East West Centre npo offers courses and activities based on a holistic approach to healthy and natural living.
We’ve been active since 1978—over 40 years—as an educational organization, known for our high quality, thanks to our dedicated and skilled teachers and staff who bring our vision to life.
Most of our day courses and series take place at our own training location in Antwerp. Additionally, we offer a smaller selection in Leuven, Limburg, and Ghent. For multi-day courses, we have a wonderful center in the Ardennes (La ferme du Bois-le-Comte, Orval), located in one of the most serene and energetically powerful places in Belgium. Upon request, we also provide customized courses for schools, businesses, organizations, and other groups.
You can get to know us through open days, trial classes in spring and autumn, and during our inspiration days.
Accreditation
East West Centre’s professional training programs in Shiatsu and Reflexology are accredited by Belgian professional associations: the BSF (Belgian Shiatsu Federation) and BEVO (Belgian Reflexologists Association). After completing the program and passing the evaluation, you can join these organizations as a certified member. Both programs are also recognized at the European level.
Our Origins
East West Centre grew out of Het Voedselcollectief, which began in the early 1970s as part of Elcker-Ik in Antwerp. It initially produced and sold organic food products and organized natural cooking classes.
As the collective expanded, the various activities were restructured in November 1978 into separate organizations, including a store, bakery, restaurant, and distribution center. The courses were brought together into a new nonprofit organization: East West Centre.
East West Centre also grew, with an expanding program that included large events such as annual summer camps featuring international names like yoga teacher Masahiro Oki Sensei, Aveline Kushi, Bill Tara, Marc Van Cauwenberghe, and Jon Sandifer. In 1981, we launched the Kushi Institute, offering intensive courses in macrobiotic cooking and lifestyle.
In the 1990s, our program became even more diverse, with wonderful workshops in African dance and hiking holidays in Mediterranean regions.
From 1993 to 2003 and from 2016 to 2020, East West Centre received funding from the Flemish government as a specialized educational institution. Between these periods (2003-2016), we received a small subsidy as an organization of general cultural interest. Since 2021, this small but appreciated subsidy has helped us maintain financial stability.
Today
East West Centre is also undergoing a period of change. After a fire in the Antwerp center in August 2023, the entire building was thoroughly renovated. We welcomed new colleagues, and our coordinator, who has dedicated more than 35 years of heart and soul to the center, is preparing for retirement.
