Amatsu | Body Alignment Clinic

What Is Amatsu?

Amatsu has its roots in traditional Japanese medicine and the martial art Taijutsu and is based on principles of natural movement. It is a gentle, soft-tissue therapy which restores the body to its anatomical neutral, allowing it to unravel and release restrictions in the fascia/interconnective tissue, organs, ligaments, muscles and skeletal structure. When our bodies start to move out of alignment/balance we aren’t necessarily aware and so our bodies adapt to support the mis-alignment. We continue to function in this adaption and diet, lifestyle and life’s stresses can put us into further adaptions. The human body keeps adapting in order to correct the imbalances, however, at some point pain, discomfort and/or inflammation start to signal to us that something is amiss. Being out of balance has an adverse affect on all the systems of the body - digestive, immune, endocrine, lymphatic, cardiovascular and the central nervous system.

Amatsu identifies imbalances and instability in the body, focussing on the the underlying cause of the symptoms. By treating the body globally in Amatsu, we coax it back to homeostasis, its preferred natural state. This then has a positive affect physically, emotionally and mentally.

The many techniques used in an Amatsu treatment are non-invasive and low impact. The client remains fully clothed and treatments take 50 minutes to one hour using soft tissue and mobilisation techniques. To address a particular issue, we suggest 4 to 6 treatments, and recommend regular assessments and maintenance following that in order to keep the body in balance.

About Breda & the Clinic:

I’m an Amatsu Orthopath who has been receiving regular Amatsu treatments for over 20 years.

At age eighteen, I hurt my lower back. For the following two decades I suffered the experience of  “putting my back out” about twice a year, which incapacitated me for up to a week at a time, and had a debilitating effect on my life and work. I sought help in every available modality: chiropractic, physiotherapy, osteopathy, etc., to no avail. An overwhelming feeling of helplessness was my biggest challenge and I was willing to do anything to change the situation. Discovering Amatsu provided the opportunity for me to take matters into my own hands: I followed the instructions given by my Amatsu practitioner and over the course of a few years cleaned up my diet, began to move more and introduced a "rain or shine" daily walking routine. I became increasingly aware of the workings of my body and the importance of remaining in correct postural alignment, assisted by regular Amatsu treatments. As a result my life was turned around and dull headaches, candida, sluggish digestion, heart-burn, skin allergies, endless fatigue – and my back issues - became a thing of the past. I’ve also felt the positive and transformative effects of these changes and rebalancings on a mental and emotional level and my general well-being has gone from strength to strength. I still attend my practitioner for regular balances and in 2015 I commenced my 5-year Amatsu training to Orthopath (Kenku) level. In January 2019 I took a sabbatical from a successful 25 year career in film production, opened my own Amatsu practice and haven’t looked back.

In 2019 I completed a training in Orthopaedic and Soft Tissue Therapy (H. Dip.) and am a registered member of the Amatsu Association of Ireland (A.A.I.) and R.O.S.T.I. (Register of Orthopaedic Soft Tissue Therapists Ireland).

As a member of R.O.S.T.I. I am approved by VHI, Laya, Aviva Healthcare and other Irish health-care insurers.

In 2019, in keeping with my philosophy that food is medicine, I qualified in Raw Food Mastery at the Plant Based Academy in Dublin and continue to explore how plants offer the fuel, energy and support our bodies crave.

In 2020, I was introduced to the ancient system of Ayurveda. My lifestyle and daily rhythms now follow the wisdom of Ayurvedic guidelines, resulting in an increased feeling of well-being. I share all that I have learned through my own experiences with my clients, where relevant, to help them have agency over their own health and happiness and to feel the benefits of embodying their own bodies.

I am curious and passionate about the fact that how we move our bodies, fuel our bodies and nurture ourselves has an holistic effect on our overall well-being and I continuously investigate and research these topics.  I encourage clients to explore the relationship between the body (in particular the role of the fascial matrix) and the important part movement plays in our lives, and I endeavour to guide them into a new appreciation of their own body-awareness and understanding of the innate intelligence the body has to heal itself. To this end, I’m also training as a Health Qi Gong Instructor and use Qi Gong in my own life for its physical and mental health benefits, along with the re-balancing and continued maintenance of the body through Amatsu which is fundamental to all of this.

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