Fernando Cabrera, a Registered Shiatsu Therapist and a member of the Shiatsu Therapy Association of B.C, discovered the power of Shiatsu in the early 90s when he was working in Ontario planting trees.
“I was in a lot of pain with my body with the type of work I was doing and somebody referred me to a Shiatsu clinic in Toronto. It helped me to move a lot of energy, which the teachers said was stagnant in my body. When I came back to Vancouver, I started taking some courses and I fell in love with it. It was so interesting to learn about and I loved receiving treatments.”
The essence of shiatsu is based on the concept of Ki or ‘aliveness’ in Japanese. Ki flows through the body and aggregates into channels, which are often called meridians. To remain healthy or to regain health, Ki must be restored if it is deficient, unblocked if it is stuck and calmed if it is irritated.
“By releasing the excess of energy in different types of the body, you can feel very good physically and emotionally.” Fernando says. “Shiatsu makes me feel quite centered in my body and brings a good sense of well-bring.”
Fernando says that most people who study Shiatsu are interested in their own heath or want to help other people to deal with aches and pains. As time goes on, each person develops their own style of treatment and healing which, Fernando says, adds to the intuition and knowledge of the practice.
“One of the things I love about the school is that it’s a creative, relaxed environment for teaching and learning. The class sizes are small so in a short period of time I can teach my students quite a bit of shiatsu. They learn how to give a treatment, why to give a treatment and what results to expect from our work. The results we get from our clients are always very positive.”
For more information about the upcoming Shiatsu program at VSOHA please visit here.
