In Shindo, ancient Eastern wisdom and current scientific knowledge of the human body meet in the present.
It gives new energy and new ideas to people living in the midst of change and reaching towards the future.
The method is so simple that everybody can learn it.
Shindo is a Japanese method of healing and bodywork based on thousands of years of wisdom.
It takes a holistic view of the human being.
Imbalance, like stress, disturbs man's natural life energy.
The shindo method aims at keeping the meridians, the body's energy channels, open.
Our muscles, shortened by tension, are stretched back to their normal state.
Our stressed mind is steadily relaxed.
Blockages in different parts of the body are dissolved.
The flow of body fluids is improved.
The shindo method re-establishes a balance, allowing creativity, the joy of life and inspiration to be freely expressed.
Shindo is firmly rooted in the latest knowledge of human anatomy and physiology.
The beneficial health effects of relaxation and touch are well known from physiological and psychological studies (stabilizing blood pressure, improving respiration, etc.).
The most valuable knowledge, however, comes through concrete bodywork and experience.
First of all, shindo is a personal tool for every one of us, with which we can boost our health, wellbeing, ability to learn and joy in living.
It is also a way to promote the healing of underlying diseases.
The number of treatments and exercises needed always varies with the individual.
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Shindo was created in Japan fourteen years ago, when Ms. Kazuko Kuratomi was seeking help for her prematurely born daughter's life-threatening allergies and asthma.
After seeking in vain for help and answers from several doctors, hospitals and nurses, she started searching for solutions in her own childhood experiences. The answers Ms. Kuratomi found were touch and warmth of heart.
At a congress on Eastern traditions she came across a book by Kazumichi Chibata on foot therapy and its importance for man. Ms. Kuratomi decided to apply these methods daily to her daughter.
Her daughter started to recover and was eventually totally healed.
At the same time, Ms.Kuratomi also started to observe and treat her friends' feet.
Although her first mission was to help children with her treatment, shindo has become known as a wide-ranging, but simple self-healing method for people of all ages and conditions.
As a method it continues to evolve, and it is not tied to any specific philosophy or religion.
Ms. Kazuko Kuratomi's own continued self-development and study encourage openness in learning, and are constantly adding new knowledge, new forms and new potential to the shindo method.
[[[ Up ]]]The word shindo means 'guidance by the heart' or finding the way inside ourselves.
The practical form taken by shindo ('kata' in Japanese), the way of exercising and giving treatments, helps us to open ourselves up, relax and see ourselves with greater clarity.
An essential characteristic of shindo is its way of providing support, approaching and touching with respect, all aimed at generating the courage to change.
We face another human being in reciprocity, that is, in equality between healer and recipient.
The healer is a warm but determined supporter.
The recipient is the subject, in whom things start to happen.
Different exercises give us courage and joy to encounter the whole spectrum of life
The basic forms of shindo exercise are relaxation, meridian stretching, foot treatment and Freefall (shoulder) treatment, all combined with visualization and concentration.
All the exercises can be done alone, in pairs or in a group.
The foundation of shindo is six meridian stretches, which give flexibility to both body and mind.
In foot therapy, the toes especially are manipulated and, with the change of rhythm, both the meridians and the nervous system all the way to the brain are stimulated.
Freefall treatment is done in pairs and deals with five shoulder zones.
This relieves the tensions that are the norm for most of us in this region of the body.
The treatment is combined, for example, with an invigorating waterfall visualization, providing enjoyment for both healer and recipient.
Music is also is used during the courses and in treatments
Shindo is not only a form of healing or therapy.
It is also a wonderful way of communicating with each other and of relaxing.
It gives people a natural ability to provide help at home, with friends, and at work, before problems become overwhelming.
Shindo exercises, e.g. stretching, combine breathing, motion and natural concentration.
An important factor in shindo is the healer's attitude.
The healer's role is to support the other without being deeply involved.
The changes occur within the recipient (the stretcher) and she/he receives the benefits of this.
This is how the treatment and exercises support his/her self-image and strengthen him/her, facilitating better health.
Everybody can be a healer.
The stiffness and pain that we all experience is easier to face with this kind of support.
Shindo is also healing for the healers.
The healer develops greater strength, while being able to relax and by using his/her own weight prevents overexertion
Courses of Shindo can be applied to different purposes
The treatment is expanding into different applications.
It can be applied to different groups, such as children or young people needing special care or rehabilitation, and can be part of the education programs of health professionals and occupational health workers.
Since the treatment seems to have a strong tendency to stimulate interaction between the two brain hemispheres, many artists, teachers and creative workers have started using it
In Finland you can learn shindo with registered shindo trainers and healers all over the country.
You can participate in order to help yourself, your family or to obtain a professional education.
In addition to the courses, stretching/healing/relaxation evenings are organized in different localities.
In six months you can become an assistant instructor.
After an extended period of practice, you can participate in the actual shindo training program, which lasts an additional year.
Participating in the training program is both an inspiring experience and a self-healing process.
This enables the healer to provide appropriate support to others.
Further education is provided continuously.
The shindo method has developed and gained in effectiveness rapidly, and there is a strong emphasis on training.
Finland is the first country outside Japan where a comprehensive, interesting training program has been established.
Education is also provided in other countries
Finnish Shindo ry. is a registered association established in 1996 to inform, coordinate and organize activities in Finland.
The association keeps a register of healers and organizers of courses.
Up-to-date contact information is available from the contact persons.
There are 55 assistant shindo trainers and 21 shindo trainers in Finland (May 2000).
In addition to the Helsinki region, there are activities in Vantaa, Porvoo, Vaasa, Jyväskylä, Mikkeli, Varkaus, Kouvola, Imatra, Lappeenranta, Lohja, Ahvenanmaa and in some other smaller towns.
The Association also provides information about visits to Finland by sensei (=teacher) Ms. Kazuko Kuratomi, and organizes various events and training sessions.
You can apply for membership.
The membership fee is EUR 25 per year
Shindo Association Finland
PL 643
FIN-00101 Helsinki
Finland
The new millennium is challenging old institutions, old ways of thinking and old habits.
Children and teenagers need new, fresh ways of coping with life.
Healing and teaching play a key role in confronting change, and people working in these fields are facing major challenges.
Western and Eastern knowledge, old and new treatments, active and passive healing, strength and sensitivity are all combined in shindo.
Shindo also offers numerous opportunities for experiencing power, joy and courage, and we invite everybody to use them in a wide variety of ways and to share the joy.
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