Balance the Chinese Five Elements

Aroma Acutouch Therapy to

Balance the Chinese 5 Elements

From the perspective of the Chinese Five Elements, the body is not separate from nature. The components of the natural world, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood and Fire Elements ,are alive in each of us. The path to health and well-being is in the cultivation of balance of the Elements within. As massage therapists, we can deepen our work with clients by learning to recognize the signs of imbalance and integrating the tools for bringing each Element back to balance.  

In Integrating Chinese Five Elements into Massage, you will:

• Learn the function of each Element in creating physical, emotional and spiritual well-being
• Understand the stress factors, both internal and external, which lead to an Element's imbalance, and the signs and symptoms of its imbalance
• Discover how to use acupressure points, meridian pathways, and essential oils to bring each Element into balance
• Ground your approach to your work with clients in an Integrative Intake which addresses the whole person including their physical, emotional and spiritual issues
• Cultivate self-care and embodiment practices that will enable you to bring deeper presence into your work and create deeper results with your clients
• Receive 22 CEUs approved by the National Certification Board in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork
  

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Open Pathways' classes approved by the National Certification Board in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork?

Yes, all of our classes are approved by NCBTMB for CE hours.

What if I miss a class? How do I make it up?

All online classes are recorded. Once you are enrolled, you will have access to the recordings of the online classes to make up any missed course content for NO additional charge.  

Are there payment plans available for courses and programs?

Yes, there is a payment plan option available for both online courses and programs

Is there a homework requirement for Open Pathways' courses?

There is a requirement that you practice the material presented in class for a minimum of 30 minutes per week. You will be asked to turn in a Practice Record Log at the end of each course.

Do I have to be a certified or licensed massage therapist to enroll?

All of our courses include hands-on techniques. To offer these techniques to the public, you must be licensed to touch people, or currently in school for licensing, in order to participate in our course. This may be a license in massage therapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, or any other hands-on modality. 

Are online courses pre-recorded and self-paced or live and interactive?

Our online courses are taught live on Zoom, giving you the opportunity to interact with other students and ask questions to the instructor. NCBTMB CE certificates will be issued for "live" participation in courses. NCBTMB certificates are not available to students that listen to the recordings of the course

For how long will I have access to the digital teaching materials, diagrams, handouts and videos used in the online courses and programs?

In Teachable, you will have unlimited access to lecture notes and handouts, acupressure point and sequence diagrams, video lessons, and class recordings, which you can listen to as many times as you want or need. There is no time limit on your access to these materials.

Can I enroll in one course at a time, rather than an entire program?

Our programs are carefully designed to give you a comprehensive understanding of the theory and practice of Chinese Medicine principles that can be utilized in massage therapy. Each course is like one piece of a "puzzle." When taken together, these courses create a comprehensive roadmap into integrative health care. While it is possible to enroll in one course at a time, there is a significant financial savings when enrolling in a program. The price per class within the program is steeply discounted from the price of each stand-alone course.

What is Open Pathways' Individual Course Refund Policy?

If, within the first 14 days after the start of the course, you discover that this course does not fulfill your expectations, then you may cancel your enrollment with a full refund. After the first 14 days of the course, there are no refunds given.  

Will I need to bring a "client" to each online class in order to participate?
In most online classes, you will work on yourself using self-Acupressure techniques. For the Meridian Massage Therapy 8-week course, you will need to invite someone to be your "client" for the 75-minute practicum each week.

About your Instructor,

Raizelah Bayen,

National Certification Board in Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork Approved CEU Provider

With a passion for learning, Raizelah was certified in Integrative Massage in 1991, and never stopped taking classes in the healing arts. She later trained and certified in Eastern Massage and Acupressure, Jin Shin Jyutsu, Chinese and Western Herbology, Aroma Acupoint Therapy and Yoga instruction.  

Most naturally, Raizelah began to weave together the modalities she studied, in her work, developing a unique style of Integrative Health Care that combines hands-on Meridian Massage and Aroma Acutouch Therapy, and home care regimes of essential oils, herbs and yoga poses to address client complaints. Her hands-on work was informed by her own practices in mindfulness and embodiment, the foundational ground for her work and life.

Early in Raizelah’s career, she discovered her love for teaching. She first started teaching massage in 1998, at Twin Lakes School of the Healing Arts in Santa Cruz, and followed that with 15 years as a core instructor at the Sebastopol Massage School. Concurrently, Raizelah developed and trained massage therapists in continuing education in spa settings. Her integrative approach was also the foundation of a series of wellness workshops she has offered over the past 15 years.

In 2020, Raizelah took a professional leap to fulfill her dream of opening a massage school. Open Pathways Institute for Integrative Massage is the fulfillment of this dream. Her passion is to support Massage Therapists who envision expanding into Integrative Health Care, weavers of hands-on healing with Eastern massage, Acupressure and aromatherapy, all informed by the principles of Chinese Medicine.

Open Pathways Institute for Integrative Healing offers a variety of classes, including:

• Acupressure's Potent Points for Common Complaints
• Meridian and Five Element Acupressure
• Aroma Acutouch Therapy
• Meridian Massage Therapies: T'ui Na and Japanese Shiatsu
• Oncology Massage & Acupressure
• And more!