The study of Shiatsu is a vast undertaking that takes many years, and very often the standard 3- or 4- years course is not enough. Many students, including myself, go on to a second and sometimes third school in order to complete their course. This approach is...
Ivan Bel
Why study the deep path of a meridian?
Most Shiatsu practitioners know their meridians to their fingertips. But is this really the case? How many know that each of 12 the meridians follow pathways that can run either on the surface or deeper? The study of their deep paths greatly improves our...
Interview Betty Croll: organizer of the European Shiatsu Congress 2020 in Amsterdam
Ivan Bel: Hello dear Betty, thank you for giving me some of your time after the madness of this last European Shiatsu congress. I guess you must be relieved that it is over. Betty Croll: I am very happy it has turned out the way it did. Totally different than we had...
Interview Chris McAlister: from Tibet to Sweden
As president of the European Shiatsu Federation, Chris McAlister is a personality in the world of Shiatsu. But apart from this official title, we don't know much about his life and his career. His life is like a novel of travel, adventure, martial arts and oriental...
Interview Kazunori Sasaki: at the heart of Iokai Shiatsu
One of Iokai’s original staff members, a close assistant to Shizuto Masunaga, has been teaching Iokai Shiatsu in Europe for 40 years: Kazunori Sasaki Sensei who has been sharing what his master transmitted to him, a passion and a deep interest in meridian shiatsu. In...
Those Aikido masters who spread Shiatsu
The history of Aikido is sometimes mixed with that of Shiatsu, because many Japanese masters have spread these two skills around the world. While they were sent to different continents to disseminate Aikido, they were also great teachers of Shiatsu. Compared to the...
Professional Recognition and EQF: A Vision for the Future of Shiatsu in Europe
The European Shiatsu Federation (EFS) has been trying for many years to have the Shiatsu profession recognized with the help of the national federations which it gathers. It seems that the EFS is on the verge of a successful bet with the help of the Austrian Shiatsu...
Interview Masanori Okamoto: the master of Kuretake Shiatsu
In Europe, Okamoto sensei’s name is associated with Shiatsu from the Kuretake Institute. Accurate, efficient and uncompromising in his work, he is a charming, relaxed and patient man in private life who took the time to explain and to show me on his books, many...
Shiatsu and Death
If there is one big word that shocks and frightens in today’s society, it is neither slang nor pornography, but the word “death”. Just hearing or reading it makes most people shudder and not want to know more. For Shiatsu practitioners, as for all therapists in the...
Shiatsu and Death: testimonials from practitioners
In addition to the article on Shiatsu and death, and for the first time on this blog, here are the words of Shiatsu practitioners testifying about death in a therapeutic relationship. These are their words, words that portray the deep empathy and all the humanity...