Meet Christian Goldberg

Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Goldberg.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Christian. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
There was no field of study in college that taught what I wanted to practice. I was looking for a grounded approach to helping people heal physically, emotionally and spiritually. I earnestly attempted to piece it together with the studies of Drama and Psychology in higher education but had to admit there was too much lacking, so I cut my losses and went on walk-about. Early along the journey, I embarked on the self-cultivation practices of martial arts and yoga, which have continued to enrich my life ever since.

Late in 1997, on the same block as the TaeKwan dojo I had been attending I found the Boston Shiatsu School. This was exactly the natural health practice I had dreamed of finding and took to Shiatsu like a duck to water.

Headmaster Kikuko Zutrau-Miyazaki (deceased) is one of the few who brought Masunaga-Zen Shiatsu to the United States. I was entirely unaware of the treasure trove I had stumbled upon, but even still I did not waste a single opportunity to learn everything Kiku brought into the school during my time with her. As a Japanese woman in the West, she was extremely modern in her approach to the healing/helping profession. Two of the greatest pearls of wisdom she imparted: “Martial arts practice goes well with the study of bodywork, but the best one to pair with Shiatsu is Aikido;” and “Once you complete this curriculum, you are at the beginning of your study. Add into your toolbox everything that interests you and is helpful to your clients.”

Late in 1999, I returned to Colorado, where I had previously lived during college, and began practice in Boulder. At that time, there was just enough of the same style of massage therapy in town that my work, clothed and on a mat, stood out as refreshingly different. Following Kiku’s direction, I switched from karate to Ki-Aikido as soon as I found the Boulder dojo, and took continuing education opportunities whenever I could.

Along with advanced Shiatsu training, I have followed the avenues of Thai and Breema bodywork, Sotai therapy and Core Synchronism.

In 2009, I joined the staff at Bodywork Bistro in downtown Boulder, where I still work. In 2018, I started sharing a private office with a fellow mat bodyworker and am steadily growing my client base.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Not completely smooth on a personal level. The unspoken law of any healing/helping profession is that as we advance in effectiveness we also heal our own deep wounds. I have certainly had my share of physical, emotional and spiritual healing crises.

I took a 4-year detour away from Ki-Aikido and yoga to explore kettlebell lifting, teaching and competing. I was able to use my understanding of the Ki Principles and above average flexibility to advance quickly with sport lifting, but the intensity of training proved unsustainable for me. I retired from kettlebells with greater personal athleticism and more understanding of how to help my clients who are athletes (i.e. I learned gym language plus learned how to use a foam roller).

With deep gratitude, I returned to Ki-Aikido and Ashtanga yoga in 2017. Both communities welcomed me home.

My practice and study of Shiatsu have been the most steady part of life for the past 19 years. Continual learning, a network of amazing colleagues and a supportive client base all compose this “smooth road” in my life.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with Christian Goldberg/Mind-Body Energetics – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud and what sets you apart from others.
My business is called MindBody Energetics which also includes my YoungLiving downline.

As mentioned earlier, my bodywork has a foundation in Shiatsu with Thai and Breema bodywork tools. I’ve studied advanced joint healing and visceral techniques, have added Sotai therapy, and am completely enthralled with the study of Core Synchronism. This last piece is a stand-alone modality that brings together Cranial Osteopathy and Polarity Therapy in the most tangible energy balancing system I’ve encountered to date.

All of my session work is done on a mat (futon) with the receiver fully clothed. This is a characteristic of Asian bodywork styles which allows the practitioner to move the receiver’s body freely. With no concern of falling off the floor, receivers can release into stretches, allow restored structural alignment and relax into deep joint work. Clients have remarked that few bodyworkers address the abdomen, torso, and hips as thoroughly as I can. Because I am on the mat with the receiver it is easy for me to use relaxed bodyweight to deliver the appropriate level of pressure for any client.

The thing I’m most proud of is that my non-Shiatsu passions contribute to my ongoing learning of bodywork!

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
This career seems like a life-long mountain climbing expedition. I’m getting more efficient the more time I spend on the mountain, and other practitioners are starting to ask me to lead. I plan to teach more in the future, both practitioner skills and everyday self-care.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mindbodyenergetics.us
• Phone: 303-514-1445
• Email: mindbodyenergetics@gmail.com

Image Credit:
Becky Whitmer, Megan Villacorta, Vyacheslav Barsuk

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