The Nishino Method Basic Concepts and Terminology

 

The Nishino Method- Deep Breathing Exercises

Basic Concepts and Terminology

These are essential concepts and terms you need to understand in order to master the Nishino Method breathing exercises.

Karin　華輪

Relax your body with preparatory exercise Karin.  Swing from left to right and count this as one swing. Swing about 20 times each in the middle (normal swings), upper (shoulder-slapping swings), and lower (looking-at-heal swings) rows. Swing your body smoothly. Your shoulders and arms are fully relaxed, and the body is rotated with energy from the Tanden, with the spine as the axis. Do not move the feet and do not lift the heels. Loosen the knees. The arms cling to the body with a natural elasticity like a whip.　Breathe naturally.

Karin Video

Sokushin Breathing 足芯呼吸

Inhale from the Sokushin (soles of the feet). In fact, inhale through the nose, but do it with the awareness of inhaling through the Sokushin. The breath goes up both legs, through the knees and thighs to the Tanden. The breath then passes down the inside of the spine to the top of the head. Here, hold the breath lightly, and then, keeping the breath still, let it descend through the bridge of the nose, mouth, throat, chest, and front part of the body, and settle in the Tanden.　Circulate your breath all over the body with a long and thin exhalation to the Tanden, along the feet downwards to the Sokushin and to the ground.

Sokushin Breathing exercises include Tenyū天遊, Enten円天, Tenshō天翔, Gyōun行雲, and Muhen無辺.

Inhale from Sokushin (sole of the foot). In fact, inhale through the nose, but do it with the awareness of inhaling through　Sokushin. The breath goes up both legs, through the knees and thighs to Tanden. The breath then passes down the inside of the spine to the top of the head. Here, hold the breath lightly, and then, keeping the breath still, let it descend through the bridge of the nose, mouth, throat, chest, and front part of the body, and settle in　Tanden.　Circulate your breath all over the body, then exhale long and thin.

Sokushin Breathing Video

Tanden　丹田

The main reservoir of human energy. It is located just below the navel (a few centimeters below the navel, a few centimeters deep). Tanden does not exist as a body part like the heart or liver. It appears as the Tanden only when the effective energy of the body is accumulated.

Hyaku-e　百会

Hyaku-e is around the top of the head. Think of the soft, twitching area at the top of a baby's head. The Hyaku-e is an important place to take in energy.

Open-Close Rule オープン・クローズの法則

“Open” means to open the body. Specifically, it means opening and closing the shoulder blades, stimulating the thymus gland, and ultimately opening the brain. It is important to exhale when you open the body.

As you exhale deeply and softly and open your body, your body relaxes and becomes infinitely liberated. The body and the space become one, and one feels so free and refreshed. When you open your body, you feel that your body is connected to the universe.

“Close” means closing the body. The breath is a long, thin inhalation. At this time, energy is stored in the body. By breathing in, the energy of the universe is naturally taken into the body. It is important to inhale when you close the body.

By following this Open-Close Rule, it is possible to acquire the state of Chūyū promptly while performing smooth, deep breathing. However, when we look at the movements of people who are accustomed to using the body in general, they often inhale when the body is open and exhale when the body is closed. If this is the case, it will be difficult to achieve the state of Chūyū.

Chūyū　宙遊

The ideal state of the body is one in which the body is relaxed, as if floating and drifting in weightless space or in a hot spring. The Nishino Method breathing exercises are always performed in this state of Chūyū. Chūyū is a relaxed yet powerful body that is created based on breathing without placing a heavy burden on the heart and lungs.

Kanyō　緩揺

The Chinese character”緩(kan)”means to loosen a thread, and thus expresses a relaxed, calm, and tranquil state. The Chinese character “揺(yō)” means that something shaken by hands keep shaking. Other English words that come to mind that describe similar movements include flow, modulate, relax, loosen, and swing, but the nuance is slightly different from that of 緩揺(Kanyō). The term 緩揺(Kanyō)contains an oriental sentiment. Loosen your body with the image of 緩揺(Kanyō).

Sennen　旋捻

The Chinese character”緩(kan)”means to loosen a thread, and thus expresses a relaxed, calm, and tranquil state. The Chinese character “揺(yō)” means that something shaken by hands keep shaking. Other English words that come to mind that describe similar movements include flow, modulate, relax, loosen, and swing, but the nuance is slightly different from that of 緩揺(Kanyō). The term 緩揺(Kanyō)contains an oriental sentiment. Loosen your body with the image of 緩揺(Kanyō).

Jūsoku Method　充足法

“Jūsoku" means to be satiated with full of energy. You take a certain part of the body and fill it with life energy. You will be able to feel the higher state of the body that is cultivated in the Nishino Method. The life energy cultivated by the breathing fills the body to overflowing, and creates a relaxed Chūyū, the ideal physical condition, naturally. 

Ichigen- jūsoku　一元充足

Only the Tanden(Ichigen: one source) should be filled with energy.  Everything else is empty. Ichigen-jūsoku is a process of affirming the Tanden as a main reservoir of energy in the body. It is important not to see the Tanden as a fixed point. Flow Ki nourished by Sokushin Breathing into Ichigen, which leads to a state of fullness and contentment.

Sangen- jūsoku　三元充足

Sangen-jūsoku is the most basic of all the Jūsoku Methods. Sangen(three sources) are the Tanden and two hands. When the Tanden is overflowing with Ki, the hands, which are the second brain, also become more and more filled with Ki. Everything else is empty. Empty does not mean empty, but it means the capacity to unlimitedly accommodate Ki-energy.

Yongen-jūsoku　四元充足

Flow your Ki-energy to the four sources of energy: both hands and both feet. At this time, Tanden should be forgotten, and only the hands and feet should be filled with Ki.  The hands are said to be the second brain and the feet the second heart.

Tagen-jūsoku　多元充足

Tagen (Multi-sources) in this context refers to an infinite number of points all over the body. When Tagen (all the cells) are full of vitality, the whole body is overflowed with Ki as is the Tanden. This is the most advanced stage of Jūsoku Methods. These cells are tiny generator sites; the entire body is suffused with energy, maximizing its free flow throughout the body.

Once one has attained a state of Tagen-jūsoku, no matter what the situation, no matter what the movement, the body will always be free to move freely, you will be able to flow Ki, energy of the breath, throughout the body as you wish.

Taiki　対気

Taiki is the communication of energy from the body. Humans communicate with each other through actions and words. But we must not forget that the energy of the human being is naturally transmitted. Energy communication is the exchange of energy at its source before the creation of human thought. It is the life energy that humans possess, and we exchange it. That is the meaning of Taiki. Taiki is a wonder method that frees the body from the bondage of action by the brain and allows the body to joyfully embody the natural body, and in turn, makes the brain work more flexibly.