My name is Nathan Shannon. I was born in Meeker, Colorado, which is in the northwest part of the state.  I moved to central Wisconsin before I started school and lived there until I was 21 at which time I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, which is where I still live.  In 2003 I began studying Asian Bodywork at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe.  The styles of Asian Bodywork I initially studied were Acupressure, Tui Na and Zen Shiatsu.  After receiving my initial diploma I began seeing clients full time and I continued on with my Asian Bodywork studies, specifically Tui Na and Acupressure within the Chinese martial arts community in Arizona.  I also studied and began practicing Craniosacral therapy and different forms of Specialized Kinesiology.  I found it helpful and effective to integrate both Asian and American bodywork modalities. 

My involvement in Chinese martial arts exposed me to Chinese herbal medicine both as a patient and a student.  I quickly realized that Chinese herbalism was very effective and efficient however I have always preferred to work with plants that I knew from my local environment…If only there was a way to utilize them along with classic Chinese formulas while keeping to Chinese medical principles and theory! After learning that this is precisely what the East West Herb Course teaches, I knew that it was the school for me.

I began the East West program in 2012 and just finished all of my course work and all three East West seminars this April. I will now be working to obtain professional membership in the American Herbalists Guild.  I have a full time practice in which I practice Planetary Herbalism in conjunction with Asian Bodywork and Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique (a healing technique which utilizes a form of acupressure and energy psychology/ neuro-emotional therapy).

I intend to continue building my herbal medicine practice, and begin teaching community classes in herbal medicine.  At some point I will be working to collaborate with other local herbalists to offer herbal medicine to veterans in need of care in a free clinic setting. 

When I’m not working I enjoy spending time with my family, gardening, wild crafting herbs, camping, hiking/walking my dog, practicing martial arts (Xing I Quan) and practicing things related to my animistic spiritual beliefs.