After going on a personal retreat to learn about the healing powers of relaxation and meditation, a local business owner has returned to the Central Coast to share her knowledge with her neighbors.
Starting Sept. 9, massage therapist Diane Shabazian will be leading relaxation retreats for men and women through Allan Hancock College.
Shabazian also specializes in massage for women, including Swedish and pre-natal massage, and Asian-style bodywork to address chronic fatigue, emotional distress, and muscular pain caused by stress and repetitive movement.
Shabazian is the former owner and lead teacher of the Hirudaya Holistic Life Center, which provided massage therapy in San Luis Obispo for 10 years. She closed the school in November 2006 and moved to Oklahoma to live with the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.
“It was one of the most beautiful experiences in my life. Work and prayer are not separated in the sisters’ lives. Every encounter, every conversation, and every task is centered on devotion and service to God,” Shabazian said in a press release. “I wanted to bring what I experienced back home with me and share the peace and beauty of their lifestyle with others.”
Shabazian had a vision of offering retreats through the local community colleges.
“Not everyone can take time away from family and work to go on a retreat,” she explained in the press release, “but we all need silence and solitude. We need a place to experience healing and rejuvenation.
“I especially thought of caregivers while I was designing the retreats,” Shabazian said. “Caregivers such as nurses, hospice staff, therapists, busy parents, and people caring for sick and elderly family members—they’re pouring out loving energy for others every day and they need time to relax and rejuvenate. I wanted to be a caregiver to the caregivers.”
The retreat series is available at Hancock College starting Sept. 9 and 11. A friends and family massage class will be held Sept. 21, 23, and 28. The retreats and classes, which cost $69 and $79, respectively, will be held at the Hancock Student Center, room G-106B.
For more information or to register for classes, visit hancockcollege.edu and click on “Fall 2010 Class Search.” Details are also available on Shabazian’s website, hirudaya.abmp.com.
School Scene is compiled by News Editor Amy Asman. Information should be sent to the Sun via fax, e-mail, or mail.
This article appears in Aug 12-19, 2010.
