Jisei-kiko develops the physical and psychological potential that lies in each one of us. Its practice enables us to cultivate the body's internal sensitivity and is fundamental for health and well-being. It educates one's body from the inside.
We breathe through our lungs and skin. By associating our breathing with various images, it is possible for us to stimulate the body in a different way and perceive different sensations. It is a process of internalization that helps us gain an internal perspective, so as to always perceive more deeply.
Training and working on the sensitive perception of ki is fundamental for attaining health, the foremost goal of the Tokitsu-Ryu method. Kiko, or the art of breathing / energy, is the element that gives the method structure: using and strengthening our energy is a skill that we work on, explicitly or implicitly, in all the disciplines comprised in the method.
Jisei-Kiko is derived from the collaboration between Professor Toshihiko YAYAMA and Master K.Tokitsu. Elements from Buddhism, Taoism, yoga, various martial arts and western as well as oriental medicine, all converge in this method. Jisei-Kiko adopts the concept of chakra , which in yoga identifies the main energy centers in the human body.
Jisei-kiko, made up of various series of exercises and katas, aims at increasing our physical capacities through the practice of martial arts and at fully developing the natural dynamism of our bodies. This dynamism is built up as we increase our sensitivity to ki and allow it to flow through our bodies. For ki to circulate through the body, each joint must function at its best. The definition of joint in kiko is somewhat special. In addition to the traditional joints (wrist, ankle, elbow, knee, shoulder, hip, etc.), the stomach, the navel area, the solar plexus, the chest and the lower part of the throat are included. These mobile parts of the body, which we could call “technical” joints, are energy centers where a considerable amount of energy is generated. So we not only increase the number of technical joints, but we work to enhance the functionality of each individual one. All the joints must be developed to activate each one as a center of energy, at the same time strengthening the other chakras as well. This also leads to greater physical dynamism.
In Jisei-kiko, the chakras of the trunk are turned into technical joints (or hinges), while the natural joints (wrist, ankle, elbow, knee, shoulder, hip, etc.) are turned into chakras. By intensively doing the exercises that improve our health, we automatically gain in technical efficiency through our use of ki in combat, but we also gain in physical efficiency, since we increase our sense of well-being. Each student can thus regulate the intensity of his practice according to his personal goals.