1. What do you do at Element?
I provide Japanese-style Shiatsu bodywork as well as Meridian touch yoga, and Chinese Qi Gong exercises, when requested.
2. Tell us a little bit about your background… and how you came to do what you do at Element.
My background is quite eclectic, actually. Professionally, I started out on an engineering path. While I do love science and technology, (I’m a bit of a science geek) the world of healing, fitness, movement, and wellness has a dominate place in my life. Besides my background in Shiatsu, (I’m a graduate of the Ohashistau School of Shiatsu), I have experience in other forms of Eastern medicine. I’m also a certified personal trainer, a veteran martial artist, the creator of my own yoga system based in Chinese medicine called Meridian Touch, a musician, a practitioner of Taoist meditation and Qi Gong, and a current graduate student of Psychology at Penn State University, which is also where I also got my undergrad degree in Psychology. I came to Element through word-of-mouth and recommendations from other professionals with similar comprehensive backgrounds in the healing and movement arts. They knew about Element and the owners and recommended me to them as a great fit with a unique skill set.
3. What makes your practice satisfying/fulfilling for you? What is the most misunderstood aspect of what you do?
The most satisfying aspect of my work is the human connection. Each time I do my work, whether it’s teaching meditation, martial arts, or doing bodywork, I am able through my Zen/Taoist training to tap into the universal connection that we all share. because of This has made my work effective for many people. I recognize this energy/force/presence in my life and other peoples’ lives and when this connection is made wonderful things happen!
The most misunderstood thing about the work I do is precisely this force or energy or Tao, if you will. I feel it’s often misunderstood. Many people get the results they want initially, but then don’t go any deeper into their own healing power or self knowledge.
I see this often when people jump from guru to guru, class to class, workshop to workshop, either looking for something they
already have, or running from something they need to face. But in the end, the answer is the same: they need to plug into their true selves. And my teaching–my pointing them in this direction through all the different things that I do–is often misunderstood in the essential simplicity of this foundation.
4. If you could tell a prospective/new client one or two things that are crucial to know about your practice, what would they be?
I always feel out the energy or Chi of each person and situation and let that guide me. So honestly I can’t predict what I might say to prospective or new clients, but what I would like them to know, sense, and feel is that I am there for them and I am willing to accept them as they are and meet them at the place of their need.
5. What do you like do when you’re not at Element?
Besides my professional title of holistic fitness artist and wellness coach, I am also a human activist. I am deeply involved in providing mindfulness-based racism reduction services, programs, and classes in New York and, soon, other cities in the U.S. Currently we hold grassroots gatherings in Brooklyn for people to come together to connect through Oneness and compassion to deal with racism through mindfulness mediation, yoga philosophy, and honest conversation. This human activist work is done through my Ambient Noise Collective, which also includes grief processing for people of color, diversity training, and holistic self-care instruction for caregivers of all kinds including mental health workers, social workers and psychotherapists, medical professionals, social activists and any other groups of people involved in giving of themselves in the service of other. Too often caregivers do not take adequate care of themselves, and many of them need guidance n learning natural sustainable ways to do so.
Darryl A.
Shiatsu Therapist
Darryl is a graduate of the Ohashi Institute for Shiatsu (2006) and is an certified trainer by the American Council on Exercise (1996), a martial artist, and a Taoist yoga, Qi Gong, and meditation practitioner. His formal academic education includes an associates in engineering, a B.S. in psychology from Penn State, and he is currently pursuing a master’s in leadership psychology from Penn State. In addition, Daryl has studied and mentored with various Chinese and Japanese healing masters, including the renown Stephen Brown. Darryl’s Shiatsu style includes a blend of Chinese Tui Na, deep tissue, and sports massage, along with Five Phase Meridian Therapy and Meridian Touch Yoga. He has worked with collegiate, Olympic, and professional athletes, as well as celebrities like Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of the Roots. Darryl’s methodology is firmly based in the Taoist & Zen approaches to mind-body healing and the life philosophy of the Tao.