Shiatsu Awareness Month - Glasgow Case Study

Gunasiddhi Clark and Corrinna Bain received Shiatsu Awareness Month Bursary, here they share how they ran taster sessions engaging with their local communities in their home city of Glasgow.

Relax and unwind body and mind - Gunasiddhi Clark

Gunasiddhi and Corinna ran an event together at Westend Wellbeing Clinic. 

This taster event was full of surprises not only for those who discovered Shiatsu for the first time and how relaxing and energising it can be but also for Corrinna and Gunasiddhi who weren’t sure if more than one or two people would come along! Having Jen, Gunasiddhi’s partner out in the street with a warm friendly smile, conversation and flyers definitely made a big difference! 

People who came really reflected the diversity of the community, including 2 builders who enjoy working out and receiving Thai massage, a student facing mental health issues, a local shop keeper, a woman with an acquired brain injury who had her hands and feet worked on and her carer, a local worker trained in Thai massage and a senior who came with her service dog. The service dog settled quietly down after initial confusion for it as it’s been trained to bark when the woman is lying on the floor to alert emergency services. 

Feedback was really positive on how people were feeling afterwards and included some who made a follow up booking and said they would consider Shiatsu for their loved ones as a gift. The two builders were surprised at how different shiatsu is to massage that they have had before and loved how chilled they felt with Shiatsu afterwards. The student also shared how relaxed she felt, feeling much less anxious and sharing that there isn’t much available for student’s wellbeing where she is based. 

Here’s some of the words shared by people who took part in the shiatsu taster sessions. 

“I feel so relaxed, really light and floaty and it feels really good.” 

“This shiatsu feels really good for my back and I am not feeling anxious now. Its my first shiatsu and I will definitely come back!” 

“Wow this is better than a massage. It was nice and slow and I feel really chilled now!”

“I could just stay here melted into the mat, it felt so relaxing”

This event also gave some food for thought for future opportunities to work together again with other pop ups and collaborations in the local and wider community. 

Zest for Life - Corrina Bain 

“Zest for Life” with Shiatsu sprung out of a response to listening with some clients last year sharing how low, lacklustre and exhausted they felt and how much they needed a boost of energy and to be in touch with others. I have been sharing these popular weekly sessions mainly with women in their 40s - 60s and seniors in a local community space in Southside Glasgow since last Summer where between 10 and 15 people take part. I use self care practices with shiatsu and qigong tuning into what the group needs and wants. They are often amazed at how energised and relaxed they can feel as well as feeling more at ease and mobile in their joints.

For Shiatsu Awareness Month I choose to do tasters in another locality near me with Zest for Life planning to reach out to new people in the area. Its been a brilliant learning curve for me where I see that more marketing and outreach energywise was needed to not only get word out but in building relationship with local groups to encourage their members to try it out. Two women who knew me beforehand did join in and really enjoyed the sessions and we’re now looking at how to grow from here, possibly with funding through a local housing association where they are happy to help spread the word. 

And it feels apt to end with the experiences of some of the women taking part with Zest for Life!

 “I always coming away feeling both relaxed and energised. I find that really surprising as I didn’t know you could feel them both at the same time.”

“I had stiffness in my neck, shoulders and feet. This has been squeezed out and I feel lot better and I can breathe better too.”

“I realise just how much this helps me to slow down and to give time for me. I feel relaxed. I try and do some of the things I remember when I’m at home. Feels good.”