FAQ

Is online practice effective?

Yes, it works well for H. E. Davey's students in various countries, but some people may be skeptical of this approach. When Nakamura Tempu first taught decades ago, there were two options for learning: books and in-person classes. And while aspects of Shin-shin-toitsu-do can be learned using a book, physically complex exercises cannot.

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Video changed the situation to a degree. Now, students could see more clearly how exercises should be performed, but the format wasn't interactive. They had no effective way to receive correction.

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For these reasons, in-person training was long considered the only means to efficiently study Shin-shin-toitsu-do. But online classes have changed this.

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Using Zoom, H. E. Davey's students hear his lectures, watch how various exercises are done from several angles . . . and most importantly, Davey Sensei can observe and correct students. It's a great way to learn Shin-shin-toitsu-do.

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Plus, it's not always possible to travel to a specific location without ever missing a class. What if your car breaks down driving to the dojo? What if there's a traffic jam? What if you're sick?​ Well, then you missed what was taught that day, and it might have been new, important material. But our students receive recordings of every class taught by Davey Sensei, which they can watch at their leisure. They never miss a class.

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Popular in-person classes can be crowded, sometimes making it hard to see what's being taught. This isn't a problem with our online class, in which we use a high-quality, high-definition, 4K webcam with excellent audio/visual quality. You can always see the teacher.

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And in a traditional class, you might wish that the instructor would demonstrate an exercise a few more times, but it doesn't always happen. When you get home, you may have trouble remembering what was taught . . . even if you try to take notes during practice.​ That's not a problem with our classes. You can review everything that was shown online when you get the class recording. You can rewatch each exercise as many times as you like. And you can take notes whenever you want.

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With our online classes and recordings you see and hear the teacher clearly, you never miss a class, you can take notes easily, you can comfortably and repeatedly review what you learned, and you can receive correction from the Western world's preeminent teacher of the original Shin-shin-toitsu-do. These are huge advantages, which in-person training hasn't traditionally offered.

 

That's why once H. E. Davey started teaching online, almost every major group offering Nakamura Tempu's Shin-shin-toitsu-do in Japan started online classes, too. Given Nakamura Sensei's innovative approach to teaching, it's almost certain that he would have approved. 

 

How can I practice in-person with other students?

We have a special meet-up program for our students. Just add your name and contact information to a database of interested parties. Then, when another dojo member contacts us looking for someone to practice with, we give them your information. You exchange email, pick a time and place to practice together in-person, or just chat. It’s not required, but for some folks it’s an excellent way to learn, which blends in-person practice with online instruction.

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Who is H. E. Davey?

H. E. Davey is the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts, which was founded in 1981. He's also the Vice President of Kyoto's International Japanese Yoga Association (IJYA) and the group's International Chief Instructor.

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He's studied under four of Nakamura Tempu's most advanced disciples in Japan and the USA. He was associated with the late Hashimoto Tetsuichi, one of the most senior teachers of Shin-shin-toitsu-do in the world, for almost 30 years. And he's a close associate of Sawai Atsuhiro, IJYA President and the author of best-selling books on Nakamura Tempu's Japanese yoga. 

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Speaking of books, Davey Sensei literally wrote the book on Nakamura Tempu's yoga and meditation in 2001, when he authored Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation, the first English language book offered on this subject. He followed up with his widely acclaimed work The Teachings of Tempu: Practical Meditation for Daily Life. 

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He's received teaching authorization from more than one of Nakamura Tempu's top disciples, and he has the highest level of instructor certification from the IJYA. H. E. Davey has been studying Shin-shin-toitsu-do for over 50 years.

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What is the official name of Nakamura Tempu's Japanese yoga?

​Early on, Nakamura Sensei's teachings were known as Toitsu-do (統一道), or "The Way of Unification." But later, his groundbreaking methodology became known as Shin-shin-toitsu-do (心身統一道), "The Way of Mind and Body Unification," in some circles and as Shin-shin-toitsu-ho (心身統一法), "The Method of Mind and Body Unification" in other groups.

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Recently, some teachers in Japan have been presenting classes in what they call Tempu Tetsugaku (天風哲学), or "Tempu Philosophy." While others refer to Tempu-shiki yoga (天風式ヨガ), which is "Tempu-style yoga." Tempu-shiki Nihon yoga, "Tempu-style Japanese yoga," is also used to informally indicate Nakamura Sensei's path to wellness and peace of mind.

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Regardless of terminology, the central figure is always Nakamura Tempu. And the central theme is always unification of mind and body.

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What did Nakamura Tempu study?

Nakamura Sensei contracted tuberculosis, and he was told he didn't have long to live. He launched a global quest to cure his tuberculosis or at least find peace of mind. This search took him to the USA and then to Europe. In Egypt, he encountered Kaliappa, an Indian mystic and yoga master, who brought him to India for a final attempt to save his life.

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Kaliappa went by one name, which was common in India and Nepal when Nakamura Sensei lived there. In many East Indian cultures, it's common for individuals to use one name. This is more prevalent in rural or traditional communities, where naming conventions differ from those in urban areas.

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Kaliappa was Lepcha, an indigenous group residing in the Himalayas, and his ashram was in the small village of Gorkhe in Nepal. He spoke English and visited England to teach. He appears to have primarily taught Raja yoga, but he included training in Karma yoga and made limited use of asana, or yoga poses, as in Hatha yoga.

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Raja yoga, or "Royal yoga," is one of the preeminent forms of yoga, and it's outlined in the famed Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Its focus is yogic philosophy, meditation, and breathing exercises. Karma yoga is a profound worldview based on seva: "selfless service" to others and the world.

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Kaliappa was Nakamura Sensei's main teacher. What Nakamura Sensei gave birth to, however, was his own creation. It includes elements of science, psychology, Japanese martial arts, and more. Yet, it's none of these things and more than the sum of its parts. With that noted, the core of Nakamura Tempu's teachings is the yoga of Kaliappa.​

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Who are successful people that have studied Shin-shin-toitsu-do?

Nakamura Tempu taught a huge number of influential individuals in his lifetime. Many became successful as the result of studying Shin-shin-toitsu-do, and this trend has continued to the present day. Below is a partial list of folks, who’ve been positively influenced by Nakamura Sensei’s mind and body unification principles:

 

• Ohtani Shohei, celebrated major league baseball player

• Emperor Hirohito, 124th Emperor of Japan 

• John D. Rockefeller III, celebrated American philanthropist

• Hara Takashi, Prime Minister of Japan

• Togo Heihachiro, Fleet Admiral of the Japanese Navy during the Russo-Japanese War (a.k.a. “the Nelson of the East”)

• Sugiura Jugo, famed educator and President of Tokyo University

• Ishikawa Sodo, esteemed Zen Buddhist priest and head of Sojiji Temple

• Yokota Sennosuke, well-known politician and Justice Minister of Japan

• Prince Higashikuni Naruhiko, Prime Minister of Japan

• Ozaki Yukio, recipient of the Order of the Rising Sun and member of the House of Representatives of the Japanese Diet (a.k.a. “the father of the Japanese Constitution”)

• Count Goto Shinpei, Home Minister and Foreign Minister of Japan 

• Asano Soichiro, a famous Japanese businessman and entrepreneur​

• Matsushita Konosuke, Chairman of Matsushita

• Kurata Shuzei, President of Hitachi Manufacturing 

• Sano Jin, President of Kawasaki Industries

• Tohei Koichi, the only person to receive a 10th degree black belt in aikido

• Omi Koji, Japanese Minister of Finance

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Do you practice asana, or "yoga poses?"

Asana training isn't part of the official Shin-shin-toitsu-do curriculum. However, Nakamura Sensei did teach his version of asana as a supplemental practice.

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​Rather than presenting a large and complex system of asana, he used a streamlined approach focusing on a smaller number of asana to simply and quickly build strength, flexibility, balance, willpower, and concentration. These asana are based on ancient esoteric yoga poses, or postures, he learned in Nepal in 1911. While they resemble modern Hatha yoga asana, they're not identical, being older in some cases and having been influenced by Nakamura Sensei's ideas. 

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The Tempu Asana Ho ("Tempu Asana Methods") are taught to advanced students in our online yoga dojo, although beginners try a few of them from time to time. The heart of Shin-shin-toitsu-do is meditation, reflecting the founder's background in Raja yoga. The autosuggestion, diet, stretching, breathing methods, healing arts, and mind and body coordination training are like spokes emanating from the hub of a wheel. The hub is meditation. 

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Is mind and body unification the ultimate purpose of Shin-shin-toitsu-do?

Not exactly.

 

Through coordinating mind and body we realize our true potential and return to our natural state that's powerful and peaceful. It's this unity of mind and body that beginners initially focus on. This helps new students improve their physical health and mental well-being. However, unifying mind and body is just the beginning of real Shin-shin-toitsu-do. It's not the ultimate goal.

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That's because mind and body represent what Nakamura Sensei called kaga, the "impermanent self." The transient mind and body, which only last several decades, isn't the primary focus of his teachings.

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Beginners are initially introduced to the idea that the mind controls the body, and the body reflects the mind. This is the start of learning to unify the mind and body. But what controls the mind? 

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Nakamura Sensei discovered in meditation that while the mind and body are important, they ultimately can't coordinate themselves, and they don't represent our real self. Instead, through his meditation in Gorkhe, he found another self that's formless, infinite, and eternal. It's not mind or body--the impermanent self--but rather pure energy; he called this jitsuga: the "genuine self."

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It's this genuine self that can, and should, use the mind and body as tools to live well. It's the genuine self that can completely sustain mind and body unification. And it's the genuine self that actually makes mind and body unification possible in the deepest sense.

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Unfortunately, not everyone understands this and imagines Shin-shin-toitsu-do has two areas that are studied: mind and body. In reality, Shin-shin-toitsu-do isn't based on this duality. It's the study of a trinity: mind, body, and the genuine self. The ultimate goal is to become fully conscious of our true and eternal self.

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What about the offshoots of Nakamura Tempu's Shin-shin-toitsu-do that were created after his death?

After Nakamura Sensei died in 1968, a few people created new versions of Shin-shin-toitsu-do. This was their personal interpretation of his teachings, or it involved mixing Shin-shin-toitsu-do with other disciplines (such as aikido). 

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While these new versions of Shin-shin-toitsu-do may be useful and well taught, they don’t represent Nakamura Sensei's Shin-shin-toitsu-do. Typically, only 30-40% of the original teachings are present in these offshoots. The rest consists of exercises and meditations that have little do with his teachings.

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Addressing mind and body unification generically isn’t equivalent to teaching Nakamura Sensei's distinctive Shin-shin-toitsu-do ("The Way of Mind and Body Unification"). Along similar lines, practicing something missing as much as 70% of the original format won’t allow you to understand the Shin-shin-toitsu-do created by Nakamura Sensei in 1919. You need to study the entire curriculum to grasp what he created. All his methods are designed to work together, which can’t happen if many of them are missing.

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Fortunately, H. E. Davey has learned Nakamura Sensei’s whole curriculum, and he’s sharing Shin-shin-toitsu-do authentically and in its original form. This includes multiple mind-body disciplines:

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• Kokyu Soren’s nine breathing exercises for robust health

• Sekkyoku Taiso’s eight physical movement exercises to enhance positivity

• Asana Ho’s 10 distinctive yoga poses (asana) to build muscle, flexibility, and willpower

• Hitori Ryoho’s 17 self-healing arts, which blend massage-like methods, calisthenics, and abdominal breathing.

• Kumbhaka breathing to calm the mind and combat stress

• Yodo Ho’s four rhythmic, moving exercises for a stronger body and more peaceful mind

• Anjo Daza Ho’s sonic meditation

• Muga Ichinen Ho’s visual meditation

• Jiko Anji Ho's five powerful autosuggestion techniques to alter negative habits

• The unique Tempu diet to enjoy a long life

• The complete Tempu philosophy, which includes a deep exploration of impermanent existence/genuine existence, the impermanent self/genuine self, the dysfunctional impermanent self/functional impermanent self, and the unconscious genuine self/conscious genuine self.

• And much more

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Many of these mind-body methods are not found in English language books. You need to learn them from a certified teacher.

 

Never tried Shin-shin-toitsu-do before? No problem. Davey Sensei’s online classes offer step-by-step instruction. But they’re also helpful if you've been exposed to a newer derivative of the original discipline, and you'd like to find out what you've been missing.

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How can I tell if someone is teaching the original Shin-shin-toitsu-do and if they're qualified?

Great question! After the publication of H. E. Davey’s groundbreaking book Japanese Yoga, some folks set themselves up as teachers of “Japanese yoga” despite having never studied under a certified instructor of Nakamura Sensei’s authentic Shin-shin-toitsu-do, which is still rarely offered outside of Japan. Needless to say, they didn't have teaching certification from any group directly affiliated with Nakamura Sensei's students, and Japanese yoga is commonly used to indicate a connection to him, in that he was the first person to introduce yoga to Japan in 1919.

 

Kyoto’s International Japanese Yoga Association is the first—and only—group to regularly certify individuals outside of Japan as instructors of Nakamura Sensei’s Shin-shin-toitsu-do. And just as you wouldn’t want to be treated by an unaccredited surgeon, or represented by an attorney without a law degree, think twice about studying with people unable to show proof of IJYA teaching authorization. 

 

Simply being a member of the IJYA isn’t the same as having participated in instructor training or being accredited to teach by the IJYA. Anyone can be an IJYA member, including folks who've never studied Nakamura Sensei’s yoga. 

 

You can contact the IJYA to check the qualifications of people you’re contemplating learning from. They’re happy to help out.​

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Where can I find books in English on how to practice this subject?

Michi Publishing is offering three books in English on Nakamura Tempu's authentic and original Shin-shin-toitsu-do. These books are available as paperbacks and ebooks in a wide variety of countries. Regardless of where you live, you can typically order the books from Amazon, and they're often in a bookstore near you. These works also serve as textbooks for our online classes, and we encourage all our students to read them. ​

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Have more questions? Want information about our international online classes? Click here!

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