Vancouver Shiatsu Workshops

 

Our workshops are usually held in the spring and summer.  Please check back for dates, times and costs, or email ted_thomas@shaw.ca to be added to our mailing list.  See below for information about the content of the programs. 

 
INTRODUCTION TO ZEN SHIATSU

 Our introductory workshop has been modified to make learning and retention easier. Optimum learning occurs in the first five hours; beyond that, we learn with greater difficulty and retain less. With this in mind, we have divided the course into two parts, as follows:

Part 1: The back and neck

An introduction to basic shiatsu pressure technique applied to the back and neck. Additional acupoints for helping to relieve headaches and neck pain will be taught in the sitting position. You will learn:

·        How to apply correct shiatsu pressure using body weight, posture and breath

·        The application of thumb and hand pressure to relieve back tension and minor pain

·        A series of stretches for self care. Use these daily to liberate tension and promote energy flow

·        An introduction to the principles of Zen Shiatsu

·        Basic contraindications and cautions

 

Part 2: The hips and limbs

This workshop follows from part one and introduces the use of shiatsu pressure for the arms, legs and hips. A great addition to the basic back session. Additional points will be taught that help relieve stress as well as lower back and hip pain and stiffness. You will learn:

·        Palm and thumb pressure for the arms, integrating acupoints that help relieve stress and anxiety

·        Palm and thumb pressure for the hips and legs, integrating acupoints for lower back and hip tension and pain.

·        Time will be permitted to review and consolidate the techniques from Part 1 and integrate the information from both workshops into a treatment for the back of the body.

Together, the information and techniques from the classes will enable to offer a simple treatment to family and friend to relieve stress and tension. This is a great program to share with a friend, partner or family member. 

 

The workshops will be held at Sourcepoint on the following dates:

Part 1: TBA

Part 2: TBA

Cost: TBA

To register: contact Ted at ted_thomas@shaw.ca or  604-876-0042        

 

CHAIR SHIATSU BASICS WORKSHOP

Shiatsu is perfectly suited to the portable chair format, as oils are never used and treatment is usually applied through clothing. Our weekend chair shiatsu workshop provides you with basic skills in this growing form of stress relief therapy. You will learn:

·        A simple treatment that incorporates thumb and hand pressure techniques for relieving neck and back tension and alleviating stress

·        Proper posture and body dynamics

·        Stretches and Qi Gong exercises for self care and prevention of fatigue

·        Introductory shiatsu theory

·        Basic contraindications and precautions

Date: TBA

Time: 9 am to 5 pm

Cost: TBA. Course fee includes the use of a massage chair 

 To register: Contact Ted at ted_thomas@shaw.ca or 604-876-0042        

 

PLEASE NOTE: If you wish to review any of the above workshops, you are welcome to do so and pay half price.

 

SHIATSU ESSENTIALS SUMMER INTENSIVE

Learn the essential techniques of shiatsu therapy in a 50 hour, 2 week intensive format.  The focus will be on teh acquisition of practical skills so that you can confidently offer a thorough relaxing treatment to your friends and family.  Basic theory of meridians, acupuncture points and eastern theory will enhance your understanding and appreciation of the human organism as a dynamic, fluid structure of energy flows that can be balanced with properly applied pressure.   

You will learn:

·      A full body treatment in prone, supine and side positions

·      Basic eastern theory, including meridian pathways

·      Effective acupoints for pain and stress relief

·      Contraindications and cautions

·      Stretches to stimulate meridian energy flow

·      Simple Qi Gong exercises for personal energy balance

Date: TBA

Time: 9 am to 2 pm

Cost: TBA

To register: Contact Ted at ted_thomas@shaw.ca or 604-876-0042 

 

NOTE: If you register for both the Chair Shiatsu Basics weekend and the Shiatsu Essentials program, you will receive a 10% discount.  

Contact Ted for more details.

 

SHIN SO SHIATSU LEVEL 1 WORKSHOP

Sensing Energy: Meridian Recognition and Diagnosis

Shin So Shiatsu has transformed the way I practice shiatsu and made my work more powerful. The training  is designed as a post graduate program for shiatsu therapists, but anyone who works with energy and the meridian system will benefit from studying it. I include a short article about Level 1 from Toronto instructor Peter Skrivanic:

Shizuto Masunaga, the masterful shiatsu practitioner and innovator, stressed for his students the importance of meridian diagnosis: once one has obtained an accurate diagnosis, he said, the major work of a shiatsu treatment is complete. Yet for students and practitioners of shiatsu today, meridian diagnosis often appears to be a baffling process that is difficult to perform, and many end up abandoning it altogether.

Shin So Shiatsu solves this problem. The Sensing Energy workshop is the foundation of the Shin So system, and offers an incredible opportunity to shiatsu therapists, acupuncturists and others to take a leap in their ability to sense and work with ki energy. The ki-meridian system contains an enormous amount of information and healing potential that can be deployed in treatments once we learn how to communicate with it effectively. Through the finger test diagnostic method, students learn to do precisely this. With surprising ease, students find themselves capable of sensing meridian flows and locating acupuncture points, as well as diagnosing energy qualities such as kyo/jitsu, or the presence of jaki in or around the body.

The approach disclosed in this workshop offers practitioners distinct benefits: accuracy and depth in diagnosis; increased efficiency and effectiveness in treatment; and importantly, a method to confirm one’s diagnostic findings on the spot. Diagnostic confirmation, unique to the Shin So system, provides therapists a great boost in confidence and helps them to relax and trust their findings. Practitioners also benefit from the theoretical insights of system founder Ted Saito, who meaningfully connects the insights of Masunaga and other researchers with those of the classics of TCM. The Sensing Energy workshop provides the basic tools to assess and effectively treat imbalances in the Regular Meridian system, to locate and clear superficial jaki (bad ki) from patient and therapist, and to locate energetic zones that reflect structural problems in the body. It is foundational to the two other workshops in the Shin So system: ‘Tuning in to Structure: the Extra Meridians and the Treatment of Pain;’ and ‘Tuning in to the Organs: Supporting the Basis of Health.’

Tetsuro (Ted) Saito, the ‘father of shiatsu in Canada,’ studied directly with both Tokujiro Namikoshi and Shizuto Masunaga in Japan. He brought the latter to Canada on several occasions, and after Masunaga’s death in 1981, sought ways to better understand and further develop his teaching. Shin So Shiatsu is the result of Ted’s almost 30 years of ongoing original research, and is groundbreaking not only in the new knowledge that it discloses but in its transmissibility—anyone can learn and begin to apply this powerful system. The Sensing Energy workshop offers a great opportunity to study directly with this internationally-renowned innovator in Oriental Medicine.

Dates & times: TBA

Cost: TBA

Location: TBA

For more information about the Shin So system, visit the website: www.shinso-shiatsu.com/. You can also read a couple of articles on the Sourcepoint website: http://www.sourcepointshiatsu.com/article.html.

 

Please take a look at my teacher, Ted Saito, demonstrating a simple energetic technique for correcting imbalances in the sacroiliac joint and the pelvis. The results are profound. Here's the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dsng_CjtcGo

 

FUNCTIONAL ANATOMY PROGRAM

Functional Anatomy is a thorough introduction to human anatomy. Designed for students of bodywork therapies, it is also an excellent program for practitioners who wish to review or upgrade their knowledge. An overview of the body's systems is covered, with an emphasis on the skeletal, muscular, circulatory and nervous systems. The approach to learning is practical and hands on.

Dates: Tuesdays and Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The next course starts on Tuesday, September 14, 2010 and finishes on November 9. (51 hours of instruction)

Textbooks: Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, by Tortora and Grabowsky. This text will also be used in the Physiology Course that follows Anatomy. The Anatomy Colouring Book is optional.

Registration & Information: contact Ted Thomas at 604-876-0042 or ted_thomas@shaw.ca

 

PHYSIOLOGY

The Physiology program builds on Sourcepoint's Functional Anatomy program. Learning about the physical functioning of the body's various systems enables students to understand how the human organism works at a level that is essential in strengthening the therapeutic effect of the work of practitioners of shiatsu and other forms of bodywork therapy.

Dates: Tuesdays and Fridays, 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. The next course starts on November 12, 2010 and finishes on January 21, 2011. (51 hours of instruction)

Textbooks: Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, by Tortora and Grabowsky.

Registration & Information: contact Ted Thomas at 604-876-0042 or ted_thomas@shaw.ca

 

PATHOLOGY

Sourcepoint's Pathology program covers diseases that are most relevant for the practitioner of therapeutic bodywork. Understanding the causes, signs, symptoms and risk factors of disease is extremely important in developing a professional clinical practice.

Dates: Tuesdays and Fridays. 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. There are 2 courses per year.  Please conact us for exact dates. 30 hours of instruction)

Textbook: Pathology A to Z - A Handbook for Massage Therapists, by Kalyami Premkumar, VanPub Books, Calgary, Alberta.

Registration & Information: contact Ted Thomas at 604-876-0042 or ted_thomas@shaw.ca

  

YOGA CLASSES

Mondays: 6:00 – 7:30.  Contact Neena Shahani at 604-889-1146 neenayogini@gmail.com

 

BODY ROLLING CLASSES

Saturday mornings: 9:00 – 12:00.  For schedule and registration, contact Saskia Soeterik at 604-926-7398 or saskias@telus.net



langara college continuing studies

| www.langara.bc.ca |

The Shiatsu Therapy Program is offered annually in September.  The full time program is 22 weeks long and ends in March.   The program provides in depth professional training in the healing art of shiatsu therapy, as well as opportunities for personal growth and development.  Graduates of our 750 hour program are eligible to apply to the Shiatsu Therapy Association (S.T.A.) of B.C. for Registered Shiatsu Therapist (R.S.T.) status, and may also apply to become members of the American Organization of Bodywork Therapies of Asia (A.O.B.T.A.)

Our program integrates eastern medical philosophy with western sciences and self care.  It is this synthesis that helps make shiatsu therapy a unique and valuable component of an emerging health care model that recognizes the role of prevention and the use of non-invasive therapies.  The program provides comprehensive instruction in Zen Shiatsu, a form of Japanese physical therapy that utilizes firm sensitive pressure and gentle stretches to balance the flow of life force energy, or Ki, that underlies and energizes all of our functions.  Developed by Shizuto Masunaga, Zen Shiatsu is an integration of Master Masunaga’s vast clinical and teaching experience in shiatsu, eastern medical philosophy, western anatomy and physiology, and psychology.  The system recognizes that body, mind and spirit are a unified whole, and that touching another person is more than a purely physical act. Our graduates become skilled practitioners of this healing art and are prepared for success as members of a growing community of complementary health care professionals.

 

"...you are not looking for a specific disease but improving the patient's life by working from the roots of his existence and enlightening the patient to a better way of life."

Master Shizuto Masunaga