History of Zen Shiatsu Chicago
Zen Shiatsu Chicago (formerly Ohashiatsu Chicago), is Chicago’s oldest established shiatsu center. In 1988, the center was founded by Matthew Sweigart as a branch school of the Ohashi Institute, NYC.
Over the next eighteen years, Ohashiatsu Chicago generated an enormous output of talented healers, gifted instructors, and transformed clients. Many of Chicago’s shiatsu practitioners trace their roots back to this center, and to the inspiration they received from the Ohashiatsu method.
From 2003-2006, Ohashiatsu Chicago began a period of transition, developing and expanding to address the needs of professional practice in Illinois. In 2005, the school was accepted as a member of the Council of Schools and Programs of the AOBTA® (American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia).
In 2006, under the direction of Steve Rogne, the center took its present form. As Zen Shiatsu Chicago, the center is expanding also as a community resource, offering classes in fitness, wellness, nutrition, and meditation to the general public.
The vocational program continues to expand. Zen Shiatsu Chicago is developing collaboration with the growing Integrative medicine community in Chicago, and with the intellectual community of the Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and Midwest College of Oriental Medicine.
Zen Shiatsu Chicago is committed to a sustainable future for our planet. Our graduates know how to integrate themselves into the medical community, to promote change from within and contribute to the meeting of minds that will revolutionize our understanding of well-being.
