Shiatsu in Times of Turbulence

It was in times of trouble that many of us took up our pursuit of Shiatsu and its many magical avenues of connection.

Perhaps we were ill, even chronically. We were maybe burnt out on our early career path and looking for a fresh perspective. Perhaps we were trying to rediscover our earlier, forgotten compass of intuitive knowing and seeing. It could be that we perceived a possible exit from layers of trauma and injury, a way to correct the imbalances of the past and regain a footing that would give us a straighter, steadier path through life.

The individual reasons are many and varied. What they usually have in common is that they are rooted in loss, imbalance and pathology. Most of us are of the wounded healer type.

And so, we find ourselves in troubled times again. Some of us still read the papers and watch the news on TV. We converse with neighbours, saturated with bad news and bad vibes. We soak up the radio waves of devastation and catastrophe. Some may even believe the end is approaching.

And so?

Even if we are nearing the end of days, is that a reason to abandon the path and run for the hills? Is that excuse enough to let the teachings of the elders go to waste and allow panic to steer our movements? Should we abandon the Way and submit to chaos?

It is my firm belief that it would be a mistake to do so.

More accurately, it is my very firm belief that we have never been closer to the darkest of dawns that precedes the brightest of light mornings, the very golden age that our forebears have predicted and that we were born to usher in.

And what better tool than Shiatsu to soothe the nerves of our fellow men as we do so?

What better way than to root ourselves solidly in the earth and stand as beacons of stability?

How better to provide an example to those around us than to steadily, smilingly, show the route of least resistance, the path of ease, the way of not doing?

While it is clear that the origins of Shiatsu lie in pre-modern China and ancient Japan, equally, it is now the case that Shiatsu has become a global phenomenon, a bringer of joy to people clean across the world, a method that leads away from madness, for men, women and children on all parts of this earth.

Shiatsu community. It is time for us to fully inhabit the universal attributes of Shiatsu.

Chris McAlister

Chris McAlister was born in 1963 and raised in England before he set out to travel around Asia. Between Nepal and Tibet, he explored the vastness of the highlands, but also fell seriously ill with hepatitis. It was his encounter with the oriental medical arts that allowed him to heal (taichi, qigong, acupuncture, tuina, baths...). He then decided to study everything he could to understand how this healing was possible. In Japan and China he trained intensively in martial arts, acupuncture and Shiatsu under Suzuki Takeo Sensei, founder of Keitai Shiatsu. A tireless traveller, he eventually settled in Sweden where he currently lives, not far from Stockholm. He is currently the president of ESF (European Shiatsu Federation) and of EFCAM (European Federation of Complementary and Alternative Medicine). He is also the author of several books, including the excellent "Touching the invisible: exploring the Way of Shiatsu" and "The Poetry of Touch: Alchemy, Transformation and Oriental Medicine", as well as numerous articles in Shiatsu journals.

Latest posts by Chris McAlister (see all)