How can I Learn Japanese Yoga?

Shin-shin-toitsu-do, commonly known as Japanese yoga in the West, is rarely taught outside of Japan. At this time, the only school outside of Asia offering full time professional instruction in the original methods of Shin-shin-toitsu-do, as created by Nakamura Tempu Sensei, is the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Sennin Foundation Center was established in 1981 by H. E. Davey Sensei.

We’re located in Albany, just across the bay from San Francisco and right next to Berkeley. Our dojo, or training hall, can easily be found at 1053 San Pablo Avenue, in a safe, well-lit neighborhood only 1 1/2 miles from both the El Cerrito Plaza and North Berkeley BART stations. AC Transit's 72 bus stops right in front of our dojo. To see a map of our location, click here.

Visits are by appointment, and appointments can be scheduled by visiting http://www.senninfoundation.com/ or by calling 510-526-7518 in the evenings. Be sure to ask about our free introductory classes.

For individuals living outside Northern California, seminar instruction is a possibility. Davey Sensei has presented seminars in Japanese yoga and meditation throughout the USA, and depending on his schedule, he may be willing to conduct a seminar in your location. Contact the Sennin Foundation Center to discuss the details of bringing him to your town to teach Japanese yoga.

Along the same lines, we've offered “crash courses” in Japanese yoga and meditation for out of town guests in the past. Such courses are a combination of group and private instruction. Plan on being in Albany for at least one week, and be sure to contact us to discuss the cost and details of your short term course well in advance of your arrival.

For interested parties that are unable to visit California or sponsor a seminar in their area, we offer Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation. This is the first and only book in English on the original Shin-shin-toitsu-do of Nakamura Sensei. It’s out of print, but you can still order new, signed copies by going here: http://www.senninfoundation.com/davey_yoga.html.

Davey Sensei regularly corresponds with readers of his many books via e-mail. He’s willing to answer questions, making the use of his book Japanese Yoga even more effective for people that are unable to practice at the Sennin Foundation Center.

"Japanese Yoga" and PayPal

How to Purchase Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation

Japanese Yoga can be purchased easily and safely through PayPal. It's simple to set up a PayPal account, and if you don't wish to do this, PayPal will accept most major credit cards. You can read more about PayPal here: https://www.paypal.com/. This really is one of the safest ways to transfer funds on the Internet, and it's effectively used by a huge number of people each day.

To buy Japanese Yoga with a credit card, or through your PayPal account, just go here: http://www.senninfoundation.com/davey_yoga.html. And if you don't want to use either of these approaches, the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts will accept postal money orders. You can contact them here: http://www.senninfoundation.com/.

But don't wait too long as this book is out of print. For a limited time only, the Sennin Foundation Center is offering autographed copies of H. E. Davey Sensei's landmark book Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation for just $18.95. These are BRAND NEW copies of an out of print book, which is becoming increasingly hard to find and going up in price.

The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts

About the Sennin Foundation Center

H. E. Davey Sensei is not only the acclaimed author of Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation, he's also the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center. You can visit the Sennin Foundation Center at http://www.senninfoundation.com/.

The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts has been offering instruction in traditional Japanese arts under experienced, certified teachers since 1981. Established in California by H. E. Davey Sensei, it presents separate training in Japanese systems of yoga, healing arts, martial arts, and fine arts. Ongoing classes are available to people of all ages and levels of health, including classes for children ages five and up.

Members of the Sennin Foundation Center have access to the rich traditions of Japan's cultural arts through practice in the group's classical dojo (literally, "training hall of the Way"). Much more than simply a school or studio, an authentic dojo is a gateway into the timeless realm of Asian art and personal development, allowing members of the Sennin Foundation Center to realize vibrant well-being and longevity. In fact, the word "Sennin" describes the ancient Japanese equivalent of a yogi. The Sennin were known for their high degree of enlightenment, splendid health, and according to some ancient myths, their ability to attain immortality. This same emphasis on spiritual realization and physical fitness is stressed by the Sennin Foundation, thus the use of the term Sennin.

H. E. Davey Sensei, and by extension the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, is affiliated with a number of elite organizations, which serves to illustrate the group's close ties with Japan and the nature of the Sennin Foundation's programs. Some of these professional affiliations are as follows:

Zaidan Hojin Tempu-Kai (The Tempu Society)--A Tokyo-based organization founded by the late Nakamura Tempu Sensei. Mr. Nakamura was the originator of Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a distinctive form of Japanese yoga based on mind and body unification.

Ranseki Sho Juku (Ranseki Japanese Calligraphy Institute)--A private San Francisco Bay Area study group for shodo, or Japanese brush writing practiced as meditation and fine art, which was headed by the late Kobara Ranseki Sensei, Headmaster of Ranseki Ryu shodo. Most of the late Kobara Sensei's students are now studying shodo with H. E. Davey Sensei and Miyauchi Somei Sensei. They are teaching at the Wanto Shodo-Kai (East Bay Japanese Calligraphy Association) in Oakland, California.

Kokusai Shodo Bunka Koryu Kyokai (International Japanese Calligraphy and Cultural Exchange Association)--Headquartered in Urayasu, Japan, this international organization is sponsored by Japan's Ministry of Education.

Kokusai Budoin (International Martial Arts Federation)--The Kokusai Budoin of Tokyo (http://www.imaf.com/) is sponsored by Japan's Imperial family and acts as a worldwide umbrella organization for most traditional Japanese martial arts and ways.

Shudokan Budo-Kai (Shudokan Martial Arts Association)--The SMAA is an international coalition of Japanese and Western experts, featuring martial artists from a variety of different systems. With members in several nations, the group works toward the preservation and cultivation of classical Japanese martial arts and ways.

International Hoplology Society--A unique scholarly organization founded by the late Donn F. Draeger Sensei, regarded by some as the world's foremost Western Japanese martial arts authority, author, and historian. The IHS is based in the USA and dedicated to studying the effects of the martial arts and ways on civilizations throughout history.

The Sennin Foundation, Inc.--A federally tax-exempt, nonprofit corporation, which is headquartered in California, and which promotes the study of Japanese cultural arts for personal transformation. The Sennin Foundation, Inc. sponsors Michi Online: Journal of Japanese Cultural Arts (www.michionline.org), an electronic journal and online resource for the Japanese arts community. You can read more about Davey Sensei's many books at the Sennin Foundation web site: http://www.senninfoundation.com/publications.html

About the Author of "Japanese Yoga"

H. E. Davey

H. E. Davey Sensei has received extensive instruction in Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a form of Japanese yoga founded by Nakamura Tempu Sensei in 1919. He has practiced under four of Nakamura Sensei's senior disciples and is the sole American member of the Tempu Society, an organization founded by Mr. Nakamura. His training in Shin-shin-toitsu-do, or "The Way of Mind and Body Unification," has taken place in both Japan and the United States.

Mr. Davey has also received comprehensive instruction in Nakamura Sensei's methods of healing with ki ("life energy") and bodywork, which he teaches as well. Davey Sensei's emphasis is on the transference of ki as a way of aiding recovery from illness or injury.

In addition, Davey Sensei has studied shodo, or Japanese brush writing/ink painting, under Kobara Ranseki Sensei of Kyoto. Kobara Sensei, the late Shihan ("Headmaster") of Ranseki Ryu shodo, was also the Vice President of the Kokusai Shodo Bunka Koryu Kyokai, an international shodo association headquartered in Urayasu. Mr. Davey holds the highest rank in Ranseki Ryu and exhibits his artwork annually in Japan. He has received numerous awards in these international exhibitions, including Jun Taisho, or the "Associate Grand Prize."

H. E. Davey Sensei's involvement in Japanese cultural arts started during his childhood. He began studying the martial art of aiki-jujutsu at the age of five under his late father, who had trained in Japan, and who held instructor certification from more than one Japanese martial arts association. Mr. Davey has also studied the martial arts extensively in both the U.S. and Japan. Davey Sensei presently is the highest-ranking American in the Kokusai Budoin's Nihon Jujutsu and Kobudo Divisions. He has received the rank of seventh-degree black belt from the Kokusai Budoin (http://www.imaf.com/), a worldwide martial arts federation sponsored by Japan's Imperial Family, and the same ranking from the Shudokan Martial Arts Association (http://http://www.smaa-hq.com/).

Davey Sensei's articles on Japanese arts and his calligraphy have appeared in such magazines as Karate Kung-Fu Illustrated, Furyu-The Budo Journal of Classical Japanese Martial Arts and Culture, The Journal of Asian Martial Arts, Body Mind Spirit, and Yoga Journal. His artwork and writings have been printed in Japanese publications such as Hokubei Mainichi, Nichibei Times, and Gendo. He is also the author of Unlocking the Secrets of Aiki-jujutsu (McGraw-Hill), Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony (Stone Bridge Press), The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation (Stone Bridge Press), Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Stone Bridge Press), and Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty (Stone Bridge Press), and The Japanese Way of the Artist (Stone Bridge Press). Brush Meditation was one of the top ten best-selling Stone Bridge Press books in 1999.

In 2003, Spirituality & Health magazine presented Davey Sensei with its Book of the Year award for Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty. Also in 2003, the same book was one of ForeWord magazine's top five books and a finalist for their Book of the Year award.

H. E. Davey Sensei is the Director of the

Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, President of the Sennin Foundation, Inc., and the editor of Michi Online: Journal of Japanese Cultural Arts.

Synopsis of "Japanese Yoga"

Based on the eclectic Western-Eastern teachings of Nakamura Tempu Sensei, Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation is a step-by-step introduction to Japanese yoga (Shin-shin-toitsu-do). It presents stretching, healing, and meditation exercises designed for mind/body integration. It is the first book in English to detail the life and teachings of Nakamura Sensei. In Japanese yoga, which is based on mind and body unification principles, the ultimate goal is enhanced concentration, calmness, and willpower for a longer, healthier, and fuller life. H. E. Davey Sensei also shows how Japanese yoga relates to various classical Japanese arts as part of a tradition of spiritual practice with spiritual and aesthetic roots in India, Japan, and the West. Illustrated, with a glossary and reference section.

The book is now out of print, but a limited number of new, signed copies can be obtained here: http://www.senninfoundation.com/davey_yoga.html