TREATMENT OF JOINTS

Shiatsu Touches the Space That Frees Joints

All joints function more comfortably when meridian energy flows freely through them.

Course Description

Designed for Shiatsu practitioners, graduates, and students, this weekend workshop emphasizes the continued development of touch—cultivating greater sensitivity, specificity, and clinical effectiveness in applying shiatsu to working with joints. You’ll learn to feel into the living space of the joint and work the meridians to support the natural capacity for easy, comfortable movement.

We typically think of joints in terms of their structures – the alignment of bones, the tone of surrounding muscles, the integrity of ligaments. These are, of course, essential parts of joints, but what ultimately defines a joint’s health is its ease of movement.

Movement depends on space. The space around the structures  — the subtle, dynamic field between structures — is what allows freedom of movement.

So . . .

We shift our attention from structure to space. We develop the tactile sensitivity required to perceive and promote the optimal function of this often-overlooked dimension.

What Makes This Training Different

Meridians allow free movement in the joints

This workshop builds on foundational skills and takes them further.

Rather than focusing primarily on correcting structure and kyo/jitsu imbalances, this work brings attention to joint space, which is central to both physical movement and the ease and continuity of meridian flow. You’ll learn to feel how joint space and meridian flow influence one another—when one opens, the other responds.

The focus is on how to work with this relationship skillfully — adapting your touch moment-to-moment, refining your hand usage, and making clearer treatment decisions based on what you feel.

You’ll explore how small adjustments in perception and technique can create significant changes in outcomes. The emphasis is on allowing your work to become more responsive, precise, efficient, and integrated.

This is where technique becomes the art, heart and soul of shiatsu.

What We’ll Explore

Each day will include a blend of discussion, demonstration, and hands-on practice, including:

• A concise review of joint anatomy and the meridians that traverse them

• Demonstrations of effective techniques for those joint complaints most commonly expressed by clients: shoulders and hips, which includes the sacroiliac joint

• Supervised practice with individualized guidance and support

Treating meridians and joints in combination helps the light from within to radiate.

As the weekend unfolds, participants will learn to:

• Perceive and assess space within the joint

• Modify hand usage to conform to that space and support it

• Select and implement appropriate treatment strategies, based on what you feel (as opposed to what you think you should do)

• Introduce a pattern of freer flow and movement for meridians and joints

• Catalyze and support the body’s natural healing response

Who This Workshop Is For

This training is especially well-suited for Shiatsu practitioners, graduates, and students who:

• Want to take their technique to a greater level of sensitivity and precision

• Are looking to improve clinical outcomes with less effort

• Value a hands-on, experiential approach to learning

Participants should be comfortable giving a full-body Shiatsu session and have a working familiarity with:

• The extended meridian system of Dr. Shizuto Masunaga

• Range of motion techniques for hips and shoulders

• Basic musculoskeletal anatomy

A detailed recall of anatomical terminology is not required— this work relies far more on what you can feel than what you can name. What matters most is your willingness to feel, explore, and refine your touch.

When you look through the physical structures into the spaces, energy lights up.

If you feel ready to deepen your sensitivity, refine your touch, and experience how joint space and meridian energy work together, you are warmly invited to join us for a focused and experiential weekend of hands-on exploration. Whether you’re looking to deepen your sensitivity or improve clinical outcomes, this training will give you practical tools you can use immediately — both to enhance your clients’ health and to conserve your own energy as you work.