For Amsterdam-based Kim Veerman (34), the Iokai Shiatsu training is more than just a study. “You really get to work on yourself. You become aware of your own energy and learn to feel your body. From your mind and into your body. I have gained more direction in my life.”.
Photo by Annelies Kietselaer
Introduce yourself, who are you and what do you do?
“I am Kim, 34 years old, and I live together in Amsterdam. I was born in South Korea, adopted, and grew up in Volendam. After high school, I studied English. After that, I worked as a volunteer in Nepal to teach English there. When I returned, I wanted to get my teaching degree. It was a one-year course for first-grade teachers. It made me very unhappy. My head was filled with thoughts every day. Teaching, checking, everything combined: It kept me too busy. Currently, I work as a Facilities Assistant at the Municipality of Amsterdam. I find it very pleasant that I now have a job without having to think about my work after hours. This gives me more space for personal development.”
How did you come into contact with Shiatsu?
“My whole life I have been focused on my head, partly because I was good at learning. But as time went on, I started to develop an increasing interest in bodywork. I read an article about Shiatsu and started to explore it further. After attending several open days, I decided to follow the training in The Hague. I had fun classmates in the group and learned a lot. But there were also certain things that, in my eyes, were arranged in a somewhat amateurish way. They were also very reluctant to take feedback. In my eyes, that does not fit with the philosophy of Shiatsu, which is based on self-reflection. You have to keep developing, even at school.”
What made you choose another school in the first place?
“It was actually mainly pragmatic. Costs played the most important role initially. Only during the year did several aspects start to bother me. Therefore, I looked into it further. I had already visited an open day at Iokai shiatsu before, so I was familiar with this school. I got in touch with Norbert, the school’s director, and I felt good about making the switch to Iokai.”
You chose to do the first year again. Why?
“I didn’t actually have to do the first year again, but I had already booked a holiday and therefore couldn’t attend the start of the second year. That didn’t seem ideal to me. Moreover, I had the idea that I still had a lot to learn. At the Iokai Shiatsu Professional Training university, there are many more contact hours than at my previous degree programme. There is much more supervision from a lecturer. That makes it more intensive. I am very happy that I did this. This year I was able to develop a lot more ‘hara-awareness’, and in addition, it’s a very nice group of fellow students. A good mix of men and women and also people of my age. I see them alongside my studies. There have indeed been friendships formed.”
What are your plans for this study? Do you want to become a therapist?
“Yes, I really want to become a therapist, preferably with my own practice. But how it looks in five or ten years, we’ll see. I’ll leave that to fate. For now, my main learning goal is to get more out of my head and into my body. That’s my focus.”
What will the training bring you?
“A lot of effort has been put in. On all levels. Physically, but also mentally. It’s a very complex process, but as I go along I become more and more aware of the importance of truly being in your body and feeling what’s going on. I’ve been very interested in everything related to spirituality for a while now. But that actually attracted me even more. The training is very helpful in the process of becoming aware of your own energy, your center of gravity, and learning to focus. I’m noticing that it’s getting better and that I’ve gained more direction in my life. That’s nice.”
How does your environment react to the training you are doing and the process you are going through?
“My boyfriend finds it very fun and supports me. He is a grateful victim and enjoys undergoing treatments. He also understands the inner process, and I can share everything with him. My parents are down-to-earth people from North Holland. In the beginning, I was a bit hesitant to tell them that I was going to do the training. I was 31 when I started and had just completed the Teacher Training. They already told me: ‘Kim has got something going on. Would she still be able to handle this now?’ But that wasn’t too difficult. My father let it go that I wasn’t what he had imagined I would become (a doctor or a high-ranking position in business). They know that I make my own choices in this area and respect that. I found out that my father-in-law also worked as a shiatsu therapist for 15 years. He too completed the training at Iokai Shiatsu.”
What do you find important to convey?
“I wish more people would become aware of their bodies. People are so stuck in their heads. Work also stimulates that. When I’m sitting in the office all day, I just go upstairs to get the blood circulation going again. Iokai shiatsu helps to be more conscious in life. More out of your head and more in your body.”
What does this body awareness bring you?
“I am much more confident in myself and react less impulsively to things around me. In the past, I could react too easily. That is much less so. I also perceive things less personally and no longer play the victim role. How you are on the inside is also how you experience the world. When you are strong, you are less likely to be taken advantage of. This makes my sense of happiness greater. I have a fantastic partner, I have a good relationship with the people around me. That is very important and valuable. I am much more confident. In the past, I was always concerned with the question: ‘Do they think I’m nice?’ Now I don’t worry about that anymore.”
What would you like to tell interested parties or potential students?
“With Iokai Shiatsu, you really learn a craft and you are challenged as a person. You might say that about all the training in the field of personal development, but with Shiatsu you learn to feel your body, the Ki, the energy. You really get to work on yourself. It’s intense, but very valuable for yourself as a human being. And if you’re lucky like me, you end up in a super-fun group of people where friendships blossom.”
What do you expect from the second year?
“A lot! Now that I have completed my first year for a second time, it’s high time to move on and learn new things. In the first year, you’re still very focused on your own attitude and the question ‘am I doing it right?’ In the second year, feeling is central and we’ll increase our knowledge of the meridians and learn to feel them. I’m looking forward to it!”