Shiatsu Snowball

This past August 2025, 48 musicians and 36 opera singers gathered in Brattleboro, Vermont, for the 7th Annual Wagner Festival. In a marathon of rehearsals and performances, they presented Wagner’s complete four-part Ring Cycle—the only full performance of this monumental opera staged in the United States this year. I thought it would be a grand gesture to offer free Shiatsu treatments to these amazingly talented, hardworking performers.

I recently moved to Brattleboro, a small town of about 12,000 people. Despite its size, the town hosts a surprising number of cultural events. One of these is the Wagner Opera Festival, created by Tundi Productions, a not-for-profit organization whose musical director is a highly respected figure in the world of opera. Since 2019, musicians from across the United States have come to Brattleboro for two intense weeks of rehearsals followed by a week of performances. Until this year, the festival had presented only portions of Wagner’s Ring Cycle. In 2025, however, Tundi undertook its most ambitious project yet: the entire cycle, four operas totaling 18 hours of performance time. I learned this is a rare accomplishment, usually reserved for established companies with full orchestras and months of preparation. I was deeply impressed by the courage and commitment of the Tundi performers.

Because the musicians are paid less than their usual salaries, Tundi relies heavily on local families to host them for three weeks. Last year my wife and I hosted both a musician and a vocalist, and we were delighted to welcome them back again this year.

Around the same time, as a member of the New Energy Group, I watched a recorded Zoom interview with Sensei Wataru Ohashi. He told stories about his early years introducing Shiatsu to the United States. In one, he described how he began treating ballet dancers who, long before the internet era, helped spread the word about Shiatsu through their professional networks.

This gave me an idea: why not extend the same outreach to the musicians I had direct access to through Tundi? I felt sympathetic to their semi-volunteer status, and as the outreach coordinator for The Five Lights Shiatsu Center, I thought complimentary treatments could benefit both the musicians and the art of Shiatsu. Once I had secured commitments from a few local practitioners to assist me, I contacted Tundi with my proposal: three hours per day for five days, with each session lasting 30 minutes, for a maximum of 30 sessions. They were enthusiastic and created a sign-up sheet, which they distributed to 82 musicians. In the end, 22 signed up.

To make this feasible, I adapted the protocols I normally use in my Shiatsu practice. I shortened the intake interview, focusing only on immediate physical concerns. I designed a standard treatment plan based on two common factors: the musicians were in a high-stress environment, and they all wanted to perform at their best. During the moving diagnosis, I tailored the protocol to individual needs.

Each session began with calm, focused breathing exercises to establish connection, followed by several soothing Ampuku techniques. My plan was to tonify the Liver and Pericardium meridians to boost self-confidence and belief in their abilities. I explained this intention at the start of each session, encouraging them to foster it further. In practice, I worked mostly with string players and vocalists, all of whom had varying degrees of shoulder and neck tension, so I incorporated extra work in those areas.

The experience was deeply rewarding. Most of the musicians responded with warmth and gratitude, and I heard that Shiatsu became “the talk” of rehearsals, especially among the string section. Only two participants seemed less enthusiastic, but neither complained.

Of course, there were challenges, each of which taught me something:

1. I recognize that I was fortunate to be able to offer these treatments without compensation. The practitioners who had agreed to assist were ultimately unavailable, so I conducted 19 of the 22 sessions myself. Not everyone has the flexibility to donate this much time. I also realized I consistently exceeded the 30-minute limit and had not scheduled breaks between sessions. In the future, I would plan for longer appointments with short breaks

   
   

2. Since I do not maintain a full-time Shiatsu practice, I was somewhat concerned about my physical conditioning. Fortunately, by emphasizing good posture—whether working at a table or on the floor—I felt energized rather than depleted at the end of each day.

   
   

3. In my regular practice, I avoid talking during sessions. With the musicians, however, I often found myself offering verbal support and, afterward, teaching simple follow-up exercises.

   
   

4. I usually use music during treatments but was uncertain how professional musicians might respond. To experiment, I conducted half the sessions with music and half without. I personally felt the sessions flowed better with music, and several musicians commented positively, one describing the soundscape as “like floating on a pillow of sound.”

   
   

5. Some of my assumptions proved wrong.

   • I expected vocalists to excel at breathing exercises, but many struggled when asked to use anything other than belly breathing. They were also less flexible and less attentive to body care than I anticipated.

   • I assumed instrumentalists would be physically rigid, but they were quite adaptable, often shifting focus and breath with ease. They were also generally fit and body-aware, though many had not considered the asymmetry of their movements. When I introduced opposite-hand isometric exercises, the string players were intrigued and receptive.

   
   

This project was a wonderful experience, both personally and professionally. From the feedback I have received, it also seems to have increased awareness and interest in Shiatsu among the musicians and the wider community.

Keith Strand is a retired architect, a Makko Ho Leader, and The Five Lights Center Community Outreach person. Keith received a Bachelors in Environmental Design from the University of Colorado and a Masters in Industrial Design from Pratt Institute. He practiced architecture in New York City for over 35 years, owning and managing his own firm for 31 years. Keith’s strengths include understanding and navigating bureaucracies and their requirements as well as teamwork development. Keith is assisting Five Lights Center in reaching out to individuals and organizations promoting shiatsu and the Five Lights Center, and assisting in follow-up inquiries.