Seymour Koblin

How it started

Seymour : It all started in Mt Sinai Hospital Toronto, Canada September 1977. I, Seymour Koblin or perhaps more accurately said, my soul was floating above my bed looking down at my anesthetized body. The doctors had misdiagnosed an appendix attack. My appendix, subsequently burst and there I found myself above my ripped open body with tubes draining my abdomen below. My new rising reality was such a great feeling- free flying, smiling, higher and higher, up an away into the tunnel of darkness… when I heard a voice “What are you doing Seymour? –get back in your body-Seymour, you have work to do.” My startled self squeezed myself back in my body. I woke up the next morning and said to myself: Ok, it’s time to take my life into my own hands. After 6 weeks of tests, an unnecessary exploratory surgery, I was released from the hospital a week before my 24th- Birthday Oct 31 1977. I moved to New York City in March 1978 to pursue my music career and began searching for a Tai Chi Chuan teacher to help me improve my health.

Sessions with Seymour–ZEN ergize

After my first 3 years of studying Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Kung, Nei Kung and Taoist mediation with Master C.K Chu – practicing 5 hrs /day, I found myself wanting to more about how Chi traveled through the body. I started studying Shiatsu with Wataru Ohashi. In 1981 I took my first Oriental diagnosis class and realized I had more work to do if I was to reflect the the level of health I knew was possible. I added to my already busy study routine, Macrobiotic classes with Michio and Aveline Kushi, Shizuku Yamamoto and Anne Marie Colbin. I made frequent trips back and forth from NYC to Boston and Becket and eventually began assisting and scribing for Michio Kushi’s consultations at the Macrobiotic Center of New York.

Thus by 1984 I found myself nearing graduation from Ohashi’s school and becoming certified at the Kushi Institute. Ohashi failed me on my final practical shiatsu exam, saying this was the highest compliment he could pay me because “Seymour you are destined to create your own style -come work on me once you have developed your unique form of Shiatsu.” He gave me a list of 5 people to work on who had developed something unique after graduating from Ohashi’s school. I thus began developing Zen-Touch™, passed my test with Ohashi, moved to California and started my own State Approved school in San Diego California 1989.

I knew that we had to offer more than Zen-Touch™ Shiatsu, so I developed a very wide and versatile curriculum at the school known as School of Healing Arts. 30 years later the school was acquired by Kieu Vo under the name International College of Holistic Studies. While I an no longer involved in the versatile academic programs at ICOHS, my activities at iSOHA in Prague, San Diego and other international schools and centers keep me busy focused on my more personal work as well as advanced Holistic Courses for Continuing Education designed to take already practicing professionals to higher levels of expertise.

My personal work in Zen-Touch™ Shiatsu , Macrobiotics, Tai Chi Chuan, Chi Kung Nei Kung and Taoist meditation have shown me that the best way to learn is through the apprenticeship/mentorship model. While I spend a lot of time teaching and introducing larger groups of mainstream newcomers to the world of Holistic Health, I also spend considerable time teaching individuals and small groups of serious students who are interested in learning Holistic healing in a personal environment.

learned the most when Michio or Shizuko showed me how to feel, assess and make recommendations in a personalized way with the clients I assisted them with. I remember Shizuko guiding my finger on a clients belly to show me how to feel a fatty cyst, or a stone or a tumor. Michio would point out features and mannerisms of a client that led him to make a “diagnosis” and explain why this customized remedy he came up with would be the perfect solution to alleviate a symptom. This experience is never communicated in books or classes. I carry on this tradition through my private internship training.

Seymour has written, “the Art of Zen-Touch™”, “Shaping Our Destiny”, “Home Remedies”, “Chi Cultivation” and “Circulation and Food for Life” present helpful education that becomes complete when studying in the internship format. The poetry, illustrations and general writing style in them convey a change in consciousness style that makes the books bigger than the information on the pages.
I look forward to meeting you and in the meantime –

Study well, be diligent. Practice the principles and then wait…Breathe.. Feel… Shhh…. Listen,
follow the message that is born from the silence within.

Testimonials

From the Inspired

Hugo Anguiano

To whom this may concern:

This is a letter of testimonial and gratitude for Mr Seymor Koblin for his supervision, instruction and mentorship over the past two decades.

Mr. Koblin gave me the opportunity to teach over twenty years ago. He was a constant presence in my classroom taking notes, sometimes sitting outside so that I would not know he was listening. He would give me feedback often right after class when the students had left, or he would come into the class and provide immediate feedback while the point being discussed was fresh. Later during the internship classes for those of us learning to teach he would often offer suggestions to help me be a better teacher. He would address everything from the verbal and body language being used, to the examples and illustrations given in class and of course to the actual material being taught.

There were many times I sat at the back of his classes taking notes on how he taught. Later we would go to dinner and talk about any doubts or questions I had. He was always willing to help and motivate me.
Now that I have been teaching for over twenty years I still keep many of his suggestions in mind. It is thanks to his continued support and guidance that I consistently receive excellent feedback from my students and supervisors.

Robyn Sanders

I started taking classes with Seymour at the [International] School of Healing Arts about 2 years ago. We met in person first to discuss my interest and figure out a plan that was just right for me. I really appreciated this because it gave me a sense of comfort and empowerment to begin the process of becoming holistically certified through the school.

The personalized attention I received during my studies was so helpful and I believe essential to my learning and growing. I was able to ask questions and have discussions with Seymour on the various topics being taught in order to further my understanding and really integrate my comprehension of the course material into practical application. It also gave me the opportunity to move at my own pace during the hands-on experiences. In addition, Seymour met with me via Skype for distance classes and coaching. I was so grateful for this as it gave me the freedom and flexibility I needed to accommodate my schedule while still being able to work toward my certification and receive the individualized care that proved to be so beneficial. Thank you so much!

Work with seymour

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