In previous articles we’ve discussed CranioSacral Therapy and its support of an awareness called consciousness. That awareness appears to be an inevitable result of full energy flow, and that flow seems to increase with intention and support. How this energy moves in individuals is the subject of these musings, using the framework of Seitai, which is both a philosophy and a form of therapy.
Seitai
Seitai is a Japanese system of thought developed by Haruchika Noguchi Sensei in the 1940s and 1950s. The term translates as “put the body in the best positive order.” Through his intuitive abilities and clinical research, Noguchi recognized that doing so required an understanding of the spontaneous, non-conscious or autonomic nature of the body. Accessing this aspect of ourselves, Noguchi surmised, enables us to live more at ease with our own nature and surrounding environment.
The key to understanding spontaneity is seeing the body not as a collection of separate parts but as a whole, enlivened by an unseen force that guides body function and the processes of the mind. This force he called “ki.” It’s what keeps a top spinning, but if it loses its force, it falls over. It is ki that exists first, not form.
Ki is the power of life, and Noguchi saw it as a self-regulating action in the body, mind and emotions. We can learn through the practice of spontaneous movement to follow the blocks and flow of ki and bring awareness to where it fails to flow. Blocks can come from attitudes and beliefs that don’t match the inherent knowing of flow direction, causing confusion and a storm of tornado-like energy circulating within itself, making it difficult for energy to pass.
An ideal, healthy functioning body is one that can be sensitive to environmental cues and respond unconsciously to all the demands placed on it. This requires an autonomic nervous system that is fully circuited, in a body that can move freely: a flexible, sensitive, resilient body. This ideal body corrects automatically, through a sneeze, a cough, falling ill or having an accident, which is not an accident at all but your body trying to self-correct and open energy flow. Putting events in this light helps us realize that if a body is in Seitai, or right order, it can strengthen itself with each recovery, cultivating the art of recovery for the future. For example, Noguchi believed that colds are a positive and corrective course to transition the body into changing seasons.
Key points of Seitai
Fostering sensitivity in the body can greatly strengthen autonomic self-correction.
The movement advocated is called Katsugen – movement free of the interference of the conscious mind. A further refinement is called Kanagi, movement performed with the physical connection to others.
Noguchi developed a system of categories to help people recognize certain inherent tendencies in how they hold and store ki in their bodies. Some people tend to hold energy in their heads. Some compress energy on the left versus the right side of their body, creating a tendency towards emotional holding, and some favor forward and backward movement, resulting in a tendency towards physical activity. The list goes on for 12 categories, each having an active and passive designation.
All this is to say that Seitai offers a wonderful perspective to CranioSacral work. In CST, we follow the flow of ki and support any area that needs help in flowing to the greatest extent possible, on any level of the mind, body, emotions or spirit. Seitai provides the tools to cultivate sensitivity in our bodies and gives us an understanding of the importance of this spontaneous flow of energy we call ki, which drives us toward expanded consciousness.
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