|
PORTAL
HOME |
| |
|
Introducing Shinseido |
| |
|
Introduction |
| |
 |
The roots of the contemporary life-skill of Shinseido are
thousands of years old. In the fourteenth century, ancient southern
Chinese martial practises were introduced to Okinawa and it was there that the
core teachings of the system were nurtured. Today Shinseido
embraces old traditional martial arts of the Orient, contemporary self-defence, and several lines of therapeutic and inter-personal
endeavour in a fully integrated and holistic framework. Shinseido is a life-skill that provides a healthier,
safer, and far more satisfying approach to life and living. |
| |
|
Our training halls
do not
promote sport-oriented practises. There is no competition, no tournaments,
no gymnastic leaping or the smashing of things. What you will find instead
is a pragmatic system that is firmly rooted in the old ways, oriented to staying
safe in real assaultive situations in today's world. If there is any
competition, it is against yourself. The training practise revolves
around a number of 'shadow boxing' forms that look a little like a rather
formal dance routine. These forms embody all the secrets of the system.
The forms serve to provide a number of different viewpoints and represent a
functional and utilitarian self-defence system. Ultimately however, and
perhaps more importantly, they comprise a form of kinetic meditation or moving
visualisation exercise that will lead directly to a calm and more peaceful
lifestyle. |
| |
|
Through practise of
Shinseido forms, you will develop poise, balance, strength,
suppleness, and a sense of calm peacefulness. The practise of
Shinseido movements integrates mental activity and makes all
learning easier. This is because they encourage the brain's component
parts to work in unison one with the other. The complete learning of any
subject demands a process in which knowledge is fixed more or less permanently
within the mind. Such a process demands that the subject is sufficiently
enjoyable to motivate the individual and at the same time, is sufficiently
repetitive to fix lessons into the memory. It has been said that some
people try too hard and switch off the brain integration mechanism necessary for
complete learning. Information is received by the back brain as an
'impress' but is inaccessible to the front brain as an 'express'. This inability
to 'express’ what is learned can lock the unfortunate person into a failure
syndrome. This is particularly true as regards the young and those with
low levels of confidence and self esteem.
|
| |
|
The solution is to learn an
art, such as Shinseido that demands total mind and body
integration in
order to perform the skills contained within the art. The learning process
is effected through repetitive movement re-patterning and special exercises
which enable students to access those parts of the brain normally unavailable to
them. The changes in learning and behaviour are gradual and profound as
students discover how to receive information and express themselves
simultaneously.
The Shinseido
system teaches this re-patterning procedure which will improve the quality of
living, learning and enjoyment of movement.
Shinseido
activities help any student young or old, to make better use of one's
potential. The movements of body and energy are very ancient and
appear in martial arts, yoga and touch therapies. Students will learn to
recognise and
|
 |
|
experience the energy
derived from the movements in their daily life activities. They will
learn how they can carry out the movements automatically just 'knowing' when they can be of
benefit. Shinseido movements are natural and embody
mechanically and ergonomically correct principals. Students always work within their
own natural limitations and are encouraged, never forced. |
| |
| |
|
Aspects of Shinseido
practice
|
| |
|
1.
Self defence
|
|
2.
Physical exercise, deportment, balance, strength, suppleness and stamina
|
|
3.
Self confidence, self esteem, self assertiveness and self awareness
|
|
4.
Stress relief
|
|
5.
Understanding the nature and management of contemporary violence
|
|
6.
The development of feelings of empathy and compassion, and a natural sense
|
|
of friendship and connectedness towards others.
|
| |
|
Correctly practised,
Shinseido is therapeutic and will reduce stress, promote physical, mental,
and spiritual well-being and will also increase longevity. Shinseido
represents a way of life, and the practitioner who seriously penetrates its
teachings will never be the same again. It is an intricate subject, and
one that could quite easily take a lifetime to fully explore. It has many
intimately related components, none of which is complete without the others.
The more one learns about Shinseido, the more there is to learn, not
only about Shinseido but also about oneself. In every day of
one's life, there is a space for some form of training, either mental or
physical. There is a strong sense of continuity in training, and although
you and your needs will change over the years, Shinseido will present
a constant and absorbing challenge. |
| |
 |
Learning Shinseido
There are successive levels
of learning within Shinseido. The beginner will embark upon
the learning of several methods that embody the principles of the system
such as stepping and posture, how to use the hands and arms in a defensive
manner, how to evade, and how to position oneself for maximum effect. In conjunction with
these developmental exercises, the student will be introduced to the forms,
which embody all the fundamental principles of the system. The
learning of the forms will, among other things, increase the student’s
levels of confidence and self esteem. The new student will learn how
to use the |
|
movements of the
exercises he or she learns in a practical self-defensive way with a practise
partner. The movements during the early stages of learning are
performed in succession one after the
other and are precise and detailed. The new student will not be
subjected to trauma, fear, or hurt. Instead, he or she will take on
new experiences and increasingly more difficult material as the principles
are understood and confidence is gained. Throughout training, the
student is taught the interplay between the soft circular internal style and the
hard linear external style. The yin principle of circularity,
softness, and yielding, is perfectly blended with the linear, hard type of
training.
|
| |
| |
|
Can I do it? |
| |
|
Yes, of course you can.
Many would-be competent practitioners or teachers are afraid to begin
training because they feel that they will not be able to keep up the pace,
or are afraid they will be thrust into intimidating situations before they
have the confidence to cope with them. This is a natural fear.
However, Shinseido was created for people not supermen or
automatons! Anyone with patience, consistency, and an ability to
follow instructions can learn Shinseido - you do not have to
be clever. Men, women, and children, in any physical condition may
start. Every member wants to help the newcomer
to feel comfortable and at home. Although
you will be encouraged to take part in all activities, you will not be put
on display or be pushed into doing anything you cannot do. The true
secret of success is to trust your teachers and work hard and consistently
at the things you have been shown. |
| |
| |
|
What kinds of people
practise
Shinseido? |
| |
|
All sorts of people practise
Shinseido. You may be someone who is afraid of street
violence and who wants to learn legal and effective self-defence options in
as short a period of time as possible. You may have been unfortunate
enough to experience domestic violence and want to know what options exist.
You may be a professional person such as a nurse, carer, teacher or indeed
anyone who works with the general public and who might have to handle a
challenging or violent situation at work, and need therefore to develop good
passive, |
 |
|
non harming breakaway
techniques. |
John (66yrs) and James (17 yrs) |
|
Psychiatric care staff,
police, prison and |
|
|
security staff
may wish to study more advanced intervention techniques. Sometimes
people want to use
Shinseido to keep fit or as a therapy and come because of some
physical disability such as cerebral palsy or multiple sclerosis and want to
try to develop balancing and co-ordination skills or to strengthen muscles
and keep themselves mobile. Sometimes a student wants to come to terms
with his or her own anger and levels of stress and wants to learn how to
live in a state of calm peacefulness. Others come along simply because
the subject interests them technically or historically and they want to know
more about it. Hundreds of people from many walks of life have gained
a great deal through Shinseido practise over the years either
as short or long term practitioners. |
| |
| |
|
Come and visit us |
| |
|
Anyone can become a
Shinseido practitioner or teacher with the right attitude and approach.
Please don’t hesitate to come along and watch and ask any questions that you
have. If you want to join in and try the training, you can do that too.
Should you join us, and embark upon the study of this challenging and absorbing
life-skill, you will become a member of a close knit and caring family.
You will make new and good friends and have the opportunity to correspond with
like minded people around the world. Your study of Shinseido
will change your whole outlook on life and you will become a better more
self-aware and confident person through your training. It is up to you how
far you wish to go, there will always be something to learn within the system.
Whatever you choose to do, whichever path you take for the future, we extend our
very best wishes. |
| |
|
Roger Sheldon, Principal.
E-mail. |