturally present in fruit or vegetables into lactic acid. Lactic acid is a natural preservative that helps fight bad bacteria and preserves not only the flavour and texture of food but also its nutrients. The benefits of eating food with live Lactobacillus bacteria include a healthier digestive system and speedy recovery from yeast infections. They are also believed to have anti-inflammatory properties.

With more than 200 varieties of chillies known, the fruit – a member of the capsicum and nightshade families – ripen with a variety of textures, colours and flavours, and not all are hot. Those that do produce more fire on the tongue are high in capsaicin, a compound that concentrates within the seeds, and the adjacent fleshy sac. Boasting high amounts of vitamin C and antioxidants, they have the ability to create heat within the body, which may be beneficial for weight loss as well as lowering the risk of type II diabetes.

🌶 Red chillies are typically high in pro-vitamin A (beta-carotene), C (antioxidant), B6 (energy metabolism), and K1(regulates normal blood clotting and healthy kidneys and bones), potassium, and copper (for strong bones and healthy neurons).

🫑 Green chillies are high in vitamin C, and also calcium, zinc and iron.

Chillies boost immunity and promote a healthy cardio-vascular system, and healthy mucus membranes, which may ease congestion of the lungs, nasal passages, urinary and intestinal tracts. Chillies also release endorphins that help boost mood and reduce pain.

Here is Christine demonstrating this recipe.
The full recipe is in our previous post from yesterday.

If chillies are not your thing, you can go with very mild chillies to start with.

31/07/2021

What a glorious day in Melbourne today! With a wet finish ;)

Here is a recipe to keep you warm!

Lacto-fermented chilli sauce

From a TCM perspective, chillies and garlic have a hot pungent flavour, which disperses stagnation and promotes the circulation of Qi and Blood. It stimulates digestion and helps break through Dampness (mucus). Hot pungent flavour can cool down the body via sweating.

15 chillies with stem attached
3 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic

Chop chillies in chunks, seeds and stems included
Put in a clean jar
Mix the salt in
Shake the mix with jar lid on
With a mortar or other heavy implements, squeeze the chillies to release their juice until the juice covers the top, add chopped garlic, and leave something heavy on top so that the chillies and garlic pieces are under the juice. The releasing of juice might take up to 12 hours. If there is not enough juice, add some water (filtered or boiled down and cooled off)
Leave in a sunny spot for 7 days, and watch for bubbles forming on top that indicate fermentation.
After 7 days, you can blend the mixture, add a tsp of apple cider vinegar (or a lime juice), and store in the fridge. You can omit the blending stage, and keep your chillies in chunks if you prefer.

Who's a chilli lover and want to give it a go?

23/07/2021

We are back online but not in person unfortunately.
If you were booked with us this Tuesday, we'll contact you to reschedule to a later date and hopefully not too late!
At this stage we have one appointment available at 5pm on Tuesday 10th August.
That's doable 🤞

We'll share some recipes to keep you warm and cosy!

See you soon!

04/07/2021

We’re on break, reopening on the 27th.
We have 1 appointment left at 4pm with Armelle that you can already book as well as August bookings.
See you again soon!