A Monthly Series of Advanced Classes for Shiatsu Therapists

The Going Deeper Class Series consists of one 6 or 12-hour class approximately once per month, designed to specifically meet the needs of advanced students, open only to graduates or advanced students of Zen Shiatsu Chicago or other Asian Bodywork Therapy schools  It is recommended that current students complete at least Zen Shiatsu IV before taking Going Deeper classes, but some classes have earlier prerequisites, check the class descriptions!

In these classes, you can Go Deeper with your teachers.  These classes give instructors the opportunity to share their very specific refinements of shiatsu practice, in ways that are beyond the scope of our main licensure-track training.  We also explore advanced communication and qi cultivation skills!

Zen Shiatsu Chicago graduates may inquire at 847-864-1130 about our Student For Life subscription program, covering these and almost all other CE classes for $95/month.

Monday August 17, 9am-4pm – Seated Shiatsu Part One: Enlivening the Spine from the Center Out // Taught by Arlette Greer

When done properly, seated shiatsu treatments result in clients feeling deeply supported and satisfied. In this floor-based shiatsu workshop, we’ll learn to use our bodies well in order to easily and fluidly treat clients in seated position. We’ll learn transitions in and out of seated and learn stretches, spinal undulations and rotations, and simple shiatsu lifts. Your clients will love you!

Shiatsu is, in many respects, an inherently trauma-informed modality. Its emphasis on supporting optimal functioning centers the body’s generative blueprint and innate capacity for resilience, while its holistic approach holds space for the multifaceted ways in which trauma can show up in the body, brain, and energy field. Even the fact that the work is done fully clothed can make Shiatsu feel more accessible to survivors than other forms of bodywork.

We can further support ourselves and our clients by developing a toolkit of treatment strategies that we can use with clients whose safety and/or accessibility needs may prohibit certain “traditional” Shiatsu techniques. The goal is to offer authentic, effective Shiatsu that respects each client’s agency and bodily autonomy. We will explore a variety of practices, including working positions, assessment techniques, and alternate ways of supporting harmonious flow of qi, that can be uniquely tailored to each individual, so that no one feels like they have to choose between receiving good shiatsu and feeling safe and empowered while on the table.

We will also explore how we as practitioners bring our own life experiences of trauma and resilience to the treatment space, and how we can actually use these experiences to enhance our capacity for sensitivity, empathy, and transformative care.

Saturday September 12, 9am-4pm – Seated Shiatsu Part Two: Treating the Channels, Energizing the Limbs // Taught by Arlette Greer

In this floor-based workshop, we’ll learn how to treat the primary channels with our clients in seated position. We’ll review how to support clients with your body or over an exercise ball, how to position their body in order to access the channels, and how to creatively incorporate knees and elbows into your treatment. We will amplify our effectiveness by focusing on the healthy function of each channel as we treat.

Saturday September 26, 9am-6pm – A Gentle Nervous System Bodywork Approach // Taught by Justin Zelinski

This class introduces a bodywork approach designed to support sensitive, easily overwhelmed, or chronically overextended nervous systems. Rather than focusing on correcting structure, increasing flexibility, or forcing relaxation, the work emphasizes reducing demand on the nervous system through practitioner self-regulation, cultivated presence, and learning to participate with the experience that is already unfolding rather than imposing a predetermined outcome.The approach is particularly relevant for people experiencing chronic stress, sensory sensitivity, or other conditions where excessive stimulation can sometimes be counterproductive.

In this approach, the word gentle does not refer to how light the pressure is. Gentle refers to the quality of interaction. Touch may range from subtle to substantial depending on the person, but it is offered in a way that is non-forcing, attentive, and intended to feel manageable and not overwhelming. Rather than trying to make change happen, practitioners learn to reduce demand within the interaction, allowing the body time and space to respond in its own way. The focus is not on fixing the body, but on supporting the body’s natural capacity for self-organization.

Sat/Sun October 10-11, 12pm-4pm – The Complete Hara // Taught by Grandmother WinterJade Forest