Marina Papazian has been a teacher at the Polish Shiatsu College since 2024. She began working as a reflexology therapist in 1997. She completed acupuncture training in 2000 and Shiatsu training in 2001, and has been working with these methods ever since. Marina began practicing Qi Gong in 1997 and Tai Chi in 1999. She completed a Pilates teacher training in 2009, yoga teacher training in 2013, and Yin Yoga teacher training in 2021. In 2013, Marina and Chris McAlister founded the Swedish School of Energy, where they train instructors in Qi Gong, meditation, and relaxation. Since 2022, Marina and Chris have been teaching Shiatsu together in Uppsala, Sweden.

Marina has a deep interest in the body from both Eastern and Western perspectives. She is constantly curious about various aspects of energy expression and manifestation, and Shiatsu provides an ideal field of study for this. She is also passionate about all forms of movement, which she sees as a powerful way to explore energy and self-discovery. Her movement exploration ranges from Qi Gong to stretching, dance, and various forms of fitness training.

Chris McAlister is a practitioner and teacher of Shiatsu, acupuncture, Qigong, and meditation. He has been practicing Shiatsu since 1990, after discovering Oriental Medicine during his travels in East Asia in 1986.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Chris studied in Japan and China. For six years, he learned from teachers at the peak of their practice. His main teacher was Takeo Suzuki, to whom Masunaga entrusted his teaching duties at the Iokai Center when his own health declined. After returning to Europe, Chris continued learning with six other Shiatsu teachers, inviting them to teach in Sweden. He also collaborated with two colleagues: Jan Nevelius and Jeremy Halpin. Thanks to their joint efforts and dedication, Chris was able to develop his Shiatsu practice over many years.

While in Asia, he also began studying acupuncture. His first teacher was Peter Yates—also British—who had many years of experience in Shiatsu, Qigong, and martial arts. Chris also studied with Kimiya Gotoh, an expert in Ryodoraku, a modern form of acupuncture that incorporates elements of Western medicine, particularly concerning the autonomic nervous system.

Since then, Chris has practiced and taught around the world. He currently serves as the president of the European Shiatsu Federation.

We look forward to meeting you in the Polish Shiatsu College!