Kumiko Kanayama is a practitioner and teacher of Intuitive Shiatsu™. She developed the Intuitive Shiatsu™, a method she developed after many years of study with her uncle, Ohashi, a leader of shiatsu in the West. After many years of teaching as a Certified Ohashiatsu® Instructor, Kumiko set out on her own to pursue her discoveries about the intuitive dimensions of shiatsu and impart her growing knowledge to others.
Kumiko’s years of study and practice helped her develop profound sensitivity to and awareness of the Ki energy in self and others, the focus that gives us life. She came to understand that the state of Ki balance and harmony promotes and maintains the health and well-being of body, mind, and spirit.
Kumiko became a Certified Ohashiatsu® Consultant in 1991 to work with people of all ages, from all walks of life, and every ethnic and spiritual background. In 2001, she became an Instructor after experiencing 9/11 in NYC and its effects upon the New York City community.
She has taught courses in both the US and Europe. Her intellectual curiosity and special interests led her to create and develop numerous elective courses and workshops: Review of the Elements, Neck, Curious Meridian, Hara Assessment, Tsubo Workshop, and many more for professionals and pre-professional students.
During and subsequent to her completion of training, Kumiko studied with many eminent teachers, including Dr. David Coulter, the author of Anatomy and Hatha Yoga, Domenico Bassi, Siegrid Maidorn, Silvia Marchesa Rossi, Mitchell Wolf, Sam Berlind, and Maureen Miller, among others.
Kumiko founded Go Shiki Kan; the Five Lights Center of Shiatsu in 2012. She continues to practice and share her love of the art of Shiatsu in New York City. The Five Lights Center of Shiatsu, dedicated to her mother, Yasuko Kanayama, and her father, Naohiro Kanayama, is an expression of her focus on joyful and instinctive giving, strong community, and the light and energy of hands, both literal and symbolic.