Massage Certification Faculty

Lynn Ablondi
L.Ac.
Lynn Ablondi has been in the field of complementary healthcare for over 15 years. She is an acupuncturist, herbalist, traditional Shiatsu therapist and educator. Lynn has been teaching Shiatsu at bodywork schools in the Bay Area and privately for 10 years. She has studied Barefoot Shiatsu with Shizuko Yamamoto and extensively with Edward Spencer. Along with developing personal healthcare strategies, she is committed to educating the public about the many options available in maintaining health and well-being through acupuncture, herbs, Shiatsu massage, nutrition, and exercise therapies.

Steven Alpern
L.Ac.
Steven studied classical Chinese Medicine with Jeffrey Yuen, 88 th generation Daoist Master in California and New York, studied Japanese empirical acupuncture methods with Kiiko Matsumoto, with Master Fang Feng, Master Herbalist as is currently in private practice since 1989 where he is the founder of the healing Center of the Sierra. Steven has been on the faculty of Lerner Education where he taught seminars to prepare students reviewing for the national Board of Acupuncture Orthopedics Exam.

Douglas Bertram
L.Ac.
Douglas Bertram, L.Ac. has been assessing and treating orthopedic disorders for the past twelve years. He is now a Nationaly Certified Diplomate of Oriental Medicine from the NCCAOM. His initial training in massage therapy was received in his home town of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Douglas subsequently sought to study first hand with the developers of several modalities including Myofascial Release, Crainio-Sacral Therapy, and Neuro-Energetic Release. This extensive training in structural bodywork led him to the Naropa institute in Boulder Colorado, where he earned his B.A. degree in Contempletive Psychology. While at Naropa, Douglas had the opportunity to train in the tradition of Shambala Meditation by first generation students of Naropa’s founder Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Recently he has completed a four year masters program at Five Branches University, in Santa Cruz, CA. He is now maintaining a private practice in Milwaukee WI, as well as teaching students his unique combination of orthopedic Bodywork and Traditional Chinese Modalities, an innovation he calls Lotus Hands.

Shannon Lynn Brown
LMT
Shannon Brown has over 20 years experience as a massage therapist and has a successful practice in Santa Cruz. She has helped develop national massage certification exams through NCBTMB, and is a regular consultant to their programs. Shannon teaches Anatomy, Physiology, and Kinesiology in the Asian Bodywork and Qigong program at Five Branches University.

Lee Holden
M.T.C.M., L.Ac.
Lee Holden has been a master practitioner and teacher of Qi Gong, Taiji , Taoist Yoga, and Taoist Meditation. Lee is a Senior Instructor for the International Healing Tao. He has been the Chief Editor for International Tao founded by Master Mantak Chia. Lee has taught workshops throughout the United States, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Lee has been on staff with Mantak Chia and Deepak Chopra, teaching, writing, and facilitating seminars and workshops. Currently, Lee teaches at Five Branches University, Twin Lakes College of the Healing Arts, and is the founder of Pacific Healing Tao in Northern California. Lee Holden is a graduate of UC Berkeley, with a BA in Psychology, and a graduate of Five Branches University.

Glenn Kazmierski
M.T.C.M., L.Ac.
Glenn Kazmierski received his Master’s Degree in Acupuncture from Five Branches University and has practiced Asian forms of massage for 15 years. He specializes in a combination of acupuncture, Shiatsu , and orthopedic skills for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. Glenn is an advocate of building a bridge between Eastern and Western styles of medicine.

Tom Leichardt
DMQ
Tom received a Doctorate of Medical Qi Gong from the International Institute of Medical Qi Gong, the College of Henan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China. His lineage is in the Dragon Gate Sect of Taoism at Mt. Chingcheg in China, where he was given the Taoist name Li Zhong. Tom serves on Sri Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma) staff during her tours and teaches Qi Gong and Meditation as well as Medical Qi Gong at Five Branches University and enjoys a private practice in the Santa Clara Valley.

Frank Leonardi
L.Ac.
Frank has more than twenty years experience in oriental healing arts. He has been a licensed acupuncturist for eight years. Frank began practicing acupressure and Shiatsu twenty years ago and uses these techniques in his clinic today. He is a certified Reiki Master. He has also taught at Trinity College and American School of Herbalism. Clinically, Frank incorporates all these modalities and infuses them with Buddhist and Daoist philosophies. He currently has a clinic in San Jose, California.

Christian Nix
L.Ac.
Christian Nix is a graduate of the master’s degree program for Integrative Healthcare Administration. Prior to obtaining his degree, he completed a five year apprenticeship in TCM which allowed him to achieve certification as an L.Ac. He currently runs acupuncture externships in Central America and teaches Teishin and TCM teacher training. He has taught at University of East-West Medicine, Five Branches University, and the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences.

Janet Oliver
L.Ac.
Janet Oliver has practiced and taught Acupressure and TCM for 25 years. She was a Senior Instructor at the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley for 15 years and has taught at the Institute of Psycho-Structural Balancing in Los Angeles. For 8 years, Janet was the Acupressure Program Director at the Body Therapy Center where she developed the curriculum and textbooks for a 500 hour Acupressure Therapy Program. Janet graduated from the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences in Oakland, California.

Donna Runnalls
MFT
Donna Runnalls is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist as well as a certified Hypnotherapist, Biofeedback Clinician and Tian Gong Chi-Gong Instructor. Donna studied under and assisted Grand Master Le-Tian of China in 1997 and has been teaching workshops throughout the Bay Area in Tian Gong since 2002

Po-lin Shyu
L.Ac.
Po-lin Shyu received his Master’s of Science degree in TCM in 1993 and interned at the Shu Guan Hospital in Shanghai, China, studying internal medicine and gynecology. He received training in Tuina massage from Dr. Wei Shu-Yin in China. He has run his own clinic since 1995, and is well-known for his expertise in treating injuries using TCM and Tuina massage. Po-lin teaches Tuina massage in the ABQ program, as well as teaching acupuncture for the TCM program at Five Branches University.

Louis Steltar
Diplomat ABT
Louis Steltar has been teaching the 500 hour ABT program as well as Review classes for the NCCAOM ABT exam since 1998. He is a practitioner with professional expertise in the fields of Shiatsu, Acupressure and Tuina in private practice in the Bay Area.

JoAnn Tennant

JoAnn Tennant was introduced to foot reflexology in 1976, and became certified in reflexology with Ulla Meyerhof in 1993. She is a certified massage practitioner and is a member of the Foot Reflexology Awareness Association. JoAnn has an extensive private practice in Santa Cruz. She currently teaches classes in reflexology at UC Santa Cruz and workshops at the Mount Madonna Center. It is her passion to bring awareness of the benefits of this ancient healing art to all.

Miranda Warburton
Ph.D., LMT, AOBTA, ITM certified Instructor
Miranda Warburton received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Washington State University in 1985, and worked for the Navajo Nation as an anthropologist until Fall, 2002. At the same time, she was also studying the traditional internal Chinese Martial Arts of Hsing-I Chuan, Bagua Zhang, Tai Chi Chuan, and Liu Ha Ba Fa. She owns and operates Rising Dragon Kung Fu in Flagstaff, AZ. Since 2002, Miranda has taught and offered treatments in Tuina, Thai Massage and CranioSacral Therapy.

Guest Teachers

Shinzo Fujimaki
L.Ac.
Shinzo Fujimaki, MS, BS, Cert. Shiatsu instructor, has been teaching Shiatsu at the School of Shiatsu and Massage since 1992 and at several massage schools in Hawaii. He was born in Japan and learned the art of Shiatsu at an early age, massaging members of his family. Shinzo is a longtime student of Aikido, and has integrated the discipline, training, and philosophy of Aikido into his Shiatsu practice - creating a rich and full healing experience within the context of massage. His continuing education in Oriental medicine includes the study of acupuncture and therapeutic herbs. Shinzo likes to describe himself as 'all fire', and his deep spirit and sizzling passion fill every class with meaning, power and humor.

Master Mantak Chia

Based in Thailand, Master Chia has taught hundreds of thousands of students in the principles of Taoist internal practice, and certified hundreds of instructors and practitioners to help in the transmission of these teachings.