Kizuna Bodywork Basic Class 1: Full Description

upcoming dates: Sept. 19-22, 2009
duration: 4 days
location: Akigawa, Japan (near Tokyo)
teacher: Les May

Use the enrollment form to reserve your place in the class.

Brief Summary

In this introduction to Kizuna Bodywork you'll learn to give a graceful full-body oil massage that relieves pain and tension. To protect yourself from pain and injury you'll use your hands and thumbs only for lighter work, and you'll learn techniques for light to firm pressure using your forearms as well. Along with massage you'll practice free-form dance, observing nature, and partner yoga in order to connect more deeply with other people and with your heart, your body, and your creativity, and these connections will not only enrich your massage work but also your life.

Overview

This class provides basic skills and an introduction to Kizuna Bodywork for beginners. You will learn to give a relaxing, beautiful, and effective full-body oil massage that relieves pain and tension while protecting your own body from being overworked or injured. The focus will be on simple techniques for giving a massage of light to firm pressure. You'll learn to generate pressure using your body weight instead of your strength so even if you're relatively small and lack physical power you can do effective massage without hurting or tiring yourself.

In addition to using your hands for lighter work you'll begin to learn Kizuna Bodywork's unique techniques for using the forearms to do work that is as effective and pleasurable as massage with the hands. This will greatly reduce demands on your hands, wrists, fingers, and thumbs so you can avoid the pain and injury most massage therapists suffer from. If you are already an experienced massage therapist, these basic Kizuna Bodywork techniques can transform the way you do massage. And if you're one of the majority of massage therapists who has suffered pain and injury from doing conventional techniques, this Kizuna Bodywork class can give you tools with which to get started doing the work you love again while allowing your body to rest and heal.

But Kizuna Bodywork is much more than these innovative massage techniques and methods. It is also a process of awakening your natural capacity to feel more deeply and express yourself, to touch others with compassion, to connect with nature and notice what it has to teach you about movement and energy, to be more aware of your own body and able to move more freely, and to allow your creativity to flow. In this class you will explore this process of inner awakening through free-form dance, observing nature, and partner yoga, in addition to massage practice. The deepening of connection with yourself and others that you cultivate through these diverse activities will bring depth to your massage, give your techniques the effortless beauty of a dance, and give you the power to promote healing and change not only in the physical body but also in the lives of the people you touch as well as your own.

This class is one part of a six-class series. You have the option to enroll in this single class to get an overview of Kizuna Bodywork, or you may complete the entire series of six classes in order to earn Basic Certification as a Professional Practitioner of Kizuna Bodywork. Practitioners of other oil massage styles are also welcome to enroll in this class to meet their continuing education needs.

Details of Concepts and Curricula

Each part in the series of six Basic Classes helps you build a foundation of technical massage skills while illuminating the key themes of Kizuna Bodywork.

On the technical side, you will learn to give a relaxing full-body oil massage that feels very good and helps relieve pain and tension. You'll gain knowledge of human anatomy and physiology and explore how to use it in practical ways to make your work more precise and effective. And you'll study Kizuna Bodywork's unique methods for achieving superior therapeutic results, including many original techniques not found in other massage styles. Instead of relying entirely on a fixed procedure every time you give massage, you will begin to practice giving a unique massage to each person to meet their individual needs. If you are already a practitioner of another style of bodywork, you will learn new techniques and methods which compliment your current style, bring more variety, beauty, and effectiveness to your massage work, and renew your enjoyment and fascination with the field.

In contrast to most massage education, in Kizuna Bodywork Basic Class self-care is a top priority. By using your hands only for relatively light work when you give massage, you'll learn to save your hands, wrists, fingers, and thumbs from pain and injury. You'll study a diverse set of techniques that includes use of alternative tools like forearms and elbows to gracefully give light to firm pressure so you have more technical versatility and so your hands can often rest. And you'll lay a foundation of essential skills so you'll be ready to learn techniques for doing more precise, complex, and deep work with these alternative tools in advanced classes in the future. In addition to learning to do massage in a way that is easy for you and yet is very effective and pleasurable for your clients, you'll study stretches and massage techniques you can do on your own body to maintain your health. If you've already experienced pain and injury from doing massage, Kizuna Bodywork Basic Class will give you tools with which you can return to the work you love while allowing your hands, wrists, fingers, and thumbs to rest and heal. And if you're a beginner you'll start your study of massage with a safer approach.

While you study the technical aspects of massage in this class, you will also learn to bring a nurturing feeling to your work by touching with compassion. Allowing love to flow from our hearts and hands and through the people we touch can in itself promote profound change and healing in their bodies, emotions, and minds, as well as within our own lives. Touching with love is a source of joy and beauty through which massage becomes far more than a merely physical experience and can be deeply fulfilling and meaningful to both the giver and the receiver. In order to bring this depth to your work, Kizuna Bodywork Basic Class will include activities which cultivate your ability to focus through the physical experience of massage into your intention to touch with love.

Another key theme in Kizuna Bodywork is discovery of the teachers which are already within you and all around you. Through exercises designed to help you hear the messages your own body, intellect, and feelings are always sending you, you will develop your intuition, your natural ability to know what path is right for you and how you can help others. Every class day will include Kizuna Movement in which you will practice feeling and moving freely, dancing without choreography, developing a deeper connection with your own body, and allowing your true self to emerge from behind your social mask. In the accepting, compassionate community we will create together, this practice of freedom and creative self-expression in movement will gradually help you become more comfortable moving in your own unique ways in the presence of others. As self-awareness and self-acceptance blossom you will become more connected with your own inner source of creativity and intelligence. This will in turn foster your capacity for self-expression and innovation as a bodyworker and prepare you for more advanced training in which the ability to work creatively and adapt to new situations becomes more important. The deepening connection with yourself and your natural abilities which you cultivate in this class will not only enrich your massage work but also enhance the quality of your whole life.

The natural world around us is also a great teacher of Kizuna Bodywork. In order to better hear its messages, in this class you will spend time observing nature, noticing the details of the plants, animals, sky, earth, and elements. In particular you will study water and its teachings about how to move in flowing, complex, and powerful ways with the help of gravity. You will use the qualities, movements, and shapes you observe in nature as guides to help you learn to move beautifully and gracefully as you do massage. And you will lay a foundation of creativity for your work by learning to feed your imagination with the inspiration nature offers, using it to continually develop your own unique ways of doing massage. If as an experienced therapist you sometimes feel your massage has become formulaic or boring, this connection with nature will bring an infinite supply of fresh ideas and energy to your work. The time you spend observing nature will also help you enter a state of relaxed awareness in which your body and your intuition can flow more freely. This too has the potential not only to enhance your massage work but to bring richness to all spheres of your life.

Kizuna Bodywork Basic Class is thus an opportunity to practice both caring for others and fostering your own health and development on many levels of your being. It is designed to be an effective alternative massage education experience as well as a joyful, heartwarming time of connecting deeply with yourself, with the beauty of our world, and with other people.

Format

In each class the teacher will demonstrate and explain several techniques and concepts in detail. Students will then practice with a partner, sometimes following along while observing the teacher give the demonstration again and other times practicing on their own while receiving one-on-one instruction from the teacher. Classes will also include outdoor walks in nature and movement exercises like partner yoga and free-form dance which help students learn about the themes, body postures, and movements of Kizuna Bodywork. The teacher mostly speaks English, so lessons will be presented in Japanese by a skilled interpreter.

Who This Class Is For

Kizuna Bodywork Basic Class 1 is appropriate for both beginners and experienced practitioners, including:

  • anyone who wants to try Kizuna Bodywork, learn the basics, and find out if they enjoy and want to continue studying it
  • beginners who think they might want to start a massage career and want to try massage class to see if they enjoy it
  • beginners who know they want to become professional massage practitioners and want to learn alternative techniques and concepts to those of conventional massage therapy
  • massage practitioners who already studied a different massage style and who want to explore new techniques and concepts in bodywork
  • injured massage practitioners who want to learn alternative techniques with which they can do effective and beautiful massage while allowing their injuries to heal
  • non-professionals who want to learn massage to share with family and friends for personal enjoyment and who do not need a professional certificate
  • massage practitioners who already took this class and want to review, improve their technique with the help of expert teachers, enjoy the rich experience of Kizuna Bodywork Class again, and connect with their peers in the community of bodyworkers

Students who are not residents of Japan who can understand either the Japanese or English languages are also welcome to enroll.

Teacher

Kizuna Bodywork Basic Classes 1 through 6 will be taught by Les May. Les is the founder of Kizuna Bodywork. He teaches massage in Japan and in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is also a member of the Esalen Massage Crew and the editor and producer of the Deep Bodywork DVD series. Les has worked at Esalen Institute since 2001. He is an experienced teacher of movement and personal growth programs and has taught movement classes at Esalen.

Location and Accommodations

Kizuna Bodywork Basic Class 1 will be held near Tokyo in the small town of Akigawa in a quiet, beautiful setting where there are mountains, forests, rivers, and natural hot springs. This setting is similar to the environment in America where Kizuna Bodywork was developed. All classes will be held at Youzawa Center, a spacious and attractive educational center with both modern and traditional features. Lodging and meals for students will also be provided there. Sleeping rooms will be shared with other students, and men and women will be in separate rooms. During free time we will have the opportunity to enjoy nature in Akigawa and relax together at nearby hot springs.

Dates

  • Basic Class 1: September 19-22, 2009
  • Basic Classes 2 through 6: Spring 2010 (details to be announced)

Note: Kizuna Bodywork Advanced Class 1 will be held Sept. 23-26, just after Basic Class 1. Experienced massage therapists who wish to take both Basic Class 1 and Advanced Class 1 to get an overview of Kizuna Bodywork and then explore its concepts and techniques in more depth are welcome to do so. If you attend both classes you receive a discounted price.

Schedule

There will be a total of 25 hours of class over four days plus free time for practice, rest, going to hot springs, and other activities outside class.

Day 1 of class:

  • 10-10:30am: arrive at Musashi-Itsukaichi station and ride bus together to Youzawa Center
  • 11am - 1:30pm: introduction and class
  • 1:30pm - 3pm: lunch and free time
  • 3pm - 6:30pm: class
  • 6:30-8pm: dinner
  • evening: free time

Days 2, and 3 of class:

  • 8am - 10am: breakfast and free time
  • 10am - 1:30pm: class
  • 1:30 - 3pm: lunch and free time
  • 3pm - 6:30pm: class
  • 6:30-8pm: dinner
  • evening: free time

Day 4 of class:

  • 8am - 10am: breakfast and free time
  • 10am - 1:30pm: class
  • 1:30 - 2:30pm: lunch and free time
  • 2:30pm - 4:30pm: class and conclusion
  • 5pm: ride bus together to Musashi-Itsukaichi station

Prices

The base price of the class is 119,000 yen, lodging and all meals included (3 nights, 4 days). Of this price, 90,000 yen is the tuition and 29,000 yen is the lodging and meals fee.

If you enroll in both Basic Class 1 and Advanced Class 1 and pay tuition for both classes before the start date of the first class, you receive a discount of 20000 yen off the total tuition for 2 classes.

All class materials fees are included in the tuition. Tuition does not cover transportation and admission to a hot spring, so please be prepared to pay the small fees for this optional activity if you wish to participate.

Discounts

You can substantially reduce your class fees by enrolling early, enrolling in multiple classes, and referring friends who also enroll. For details please review the discounts we offer.

How to Enroll and Pay for Classes

There are three steps to class enrollment and payment:

  • As early as possible please use our website enrollment form to send us your name and other information and indicate which class(es) you will attend.
  • As early as possible please pay a deposit equal to the total lodging and meals fees for all your classes (29,000 yen per class) to confirm your enrollment.
  • Please pay the tuition (minus any discounts you can use) for each class in which you enrolled by 30 days before its start date.

It is also acceptable for you to send the deposit and tuition as one payment rather than first paying a deposit and later paying the tuition.

Multiple Class Enrollment

If you enroll in more than one class, once you have paid your deposit for all your classes, please pay your tuition (minus any discounts you can use) for the first class by 30 days before its start date. You then have two options for paying the tuition of your other classes:

  • You may pay the tuition for all your classes before the start date of the first class. In this case you would receive the discount we offer for enrolling in multiple classes.
  • You may wait after the start date of the first class and pay the tuition for your other classes by 30 days before their individual start dates. In this case you would not receive the discount we offer for enrolling in multiple classes.

Late Enrollment

If you wish to enroll less than 30 days before the start date of a class you may contact us any time to see if there are still places available and make special arrangements to enroll and pay your fees.

How to Send Payment

You may pay your deposits and class fees by direct bank transfer or by mailing us a check or money order in Japanese yen or US dollars.

If paying by direct bank transfer please send funds to Kizuna Bodywork Manager Erina Mitsumori at the following destination:

Mitsubishi Tokyo UFJ Bank
Hachioji Branch
Ordinary Account, 0031632
Kizuna Bodywork
Mitsumori Erina

If paying by check or money order in Japanese yen, please send funds to Kizuna Bodywork Manager Erina Mitsumori at the following destination:

Kizuna Bodywork
c/o Erina Mitsumori
Myojin-cho 2-2-8-616
Hachioji-city, Tokyo
192-0046
JAPAN

If paying by check or money order in US dollars, please send funds to Kizuna Bodywork founder Les May at the following destination:

Kizuna Bodywork
c/o Les May
PO Box 181
Big Sur, CA 93920
USA

Contact Us for Help

If you have any problems with the enrollment process or any questions about the amount due, how to calculate your discounts, or how to send payment, please contact us.

Enrollment Cancellations

If you notify us you wish to cancel your enrollment 30 days prior to the day the class begins or earlier, any deposit or fees paid will be refunded, less a 10000 yen cancellation fee. If you cancel later than 30 days prior to the day the class begins, your deposit and fees will not be refunded.

Basic Certification Program

This class is the first part of the Kizuna Bodywork Basic Certification Program, a course of study designed to prepare massage practitioners to practice Kizuna Bodywork professionally. When you enroll in this class you have the option to simultaneously enroll in all 6 classes in the Basic Certification Program and receive a substantial discount on your tuition.

FAQ

Q: What should I bring to class?
A: Please bring comfortable, loose clothes appropriate for massage and movement activities including yoga and dancing. These should be clothes you don't mind getting oily since it can be hard to clean the oil marks out of some clothes. Also please bring shoes suitable for casual walking outdoors.

Q: When will you hold the other five classes in the six-class Basic Certification Program?
A: In Spring of 2010. Please use the form at the top right of this page to join our mailing list so we can contact you when we determine the dates of our future classes.

Please also see the main Kizuna Bodywork FAQ. If you have any other questions please contact us.