The participants in this shiatsu seminar all arrived on the early evening of July 7th. When they were all there, we had dinner together. After the meal everyone gathered in the room intended for class so that everyone could introduce themselves. Kawada-sensei briefly explained the course of this shiatsu seminar.
Early in the morning, at 6:30 am, we start with Buddhist meditation, do-in (meridian stretching) and other exercises.
This year we did a lot of back exercices, even during the morning exercises. Kawada-sensei explained that we all have many blockages in the back, but it is a place that we can hardly work on ourselves, you have to work on another person. This year, Kawada-sensei showed the points for the collective spirit, and those for the individual spirit. With these points one can help to find a harmony between the body and the mind. He also showed how to develop our vital energy that is found in the lower belly. This area, called Kikai Tanden, is the ultimate barometer of good health.
In the beginning many students were tense, had a blockage of their emotions, or even physical blockages. As the seminar progressed, with good finger pressure, good breathing and a meditative mind, the bodies became more flexible, more agile and well focused. At the end of the course most of the participants were able to feel an increase in their energy, and in addition they were more aware of their body. According to Kawada-sensei, the importance of this seminar is precisely to develop the consciousness of one’s body and mind, to be able to unite them to have more confidence in one’s body and to develop a psychic and physical concentration.
At the end of the course, the participants improvised a little dance, to thank sensei for his excellent teaching, which gave them confidence in their body and a spirit of serenity. For their departure, Kawada-sensei offered them a calligraphy he had made. Its name is Heaven, Earth, Shin (spirit from the heart unifies body and mind). The notion Heaven, Earth and Spirit of the Heart, plays a primordial role for inner peace (inner truth). When they left, many participants were very moved.
