102 – Elemental Meditations

At the core of the ancient Asian understanding of the flow of life is the awareness of the Five Elements. These five primary aspects of the natural world interweave as they create the vast tapestry of life. When in harmonic balance there is health and wellness throughout the ecosystem. When one dominates or one diminishes there is disease and destruction. In this module of the Basic training we take students through an embodied awareness of each of the Five Elements as they manifest in human life and in their meridian pathways and points. Taking clues from Nature, and utilizing the powerful art of guided meditation, we awaken awareness of signs of balance and signs of dis-ease. We dive into the deep theory and practice of Chinese Medicine as a major asset in the touch therapy tool kit. Students experience a high level of academic engagement and immersion.

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• Five elements as expressions of Yin and Yang.

• How the Ki of each Element has a signature mode of expression in the body, mind and spirit, that you can read and feel.

• How the 12 regular meridians are expressions of the Elemental energy.

• Meridians 12 Qigong as an Elemental Meditation.

  

• How you use an awareness of Five elements to enhance your Shiatsu skill, to access and harmonize elemental energy for greater effectiveness in treatment.

• Expanded repertoire of techniques to approach the meridians in various body positions. Giving you a full range of treatment options to meet a variety of client concerns.

This course dives into the deep theory and practice of Chinese Medicine as a major asset in the bodyworker’s tool kit. Reading, Writing and articulating elemental qualities are fundamental parts of the learning at this level. Often, the experience can be akin to learning a foreign language, as new concepts and sensitive vocabulary is developed to describe the healthy, formative actions of energy in body, mind and spirit. Students are treated in this level to a high level of academic engagement and immersion.

Required Learning Materials
• Elemental Meditations, Sweigart
• Between Heaven and Earth, Beinfield and Korngold
• The Healing Promise of Qi, Jahnke

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103 – Balancing Yin & Yang

Equipped with the basic language skills of YinYang, Five Elements and 12 Meridians this module begins the deep journey into recognizing, assessing and working with patterns of energetic expression. Students develop the power tool of reading and responding effectively to various expressions of excess and deficient energy qualities, and are introduced to the Five Element creation and control cycle dynamics . Master Shizuto Masunaga’s dynamic KyoJitsu (deficiency/excess) guides the student practitioner in responding therapeutically to support balance and harmony. Students learn the reflex assessment areas in the hara (belly) and back, and in points and flows of the primary channels. In identifying and clearing blocks, stagnations, deficiencies and excesses, students begin to Harmonize Heaven and Earth in the experience of human life in the body.

Students dive into:

• Discovering clues to Kyo and Jitsu manifestations of meridian energy

• Balancing Kyo and Jitsu with tonifying and dispersing methods of bodywork

• Five Element Creation and Control dynamics, how excess and deficient elemental patterns manifest through the meridians in body, mind and spirit.

• Enhanced HeartMind Shiatsu techniques bringing in elbows, knees, and choreographed transitions around the body, that bring out the dance-like qualities of the practice

• Deepened practice of Meridians 12 Qigong and connection to the practice of “running energy” through the channel system with healing intent.

A mix of experiential and academic study, students at this level begin to “embody” the practice of HeartMind Shiatsu and work through their own blocks to create reliable balance and flow. Great care is taken to assure a feeling of success and increasing skill as the development of mastery of this healing craft begins to get serious. The floor-based bodywork professions offer great gifts that are derived from a deliberate, joyous engagement with drills and skills in body, mind and spirit for enhanced coordination, grace, strength and power. By connecting with the flow of primal life energy, students prepare themselves for a thorough “work out” regimen for developing the stamina and grace demanded in the practice.

Required Learning Materials
• Pathways of Qi, Sweigart
• Zen Shiatsu. Masunaga
• Harmonizing Heaven  and Earth DVD Companion Manual, Sweigart

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104 – Clinical Application

Having now had a solid basic instruction and concentrated practice on fellow students, friends and loved ones, this level deepens the work of artfully crafting clinical HeartMind Shiatsu basic sessions to meet clients seeking assistance with various challenges. The Six Divisions of Yin and Yang are introduced to provide students with another powerful guiding framework for understanding meridian energy interactions and to support the restoration or maintenance of health and wellness. Students begin to embrace a set of tools for addressing many presenting conditions, from mild to extreme stress, from general life maintenance issues to serious injury, trauma or functional recovery. various challenges. The Six Divisions of Yin and Yang are introduced to provide students with another powerful guiding framework for understanding meridian energy interactions and to support the restoration or maintenance of health and wellness. Students begin to embrace a set of tools for addressing many presenting conditions, from mild to extreme stress, from general life maintenance issues to serious injury, trauma or functional recovery.

The six divisions of yin and yang are introduced to provide students with another powerful guiding framework for understanding meridian energy interactions and to support the restoration or maintenance of health and wellness. Students are becoming conversant in the language of the meridian channels, elemental expressions and interactions and how all signs and symptoms can be seen as kyo/jitsu patterns of excess and deficient energy.  Assessing and treating various conditions along the gradient of mild to extreme, subtle to obvious, students develop the basic clinical skills of true Asian Bodywork Therapy.

Not a simple “buff and fluff” or a “routine drill” these methods are dynamic and responsive to client presentations. Student practitioners apply the fine healing art of HeartMind Shiatsu treatment to bring about positive benefit to a range of conditions, and learn to be articulate about their treatment protocols for meeting and supporting their clients.

In the course students deepen and refine:

• Meridian location and function knowledge base
• Five Element expressions and interactions
• Treatment approaches for meeting and working with a range of conditions
• More sophisticated use of thumbs, palms, forearms, elbows and knees as points of contact with receiver’s body
• A full picture of the energy body
• The flow and feeling of Meridians 12 Qigong as a healing tool for both personal cultivation and client education.

The content is rich with detail.  In between in class training levels, fascinating reading, writing and fieldwork assignments keep the material fresh and ensure comprehension and integration of this in-depth study. Competency in the technique grows with practice.  Students are encouraged to form peer practice classes.  Homework requires students to give and document 15 private sessions over the course of the basic training, so plan to devote 2 – 5 hours per week to your studies outside of class. Receiving 2 professional Private Sessions in HeartMind Shiatsu, one Small Group Tutorial and a practical exam on the Instructor are required for satisfactory completion of Basic Training.

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