Sotai or Sotai-hō (操体法 Sōtai-hō) is a Japanese form of muscular or movement therapy invented by Keizo Hashimoto (1897–1993), a Japanese medical doctor from Sendai.
The term So-tai (操体) is actually the opposite of the Japanese word for
exercise: Tai-so (体操).
Dr. Hashimoto conceived Sotai as an antidote to
the forceful and regimented exercises of Japan, that anyone could
practice easily to restore balance and health.
Sotai is different from regular exercise because it distinguishes
between balanced movements that are natural and beneficial and those
that are unnatural and cause strains and physical distortions.
Dr. Hashimoto held that Sotai was not just a system of exercises or a
method of therapy, but that it was part of a deeper broader principle
that embraced all of life. Health is the natural result of right living,
and its improvement and maintenance is the responsibility of each
individual. Most human beings go through life without much awareness of
the essential processes of life until there is some dysfunction or
disease. These essential functions are breathing, eating/drinking,
moving, and thinking. These four functions are interrelated and help
keep our body in balance or otherwise cause imbalance and disease.
Most imbalances begin small and barely perceptible but gradually
increase to eventually produce pain, physical distortion, and organic
disease.
The aim
of Sotai is to help the body restore and maintain its natural balance.
Sotai works with the basic structure of the human body and its natural
capacity to move and maintain balance. Sotai Therapy is a systematic
method for introducing easeful movements from the extremities to the
spine to facilitate a functional balance.
Dr. Hashimoto developed a model of treatment based on restoring
structural balance that works with the breath and movements toward
comfort (or away from pain). He developed Sotai Therapy from traditional
East Asian medicine (acupuncture, moxibustion, bone setting (Sekkotsu), Seitai Jutsu[1]) in concert with his knowledge of modern medicine.
No comments:
Post a Comment