Professional Shiatsu Course 1st Level

Professional Shiatsu Course 1st Level is the first of three residential stages in the professional Shiatsu practitioner training at the Holismos International School of Shiatsu. It is a healing certification course for people who want to learn Zen Shiatsu as a profession, taught in a full immersion format at Holismos in Argalasti, Thessaly, Greece, by the sea. The level runs for twenty-one days and takes place in spring.

What to Expect

The programme follows the principles and style inspired by Master Shizuto Masunaga, giving students a traditional foundation, while also drawing on current schools of thought in energy work. Zen Shiatsu, a term coined by Masunaga, is approached as an energetic medicine that works directly with life force. Study of Shiatsu and Traditional Chinese Medicine sits alongside several supporting subjects:

- anatomy, physiology and postural techniques
- basic biochemistry and nutrition
- kinesiology
- myofascial work techniques
- yoga therapy

A substantial part of the training is postural rebalancing, which is meant to make the practitioner's own movement dynamic, fluid and effective. The full course is divided into three residential blocks of twenty-one days each. The school's aim is a holistic education that stays within the ancient art of Shiatsu. Holismos has been active since 1996, and its programme follows the main European associations and federations.

Your Teachers

Massimo Cantara founded the Holismos Center for health arts in 1999. He is a Shiatsu teacher and practitioner, a kinesiologist, and holds a diploma in Cranio Sacral Balance. He also graduated as a yoga teacher from the international school SYM, has taught at his own centre in Italy since 2010, and is a founding member of Three Treasures Yoga.

Sabrina Mancuso is a biologist, practising nutritionist, reflexologist, and Shiatsu practitioner and teacher. She teaches Shiatsu and Traditional Chinese Medicine on Holismos training courses. She qualified as a 250-hour yoga instructor and a 300-hour yoga therapist, and works at her own holistic centre in Genoa.

Sara Della Torre is a Shiatsu and Moxa practitioner at Hakusha. She holds a diploma from a three-year master's programme in Cranio Sacral Balance for Shiatsu practitioners, and is trained in Vodder method lymphatic drainage massage and first-level Reiki. She is also a yoga teacher, a member of the KINDER YOGA association for children's yoga, and a diploma-holding Mindfulness Educator.

The Setting

The course takes place at Holismos, facing the sea in Greece. The school describes the location as a place to step away from daily routine and give full attention to the study of Shiatsu and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Students stay on site for the twenty-one-day block.

Before You Go

This is the entry level of the professional sequence, and no formal prerequisites are listed. The residential stay across the block is described by the school as all-inclusive, with meals included. The second level follows as a shorter residential block with the remainder online, and the third level is again a twenty-one-day residential course. Questions can be sent to the school, which answers Monday to Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.