James Vaughn
Founder / Owner / Provider
I was raised to value nutrition, fitness, personal growth, the outdoors and a deep respect for Nature. Backpacking and cross-country skiing the pristine wilderness of the Sierra Mountains, bicycling country roads throughout Solano and Napa counties, Kajukenpo classes and National Geographic magazines filled my childhood.
My mother learned Shiatsu as an elective in Physical Therapy school, and started teaching it to me when I was 10. Providing Shiatsu to friends and family was a natural, casual impulse for me. Yet, it wasn't until I was 20 when I learned I could make a living with it. I then found the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, where I was gifted a session of Shiatsu, Tui Na and Jin Shin (acupressure) by a student. By the end, my entire being rang with a thunderbolt of clarity that this was my life's path.
At 21, I moved to Berkeley to complete 1,000 hours at the Acupressure Institute in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Eastern and Western modalities of Therapeutic Bodywork, and Complimentary Healing practices. I began my professional practice in 1995 while continuing my education in the health sciences and exploring ways to improve the human condition. In 2014, I graduated with High Honors in Associate degrees for Psychology, Social Science, Liberal Studies, and a certificate in Applied Biotechnology. These disciplines further inform my practice.
Visit my PROJECTS page to see what I’m up to outside my practice.
My mother learned Shiatsu as an elective in Physical Therapy school, and started teaching it to me when I was 10. Providing Shiatsu to friends and family was a natural, casual impulse for me. Yet, it wasn't until I was 20 when I learned I could make a living with it. I then found the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, where I was gifted a session of Shiatsu, Tui Na and Jin Shin (acupressure) by a student. By the end, my entire being rang with a thunderbolt of clarity that this was my life's path.
At 21, I moved to Berkeley to complete 1,000 hours at the Acupressure Institute in Traditional Chinese Medicine, Eastern and Western modalities of Therapeutic Bodywork, and Complimentary Healing practices. I began my professional practice in 1995 while continuing my education in the health sciences and exploring ways to improve the human condition. In 2014, I graduated with High Honors in Associate degrees for Psychology, Social Science, Liberal Studies, and a certificate in Applied Biotechnology. These disciplines further inform my practice.
Visit my PROJECTS page to see what I’m up to outside my practice.
