Study
Oda studied Shiatsu and TCM in Israel at the Israel School of Shiatsu and Chinese Medicine (ISSCM), which later became known as Medi-Cin College of Complementary Medicine. She received the Shiatsu Therapist Diploma in 1995, after completing a comprehensive 3-year Shiatsu program. Oda had the benefit of being a direct student of the school's founders, Dr. Rodriguez (M.D., OMD) and Mr. Ron Pays (OMD). They had both lived and studied in Japan, learning and practicing Shiatsu under the direct instruction of the two well-known and respected Shiatsu masters (senseis) in Japan at the time, Tokujiro Namikoshi and Shizuto Masunaga.
Tokujiro Namikoshi Sensei founded the Japan Shiatsu College in 1940, re-introducing and systematizing the classic Shiatsu therapy known before as 'Anma' into what is the most popular and respected form of Shiatsu in Japan today. Sensei Namikoshi's system enjoys special legal status, and its adherents often credit him with the development of shiatsu. Namikoshi Shiatsu style is based on traditional bodywork as well as anatomical and physiological principles.
Shizuto Masunaga Sensei, originally a student of Namikoshi and then teacher at the school, and also a professor of psychology at the Tokyo University, opened his own school (Iokai Center of Shiatsu) and taught what has become known in western countries as the Zen style of Shiatsu technique. Masunaga's Zen Shiatsu is founded on the ancient principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Due to the influence of these two Japanese Shiatsu schools of thought and practice, the study program of ISCCM was unique, teaching a combination of classic, traditional and modern techniques and therapeutic approaches, all intertwined into a holistic Shiatsu practice. Students were also encouraged to learn tai chi chuan, yoga, qi gong and meditation for individual enhancement of health and well-being. ISCCM often hosted teachers from abroad and Oda participated in master workshops of Ryokyu Endo Sensei from Japan, whowas a student of Masunaga Sensei and later founded the Tao Shiatsu School, based on energy work, intuition and Daoist principles. Other external Shiatsu teachers and therapists included Ray Ridolfi, the founder of the Shiatsu-Do School in London, as well as other teachers and therapists from Europe and USA.
Following the Shiatsu training, Oda enrolled in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) 4-year study program, and in 1998 she graduated from Medi-Cin College of Complementary Medicine, receiving an Oriental Medical Doctor (OMD) Diploma. Clinical internships included periods in China for acupuncture (Guan An Mein Hospital, Beijing) and Chinese herbs (Chengdu University Hospital of TCM, Szechuan province).
Work
In 1995, Oda began her Shiatsu Therapist practice, as well as becoming a Shiatsu teacher at Medi-Cin College, after several years as a teacher's assitant and participating in a teacher’s training program. In 1998 TCM (acupuncture, herbs, moxibustion and guasha) was incorporated in the clinical work.
Since 1999, Oda spends her time between Israel, Europe and Asia, sharing and applying knowledge, experience and therapeutic skills, as well as creating and teaching courses and workshops for people with a variety of skills, needs and vocations.
Between the years 2001 – 2005 Oda lived and worked in northern Thailand, at Three Lotus House, a self-managed center for courses and treatments in Zen Shiatsu, Reiki, Qi Gong and Meditation. External teachers would offer retreats in yoga, vedic chanting and meditation, while different gatherings and special activities would happen from time to time. Three Lotus House was located in a traditional Thai village in the hills of northern Thailand, surrounded by tropical forests, rivers, waterfalls and hot-springs. Courses were intensive integrated retreats which benefitted from the natural and wholesome environment.
During this period, seeing a need for more in-depth understanding of concepts of intuition, energy and TCM, Oda created a few new courses and workshops which were not part of the original curriculum. Courses such as Knowing Touch and Wu Xing were complementary study units to existing courses or as independent workshops, a fruit of Oda's practical experience in the clinic and the classroom.
Since 2006, Oda has spent most of her time in India, with shorter periods in Thailand, China and Israel. In India the main teaching is of the comprehensive 3-month Integrated Zen Shiatsu Courses, which include Zen Shiatsu, Qi Gong, Do-In, Yoga, Meditation, Knowing Touch, Wu Xing and TCM principles. Reiki Courses are also scheduled. Course participants come from across the globe, with different levels of knowledge and experience in the healing arts, giving the courses an international and varied atmosphere. After the course, students are able to give complete Shiatsu treatment sessions, as well as themselves practice a variety of body-mind cultivation techniques.
