Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation [Paperback]

H. E. Davey (Author)

Book Description

Series: Michi: Japanese Arts and Ways | Publication Date: May 1, 2001

Emphasizing soft stretching and meditation exercises, the ultimate goal of Japanese yoga-known as Shin-shin-toitsu-do-is enhanced mind/body integration, calmness, and willpower for a healthier and fuller life. Developed by Dr. Tempu Nakamura in the early 1900s from Indian yoga, Eastern arts, and Western medicine and psychotherapy, Japanese yoga offers a new approach to experienced yoga students and a natural methodology that newcomers will find easy to learn.

After a brief history of Shin-shin-toitsu-do, H. E. Davey presents Dr. Nakamura's Four Basic Principles to Unify Mind and Body. These principles relate the meditative experience to the movement of everyday living and thus make it a "dynamic" meditation. Each of the Four Basic Principles is illustrated with step-by-step explanations of practical experiments.

Readers are then introduced to different forms of seated and moving meditation, health exercises, and self-healing arts. All these are linked back to the Four Basic Principles and can enhance performance in art, music, business, sports, and other activities. Readers learn to use Japanese yoga techniques throughout the day, without having to sit on the floor or seek out a quiet space.

Included at the end of the book are simple but effective stretching exercises, information about ongoing practice, and a glossary and reference section. Amply illustrated and cogently presented, Japanese Yoga belongs in every yoga section and on every mind/body/spirit reading list.

H. E. Davey is Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in the San Francisco Bay Area and has studied directly with disciples of Nakamura Sensei.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I think that this is a great book for anyone interested in meditation and healing techniques."

Paige Lovitt for Reader Views

"Will make many yogis feel right at home. . . Davey's readable, friendly guide is definitely worth a look." -- Yoga Journal, July 2002

From the Publisher

Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation is part of Stone Bridge Press's MICHI: JAPANESE ARTS AND WAYS series. From chado--"the Way of tea"--to budo--"the martial Way"--Japan has succeeded in spiritualizing a number of classical arts. The names of these skills often end in Do, also pronounced Michi, meaning the "Way." By studying a Way in detail, we discover vital principles that transcend the art and relate more broadly to the art of living itself. Featuring the work of H. E. Davey and other select authors, books in the series MICHI: JAPANESE ARTS AND WAYS focus on these Do forms. They are about discipline and spirituality, about moving from the particular to the universal... to benefit people of any culture.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Stone Bridge Press; 1 edition (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1880656604
• ISBN-13: 978-1880656600
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #688,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

H. E. Davey is the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts (www.senninfoundation.com), which offers instruction in Japanese systems of yoga, martial arts, healing arts, and fine arts. His introduction to the arts of Japan came via traditional martial arts. Since the age of five, he's studied jujutsu extensively in the USA and Japan. He has received the title of Kyoshi from the Kokusai Budoin, a Tokyo-based international federation. Kokusai Budoin defines Kyoshi as comparable to a "Master's Certificate" and equivalent to modern ranks of sixth- to eighth-degree black belt. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the Shudokan Martial Arts Association (www.smaa-hq.com).

In middle school, Mr. Davey began Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a system of Japanese yoga and meditation founded by Nakamura Tempu Sensei. He's the only member of Tempu-Kai, an organization established by Mr. Nakamura, who is a full-time professional instructor of Shin-shin-toitsu-do. He's practiced in Japan and the USA under Nakamura Sensei's senior disciples, including Sawai Atsuhiro Sensei and Hashimoto Tetsuichi Sensei.

Mr. Davey's also received extensive instruction in Nakamura Sensei's methods of bodywork and healing with ki ("life energy"), which he teaches. He's furthermore received training in Hatha yoga and Pranayama breathing exercises in the tradition of Indra Devi.

Mr. Davey also studied shodo, or Japanese brush writing and ink painting, for 20 years under the late Kobara Ranseki Sensei of Kyoto. Mr. Davey holds the top rank in Ranseki Sho Juku shodo and exhibits each year in Japan. He's received numerous honors in these exhibitions, including Jun Taisho ("Associate Grand Prize").

H. E. Davey's articles on Japanese arts and his artwork have appeared in numerous American and Japanese magazines and newspapers. He's the author of Unlocking the Secrets of Aiki-jujutsu (McGraw-Hill), Brush Meditation: A Japanese Way to Mind & Body Harmony (Stone Bridge Press), Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Stone Bridge Press), Living the Japanese Arts & Ways: 45 Paths to Meditation & Beauty (Stone Bridge Press), The Japanese Way of the Artist (Stone Bridge Press), and The Japanese Way of the Flower: Ikebana as Moving Meditation (Stone Bridge Press).

The Japanese Way of the Artist has its own Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/TheJapaneseWayOfTheArtist

Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation also has a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/JapaneseYoga

H. E. Davey's Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts is on Facebook, too: http://www.facebook.com/SenninFoundation

Be sure to also check out H. E. Davey's Art of Shodo Facebook page for world class Japanese calligraphic art: http://www.facebook.com/ArtOfShodo

If you're a fan of Mr. Davey's books on Japanese arts and meditation, you may also enjoying becoming a fan of these Facebook pages. Just click the "Like" button.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Just a How-To Book, July 31, 2002

By 

Mike Donnelley (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Paperback)

If you're just interested in whether I liked this book or not, I'll get that out of the way first. I enjoyed this book and I expect to read it again in the near future.

I should mention, before discussing the contents, that this book is well-constructed. I like to read on airplanes and took this book on several short trips. It not only fits well into carryon luggage, but also withstands the rigors of travel and hotels extremely well.

This is not just a how-to type of book. Readers will not be overwhelmed by images of slim, svelte individuals in contortionist stances or situations. Rather, this book discusses the mental process of meditation. Any physical postures or exercises mentioned seem to be designed to facilitate the meditation process, not merely to lose weight or
fit in with the burgeoning yoga crowd.

I don't think there is any one good manner of addressing the mental processes, especially those of meditation. It is just too complicated an area. This author takes the approach of discussing some of the short-term goals of the incremental steps of his method, Shin-shin-toitsu-do, rather than ephemeral discussions of long-term, years-down-the-line goals. He
repeats important points, usually from different angles and perspectives. This approach can be heavy-handed and burdensome, if not done correctly.
Mr. Davey keeps his approach light. Just when it seems he is going to spoil things, he is off on another tangent that brings the reader back to the same goal.

I couldn't read this book in one sitting, although it is not a ponderous tome. I felt the need to break it into many short, educational readings. Sometimes just a snippet, sometimes reading longer. The material was presented in an easy manner, free of self-importance, yet not disrespectful. I know I probably didn't pick up all the important material
discussed, but I put it down with the feeling that I had found something that was important. I will read this book again, soon.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars affects you daily life from DAY ONE...., July 2, 2003

By 

J. Perre (Belgium) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Paperback)

'Japanese Yoga' is a surprising book that affects your daily life from day one that you practice it.
The fact that i keep on practicing it everyday is a solid proof that the exercises are helpful in many ways.

The author H.E. DAVEY reveals in a clear and instructive way the teachings of NAKAMURA TEMPU SENSEI.
Both the psychological and spiritual background of his method are written in a down-to-earth way and without acting as a 'guru'.
Each of the principles has a PRACTICAL pendant as an exercise or test to make you really feel what is meant. In this way these principles are not mere assumptions, but become true and real, here and now.
For example : the principle that the mind moves and controls the body : the author includes several tests and exercises to make you find out for yourself what is meant.

The practice of Japanese Yoga has a lot to offer : stretching exercises, improvement of posture and breathing, centered movement, healing skills, meditation etc. These are not too difficult for most people, if practiced in the right frame of mind. And they are beneficial indeed.

The author suggests that there could follow a second volume of this book. i would be very pleased to read and learn more about Japanese Yoga.

H.E. Davey also wrote "Living the Japanese Arts and Ways", 45 paths to meditation and beauty. This volume
further explores the Japanese Ways (do) and is equally interesting and revealing. It looks at "body-and-mind-

unification" through the traditional crafts and arts of Japan.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, easy to follow guide for all ages, August 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Paperback)

This is an excellent resource for anyone interested in improving their mental and physical capabilities. It is more than a picture book of yoga poses; it is a thorough examination and guide to achieving a state of mind-body unification. The premise is "body reflects mind; mind reflects body" and a goal is positive relaxation. Japanese yoga (also known as "shin-shin-toitsu-do") was developed in the early 1900s by Nakamura Tempu Sensei, one of the first Japanese to receive a medical degree from the U.S. Who he was and how he came to combine yogic disciplines with his own discoveries and experiences is a fascinating story in itself; it also provides a solid foundation for the meditations and exercises to follow. In addition to demonstrating the stretches and movements designed to increase flexibility and coordination, the book offers practical ways to improve concentration and perception. Different forms of meditation and attention exercises are presented in a clear, concise manner--no shrouds of mystery or mysticism here, just a practical how-to guide that anyone with the inclination can follow. The book is applicable for all ages. The exercises are simple yet thoughtfully challenging (total mind-body unification can be a tall order), and there is enough variety not to be repetitive and boring. Davey is very good at taking us through each step. He explains not only the "how-to" for each but the "why" and "how" it relates to positive relaxation. I found this book immensely helpful and highly recommend it!