About ESS Brighton
Taking Shiatsu Back to its roots……Our Unique Approach
1) A profound understanding of Chinese medicine: Our Ethos is to re-integrate shiatsu with its roots in Classical Chinese Medicine. You will learn how to diagnose and treat using this ancient and profound understanding of the body. We concentrate not only on Yin/Yang and 5 elements theories but also on the six divisions and the differences between channel and organ functions and pathologies, offering a unique angle on shiatsu practice in the UK
There are many contemporary approaches to shiatsu. At ESS Brighton we believe that by studying the classical concepts of Chinese medicine in-depth and by applying these in a concrete way to our bodywork, we will best equip ourselves to understand all of these approaches.
We will also have a wealth of resources at our fingertips as we will be able understand the knowledge presented in many Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture texts and be able to apply these effectively to our bodywork. This can help in turn to make our shiatsu more effective in the clinic.
Finally should you want to go on to study Acupuncture or Chinese Herbal Medicine, having studied at ESS, you should be able to reduce your studies by up to 1 to 2 years
2) Experiential learning: We are passionate about teaching the theories of Chinese Medicine in a way that will makes sense to you through your own direct experience and will apply concretely to your shiatsu bodywork
Every class typically starts with some form of movement experiment where we exploration how different parts of our bodies relate to various meridians and their physical functions as well as emotional and mental aspects of our lives. Yoga, Tai Chi and Qigong also play an important role within this.
Through discussion we can begin to relate these experiences to the theories of Chinese medicine, bringing them to life in a tangible way for our students that is beyond pure intellect (and readily applicable to life and ourselves).
We believe that this approach to understanding Chinese medicine is particularly well suited to the shiatsu student whose practice is based primarily on touch.
3) Clinically effective shiatsu: A large proportion of our curriculum is dedicated to applied learning. This takes the form of hands on, clinical experience during our student clinic days as well as focusing on the skills necessary to deal with commonly presenting problems, such as pain (frozen shoulder; migraines; menstruation pain etc.), digestive disorders, anxiety and insomnia etc.
At ESS whilst we acknowledge the profound importance of working with the subtlest aspects of our disease, we also see that this is not the whole picture. We need techniques that can work with the acute manifestations of disease as well as deeper energetic work
We therefore teach a wide range of Shiatsu skills and techniques from the more strong and physical to the subtler, holding and connecting energies. We believe that both are invaluable in treating the whole person. There is no Yin without Yang.
We wish foremost in teaching you the skills necessary to deal with commonly presenting problems that you will most likely encounter in your everyday clinic, such as pain (from back to shoulder pain to Migraines and period related problems); digestive disorders; emotional and stress related problems; insomnia, etc.
We are happy to say that the list of what can be successfully treated or at least ameliorated with good Shiatsu is long!
All our teachers (link) draw from a rich clinic experience and are continuously exploring what works in practice. We hope to inspire you and pass on this rich knowledge.
