About Kaz Kamiya RMT, Registered Massage Therapist - CST Certified Shiatsu Therapist Kaz Kamiya has over 30 years of experience in helping people to feel better. He studied shiatsu, acupuncture and moxibustion in Japan and apprenticed with the great shiatsu master Shizuto Masunaga. Kaz established the Shiatsu Clinic and the Shiatsu Education Centre in Toronto in 1981, offering treatments and training. He is the founder of the Shiatsu School of Canada, a private vocational school offering professional level training in shiatsu therapy and acupuncture and was its director and principal instructor from its inception in 1986 until 2004. He still teaches at the school and offers private lectures around the world. Kaz is a Licensed Health Practitioner in the city of Toronto with professional accreditation as a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) in Ontario and a Certified Shiatsu Therapist with the Shiatsu Therapy Association of Ontario.  Kaz is passionate about shiatsu and shiatsu education and has produced several training manuals and videos. When at the school, he sponsored seminars with well-known therapists such as Shizuto Masunaga, Tokujiro Namikoshi, Kiiko Matusmoto, Pamela Ferguson, Ryoku Endo, and Mark Seem.

The Kamiya prescription for healthy living

1. Quality diet – What you eat, how much you eat, and how frequently you take meals all have a major impact on your body's ability to heal itself. Not surprisingly, Kaz Kamiya has observed that moving towards a well balanced, moderate diet can have a huge effect on general health.

2. Mental and Emotional health – Oriental medicine considers the mind and body to be one - the body cannot be at ease if the mind is tense and vice versa. Kaz encourages clients to cultivate a positive mental attitude, to relax, enjoy life, and laugh more - this can actually help to keep you healthy.

3. Regular Exercise and Stretching – Kaz encourages his clients to keep their muscles in good shape, promote good circulation, and keep joints limber through regular, gentle exercise that includes full body stretching. This also helps to improve the effectiveness of your treatments.

4. Deep Breathing  - Practicing deep inhalation followed by long, relaxed exhalation can have a surprisingly beneficial effect on your stress level and your overall health. Deep breathing is a relaxation and conditioning technique that has been practiced for thousands of years in the east, and the positive effects are well recognized by western science.

5. Skin Conditioning – The skin is the interface between our inner world and the outside world – keep your skin healthy and your insides will follow. Kaz often recommendsa traditional Japanese skin therapy called “dry brushing” to his clients: use a natural bristle brush on your dry skin to gently exfoliate and stimulate circulation; then, take a hot shower followed by cold shower rinse. The effect is very refreshing!

6. Shiatsu treatment – The purpose of a shiatsu treatment is to restore your health by gently stimulating the body's ability to heal itself. Shiatsu treatments in the clinic can be considered a kind of "tune up" for the body. Treatments can correct long-standing issues, can help you improve your general health, and can help to prevent problems from developing in the future. Your treatments can be even more effective if you regularly take steps to help yourself at home using one of Kaz's self-help therapies such as exercises, stretches and the unique qi-tapper treatment.