What is the kokoro?
I can feel the sound of the wind through a pine tree on the calligraphy.
It can not be visible, it can only be felt.
Betto Matsumoto
Kokoro is usually translated from Japanese as “heart” or sometimes also as “spirit” or a combination of both. This may not help us understand kokoro very well. We can only grasp Kokoro by experiencing and feeling it.
To practice Sei-ki we must learn how to take no notice of our thoughts, to slip around them so that we can “see” with “Kokoro eyes” and recognize a person’s life situation. In this Sei-Ki workshop, Alice Whieldon will deepen on the aspect of kokoro.
The course fee of EUR 435.- includes:
Participation in three workshop days | Participation in a follow-up Zoom with Alexandra and Alice three weeks after the workshop | Discounted participation in Alexandra’s Sei-Ki Immersion Days in Vienna for six months
In Japanese, Kokoro is a combination of heart, spirit and essence. It refers to the physical and metaphorical aspects of these. But to say this gives the impression we can separate mind, body and essence when, in the world of kokoro, it makes no sense to do so
Kokoro is a feeling that is both personal and universal. But here, again, we are in trouble. In English, ‘feeling’ is often about the emotions or touch. With kokoro, feeling is an experience of a life with a life. It is not exactly about emotion. And a “Kokoro touch” can never be separated from direct experience: It is a feel for life, intuition and things being in their right place. Kokoro is subjective and objective at the same time.
To understand Kokoro, we must stop thinking in order that we might feel again as a young child feels the breeze in her hair as a full experience of life with life.
For Sei-Ki, we need courage and intent – we need kokoro or a brave heart/spirit/mind. This is heart in its widest sense, with power.
Gemütlichkeit was one of Kishi’s favorite words (in German!). It’s not easy to translate into Englich, but perhaps it touches on an aspect of the meaning, the feeling of Kokoro – in the sense of warmth, friendliness or a state of well-being.
But Kokoro also has a wider sense than this. We need good kokoro to have intent, clarity and strength or courage. Your Kokoro is your centre. While it is similar to hara in some respects, it has a different feeling.
Sei-Ki is the way and the art of touch in undivided attention to the person and and to what is here, right now. It is about recognizing as “true” what we perceive, without judgement and without wanting to fix anything.
In this presence, a space opens where flow is possible and where health “remembers” itself. Sei-Ki is an “unfolding” into life, it is a space for encounter and recognition.
Sei-Ki is not easily accessible to modern thinking and cannot be learned by understanding theoretical concepts. Sei-Ki is presence and authenticity in touch. “Knowing” in Sei-Ki comes through the training of observation, attention and the willingness to engage with the reality of life movement with an empty mind.
Those who receive Sei-Ki often experience that they feel more like “themselves” and have a better sense of what they want – this can relate to small things, but over time also to big issues in life, such as work or relationships. As the body-mind wakes up and becomes more sensitive, life is experienced more immediately, more intensely and with more pleasure.
Practitioners experience something similar when they practise Sei-Ki with discipline and commitment: a greater connection to reality and quality in our work which continues into wider aspects of our lives.
We experience growth in wisdom and an understanding of clients from the roots of actually seeing how it is for them rather than relying on theory and maps.
Founded by Akinobu Kishi, Sei-Ki has had a major influence on Western Shiatsu since the early 1980s. Kishi trained in Shiatsu during its Golden Age in Japan and Sei-ki is an expression of the evolution of Japanese Shiatsu, as well as a return to its origins. Sei-Ki also refers to a body culture and health philosoophy practiced in Japanese traditions and arts that could not be found anywhere else. Many shiatsu teachers and practitioners refer to Kishi and his work as key to their development. Shiatsu
Sei-Ki connects back to the roots and feel of the original, Japanese Shiatsu; it is an echo we encourage you to ‘catch’ and use as you wish.
In essence, Sei-Ki is authentic and wholehearted relating.
(Teacher). Alice has been working in the field of Sei-Ki and Shiatsu for over 35 years. Having worked with Kishi Akinobu since 1997, she co-authored “Sei-Ki: Life in Resonance – The Secret Art of Shiatsu” (2011) with him. She has been offering Sei-Ki workshops for over 20 years. Alice has a PhD in Feminist Philosophy, has worked in higher education for over 30 years, and also works with mind clearing. She is the author of “Mind Clearing: The Key to Mindfulness Mastery” (2016). Alice lives and works in Norfolk (UK).
(Assistant Teacher | translation).
Alexandra has been involved with Shiatsu since 2004 and has been a Sei-Ki enthusiast since 2011 (workshops with Akinobu Kishi, Kyoko Kishi and Alice Whieldon). She practices Sei-Ki and Shiatsu in her practice in Vienna and has been teaching Sei-Ki since 2018. Alexandra is also an expert in women’s health.
Alice and Alexandra have known each other since 2017. After numerous joint workshops in which Alexandra translated and assisted Alice, an inspiring collaboration developed.
To register for this course, please fill out the form below.
Feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions about the course content or schedule!
