Once upon a time, a computer engineer decided to change her life and start an adventure into a both new and old world. She learned aikido, yoga and tai chi, and enjoyed it so much that she looked for new ways to rediscover her body and feel better. She studied shiatsu and Traditional Chinese Medicine and decided to dedicate her life to seek and transmit the culture of health and the balance of body, mind and spirit. She discovered Thai massage and acroyoga, and started playing at the age when many stop doing it. She looked for more and more ways to connect with nature, with people and with herself, and decided to change her life again, because it is never too late to start doing new things that you are passionate about.
I’m Sandra. I was born in Bilbao in 1983. (ex-)computer engineer, aikidoka, acroyogi, shiatsu therapist practitioner, passionate about life… this is a part of my story.
I believe that my whole life I’ve been a nonconformist. I’ve been a proud geek and nerd in the past (still am, somehow). I always want to know the hows and whys of everything. I would love to read all the books ever written. And I find life extraordinary and awesome and magical. The more I learn about biology, or physics, or chemistry… the more incredible life and nature seem.
Several things have promoted deep changes in my life. The first one was aikido: it was my entry point to physical activity, to movement culture and to oriental philosophies. The last one has been acroyoga, which made me believe that “impossible” was just a word, and made me learn to connect with people and to trust myself and others in new, solid and profound ways. In between there has been shiatsu, Traditional Chinese Medicine, thai yoga massage, meditation, tai chi, yoga, qi gong, macrobiotic diet…
When I quit my job as a software engineer in 2010 some people thought I was crazy, some others that I was very brave. I wasn’t either (maybe just a tiny pinch of craziness and courage was involved): it was a basic need to heal my body, my mind and my soul. I was drowning, feeling that my life had no meaning, sensing that my body was disconnected from my brain, and that I couldn’t breathe. That day started an adventure that still lasts today, which has led me through many joys, surprises, frustrations, learnings and discoveries.
In these years I have collaborated with dozens of natural therapies centres, spas, hotels and companies as a manual therapist. I opened (and closed) my own holistic therapies centre in Barcelona, where more than 30 people shared their healing arts, workshops and therapies. I have written over 100 blog posts about healthy lifestyle, meditation, shiatsu and chinese medicine. I have taught marketing and business administration to complementary medicines’ therapists. I have given over 2000 treatments to more than 500 people… And as much as I love facts and numbers, they are meaningless compared to the learning process, the gratitude, the humbleness, the love, the trust and inspiration that I have felt through this process.
And the process is alive. My body yearns for connection and movement, for letting things come to me and trusting my intuition. In the newest stage of my journey I moved back to the Basque Country, leaving Barcelona after 12 years, full of enthusiasm about new projects.
The search for a fulfilling, healthier, simpler and more coherent and balanced life continues. The road goes on and on, and I intend to keep enjoying each step and each new turn. Shall you follow me?
People say about me…
- Terapeutas de Shiatsu recomendados – Iñaki Calvo, “Shiatsu Barcelona”
- Testimonials
My toolbox
My training
- Shiatsu-Ki y Medicina Tradicional China – Instituto Internacional de Shiatsu (2007-2010)
- Post-Grado en Shiatsu-Ki – Instituto Internacional de Shiatsu (2010-2011)
- Auriculoterapia – Instituto Internacional de Shiatsu (2010)
- Perfeccionamiento en Diagnóstico Oriental – Escuela Superior de Medicina China (2011)
- Ginecología según la MTC – Seminario de Giovanni Maciocia – IEN El Vergel (2009)
- La Psique en la MTC – Seminario de Giovanni Maciocia – IEN El Vergel (2009)
- Shiatsu y ciclo menstrual – Seminario de Marina De Franceschi – Zenit Shiatsu (2012)
- Tratando el estrés y trauma con el shiatsu energético cuántico y la MTC – Seminario de Clifford Andrews – Zenit Shiatsu (2013)
- Kobido – Zenit Shiatsu (2016)
- Holistic maternity care – Shiatsu para el embarazo, parto y post-parto – Suzanne Yates – Wellmother.org (2014-2015)
- Thai Yoga Massage – Basic Course – Curso iniciación Masaje Tailandés – Pau Castellsagué – The Sunshine Network (2016)
- Curs de Massatge Tailandés – Neus Abella y Eduard Albert – The Sunshine Network (2017-2018)
- Quiromasaje – ISMET (2016)
- Acroyoga Montreal Teacher Training – Nivel 1 – Acroyoga Montreal (2018)
- Acroyoga Montreal Teacher Training – Nivel 2 – Acroyoga Montreal (2019)
- Acroyoga for Social Inclusion Training – Barcelona (2019)
- Técnico Superior en Dietética (2023-2025)