Cranial Suture Vertebral Adjustment | Shin Tai International
Shin Tai International  ·  Saul Goodman

Cranial Suture
Vertebral Adjustments

Non-force Adjustment Technique  ·  Any Modality  ·  Remarkable Results

A gentle, non-force, and completely original method for vertebral and sacral adjustments that can be integrated into any modality you practice.

Enroll Now  ·  $149
Saul Goodman performing a cervical adjustment through the cranial sutures

Alignment Isn't a Position.
It's a Relationship.

Cranial Suture Vertebral Adjustment teaches an original technique for vertebral and sacral adjustment that works through the cranial sutures rather than direct force. This method moves past simply correcting subluxations: it affects the deeper forces underlying misalignment. The changes in vertebral mobility and relationships ripple out through the body and into how someone feels and moves in their life.

This isn't tied to any single modality. Whether your foundation is shiatsu, massage, craniosacral work, chiropractic, or something else entirely, this technique folds naturally into what you already do. You don't need to retrain your whole approach, just integrate this new layer of treatment.

And it asks something different of you as a practitioner. Instead of physical force, it calls for focus and sensitivity, a welcome shift if your hands and body carry a lot of the labor in your regular sessions. Gentle for you, and gentle (but deeply effective) for the people you treat.

Diagram showing the sagittal suture's correlation to the lumbar vertebrae

The sagittal suture correlates directly to the lumbar vertebrae, one of the structural relationships this course teaches you to work with.

Wherever you practice,
this technique fits in.

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Shiatsu & Shin Tai Practitioners

You already work with subtle energy and structure; this adds a precise new layer for vertebral and sacrum alignment without adding physical strain.

Craniosacral Therapists

You'll recognize the cranial system logic immediately, and gain a new protocol for making structural alignments to individual vertebrae & the sacrum that complements what you already do.

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Massage Therapists

This method will complement the more physical work you usually do, saving your body some wear and tear while offering your clients a new depth of treatment that is truly unique.

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Any Practitioner Curious About Energetic, Non-Force Work

No prior Shin Tai experience required. The course teaches you everything you need, step by step.

Tap into a Deeper Potential of Bodywork

Course Curriculum

This course includes six sections that walk you step by step from preparation through each region of the spine, closing with a live Q&A recording.

01

Preparation: Perception & Proprioceptive Exercise

Prepare the body and expand your sensitivity before any structural work begins
02

The Thoracic Vertebrae

Bring alignment and mobility to the thoracic spine
03

The Lumbar Vertebrae

Restore range of motion and ease in the lower back
04

The Cervical Vertebrae

A precise approach to adjusting the neck through the cranial sutures
05

The Sacroiliac Region

Extend the technique to the sacrum and sacroiliac joint
06

Moving Forward with this Work + Livestream Q&A

Integrate the material into your practice, with real questions from fellow practitioners

A Vertebral Adjustment Creates Alignment at Many Levels

Picture a car door after a fender-bender. The frame gets bent, and the door no longer sits right. If you force the door back into its old position, it might look aligned for a moment, but it won't hold. Jamming it into a space that no longer fits it can add new stress to metal and hinges that were never designed to bend that way.

Vertebrae and the sacrum work in a similar way. When one shifts out of alignment, it isn't simply sitting in the wrong spot: it has lost the small, elastic give it once had with the bones and tissue around it. It has become fixated, its range of motion has narrowed, and there usually isn't enough space for it to be pushed back into place and stay there.

That's why this technique doesn't start by forcing a bone back into position. It starts by using the body's proprioceptive circuits to build connection and subtle awareness between practitioner and receiver. This awareness opens a doorway for concrete physical adjustment using only very gentle input from the practitioner, gently expanding the range where a joint has room to shift. Only then does real, lasting realignment become possible.

Saul Goodman evaluating vertebral alignment

This same principle holds true beyond the physical body. A belief or thought pattern that has become rigid works the same way; until there is room to move, nothing new can settle into place. And because this technique integrates fully with the body's other layers, including muscle, ligament, organ, meridian, and chakra, the resulting alignment does not stay contained to bone and structure. It ripples outward through the body's subtler dimensions too, gently opening and aligning a receiver's emotional and mental landscape, so that structural change becomes a doorway to adjustments on every level of a person's body and life.

What You'll Walk Away With

A precise, non-force method for adjusting the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae, the sacroiliac joint, and the ribs, broken down step by step so you can apply it with confidence.

Ongoing support as you integrate the work into your practice. Ask questions under any lesson, any time, even years from now as new questions come up with real clients.

The theory behind the method, so you understand why it works physiologically and can explain it with confidence to clients who ask.

The flexibility to learn at your own pace. Download every video, revisit a tricky section before a session, or return to the material as your skills deepen, all with lifetime access.

This is a technique entirely its own, precise and penetrating enough that clients are often amazed by what they feel, and simple enough to become a natural part of your practice almost immediately.

Saul Goodman performing a gentle, focused adjustment

Voices from the Practice

This work is so profound, deep and respectful in its spacious listening. When using this method I notice a gentle shift towards alignment in the client's system and observe the breath response: the body taking a breath of life, feeling relief and more ease.

— Dawn Oei, Shiatsu Shin Tai Practitioner · Edinburgh, Scotland

I am constantly amazed by the effectiveness of this technique. I especially find it useful for readjusting and giving space to atlas (C-1), which often is tricky to locate when there's a lot of muscle tension.

— Nadja Ziller, Shiatsu Shin Tai Practitioner · Berlin, Germany

The patient and listening energy you embody in this work is transmitted, and I feel inspired in the watching and the reading. I've been practicing for 25 years: yoga therapy, shiatsu, traditional Thai massage, Trager, CST, structural integration. Thank you both for adding to the joy of my life and work.

— Jenny Wolffe, Bodywork Practitioner · Iowa, USA

Doing vertebral adjustments from the cranial sutures requires an exquisite focus & sensitivity that I really enjoy. And although the technique is so gentle, the results are amazing — the vertebrae really do soften and align!

— Lynn Goodman, Shiatsu Shin Tai Instructor · Pennsylvania, USA
Saul Goodman teaching

Saul Goodman

Instructor · Developer of Shiatsu Shin Tai

Saul Goodman is the founder and former director of the International School of Shiatsu, with schools in 15 countries. He has taught shiatsu throughout the US and Europe for over 45 years, with thousands of students worldwide. His books include The Book of Shiatsu, Shiatsu Shin Tai, and Light Body Activation. Saul developed this cranial suture method as part of Shin Tai, his evolving approach to shiatsu built around a unique set of diagnosis and technique for activating the body's inner healing power.

Lynn Goodman

Lynn Goodman

Course Facilitator & Student Liaison

Lynn Goodman is a Shin Tai practitioner and instructor with a private practice in Bucks County, PA. She has taught shiatsu shin tai alongside Saul for over 25 years, and is the facilitator of the Light Body Activation Podcast. Lynn also manages website design, course administration, and the online teaching classroom, ensuring these materials reach students in the most accessible and effective form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this course for me?

If you want to learn a precise, non-force way to adjust the vertebrae and sacrum, one that asks for focus and sensitivity rather than physical force, this course is for you. The material is unique to this method and gives you a complete protocol for increasing spinal mobility and alignment.

I already have a bodywork practice (massage, shiatsu, craniosacral, chiropractic, etc.). Will this bring anything new to me?

Yes. This is a genuinely original way to work with vertebral and sacral alignment, one you won't find taught anywhere else. You'll also come away with ideas that apply to many other kinds of technique and treatment you already offer.

Do I need to have taken other Shin Tai courses before this one?

Not at all. This course is designed to teach you everything you need, step by step, regardless of your background. If you're completely new to Shin Tai and want more foundational grounding in body preparation and proprioceptive work, our Governing Vessel & Light Body Activation courses are a great complement, and you'll find some optional pointers to them within the course itself if you'd like to go deeper. But you can absolutely start here.

I've already taken Advanced Central Channel with Saul or another Shin Tai instructor. Will this course bring me anything new?

This course covers material originally given in the Shin Tai class Advanced Central Channel. Having it presented in video gives you the chance to understand and remember it more fully. Hardly anyone grasps the scope of this technique on the first go, and you'll most likely hear things you missed during class. Also, this course includes the latest refinements to the method.

When does the course start and finish?

The course starts whenever you enroll and continues indefinitely. It's entirely self-paced, so you decide when to begin and how quickly to move through it.

How long do I have access to the course?

Once enrolled, you have unlimited access across any device you own, for as long as you like. We expect to maintain this course for many years to come.

Bring This Gentle
Adjustment Technique
Into Your Practice

This online course will provide you with step-by-step training in a precise, non-force method for adjusting the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar vertebrae, the sacrum and the ribs. What a gift for your clients that you'll be able to offer them an effective way to increase alignment from the inside out without any forcing!

Study at your own pace, from wherever you are, with lifetime access to all materials.

Enroll Now  ·  $149

Not satisfied? Let us know within 14 days for a full refund — no questions asked.