It's been observed by a few of my more 'sensitive' clients that during our shiatsu sessions, I'm not working alone.

I am, as I've always been, largely oblivious to auras, entities, and most perception of things extra-sensory. (I say most, because I have had a few interesting moments...)

So, to my delight, I was told more recently that there is an Asian man in the room with us, and it was only after the second person saw this and assured me that he was there as my guide of some sort that I started to imagine that maybe it was Sensai Masunaga himself, and how cool would that be?

I mean, I've been trying to reinforce my education on his style of Zen shiatsu, and I had an interesting breakthrough concerning my description of what I do after reading something written about him.

And I often open myself up for 'help' before my sessions, which always comes without fail in the form of intuitive insights about how to approach this person on the mat.

I had often lamented the fact that he's no longer on the earth plane ... that he had passed away years before I had goten into shiatsu and would never be able to learn from him directly. But who knows? Perhaps he's with us Ben Kenobi style... more present and effective in spirit than he could ever be in his physical body... traveling around, and mentoring us shiatsu peeps all over the world.

And, heck, my shiatsu teacher has claimed that he has a whole team of monks that hang out with him while he's treating people.

So, why not Shizuto?

My one client who not only sees him in during her treatment has also been visited in her home, which I think did freak her out just a bit. I shared the possibility of his identity with her, which might've made a little easier for her to work with too, though it may take a little while for her to remember his name. (It did for me, too.)

He seems to get a bit more involved with her .. well, I like to think it's him... working her left leg while I'm working her right.  Applying insane pressure to her Spleen 1 point while I work her back.

Things like that.

And recommending that she eat an orange after the session... stuff I never would have thought of.

Whatever it may be, and it really doesn't matter to me, I find it effective to open myself to help from wherever it may come. Whether it's Masuanga, or the large black shamanic woman that another client saw, or my higher self, or my sadly neglected intuition, I believe the intention and the asking for guidance gets my analytical mind out of the way, and allows me to be open to whatever the person on the mat is presenting.

Even after four years of doing this work, I still get 'performance anxiety', and I believe it's because I still get tripped up by the ego's need to 'do it right', and make sure it's the best shiatsu session this person ever had so they'll like me and want to come back.

But admitting humility and asking for help seems to sharpen my perception for what the 'right' thing really is, in relation to what this person needs in this moment, and I said before, the work just flows through me.

Simply delicious.

(Many thanks to you Shizuto Masunaga...)

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