Shisei

Just as the mind moves the body, our posture reflects our mental state. When the mind’s immovable, the body is exceedingly stable, and the posture appears natural and relaxed. But the word “shisei” implies not merely a bodily position. Included is our mental carriage or attitude, which our physical state serves to mirror. Thus the fashion with which we carry ourselves—physically and mentally—is of vital importance in many of the Do. Top-notch sensei will frequently critique posture in painting, tea ceremony, kabuki or noh stage drama . . . just about any art or Way. Top-notch students will realize this critique is also a comment on their mental state.

In that the Ways view the mind and body as one, their emphasis on posture should be no surprise. Just as fudoshin is a valued characteristic in the various Do, so is fudotai. Fudotai describes a body that’s “immovable.” Consider the exceptional bodily stability exhibited in the above experiments. This solidity is an outward expression of fudoshin, which amounts to psychological stability, and it can be characterized as fudotai. Yet despite the remarkable power that can be manifested in such exercises when they’re thoroughly understood, fudotai isn’t literally “immovable,” and anyone’s body can be displaced. (While I might not be able to push you over in seiza, I’m sure I could get a bulldozer that would do the job quite nicely.)

Therefore, fudotai is cultivated not so much for its mere physical stability, but for its relationship to fudoshin, and it’s the fudoshin-fudotai connection that’s truly valuable. This is true even in the martial arts, forms of Japanese dance, and other moving arts that require genuine balance in action. It’s also true that not every teacher of the Ways will use the terms fudoshin and fudotai in their classes, and if they do, they may not test it in the manner depicted in this book. As noted above, the exercises being introduced in Living the Japanese Arts & Ways are derived from the Japanese yoga of Nakamura Tempu Sensei, but since his death in the late 1960s, his teachings and exercises have found their way into other Do, having been introduced to these arts by some of his top students like Tohei Koichi Sensei, Hirata Yoshihiko Sensei, and others.

Furthermore, owing to the traditional Japanese penchant for teaching through example more than words, your sensei may not invariably even mention shisei to you, but she will quite probably demonstrate it in action, expecting you to be observant enough to pick up on visual hints. Unfortunately, not everyone notices such things, or even understands what they’re noticing if they do happen to take note of a teacher’s fine posture.

So let’s briefly examine posture in the Do. But before we proceed, realize that it isn’t uncommon for different teachers of different arts to offer different interpretations of what is and is not correct posture. Nonetheless, certain points of commonality can be found, and while the following explanation might not match what everyone’s doing in the Ways, it can serve as a useful starting point.
In general, all the Do aim for unity with nature, and strive to manifest naturalness. This is often characterized as shizentai, “natural body” or “natural posture.” It doesn’t necessarily refer to a specific stance or bodily position (although it can), but points more toward a physical carriage that’s natural and harmonious. Such a posture is in harmony with itself as well as nature, meaning that whether in repose or in motion every part of the body functions to support every other part of the body—in brief, we don’t move in a disjointed manner. It’s the hara (“abdominal area”), as the midsection of the body, which unifies the action of the upper and lower halves of the body, which shouldn’t act separately from each other.

In Western sports, for example, a baseball player rotates his waist as he swings the bat. To bat predominantly with the arms would be lacking in power, and it would also produce a disconnected movement and posture. Similarly, a bowler will step forward, shifting his hara in the direction of the pins, as she releases the ball. In both examples, the action of the hara allows the athlete to unite the force of the upper and lower halves of the body, bringing the impetus of the entire body into play. We’ve already documented how focusing mental strength in the lower abdomen can lead to unification of mind and body, but since the body follows the mind, it can also encourage us to move from the hara as in these two examples.

Moreover, in Experiment Six, we began to examine the role of posture and its relationship to the hara. You might reread it before we go into shisei more deeply. Look at the illustrations as well since they illustrate a posture that’s workable in the Japanese arts and Ways. Even more importantly, they offer a depiction of a shisei that can be used in daily life to arrive at better health, balance, coordination, and composure.

A natural, immovable (or at least very stable) posture is relaxed, upright, and aligned. This is essential in everyday living and it must be maintained in the Do.

In the illustrations of people sitting in seiza (a Japanese style kneeling position), notice that they sit lightly on the heels, with the big toes crossed and some space between the knees. Although seiza is difficult, at first, for some people who are stiff to adopt, it’s effective for centering weight forward and down into the hara. Think of this point as a natural center in the lower abdomen that corresponds to your center of balance and center of gravity.

Whether sitting, standing, or walking, to achieve this balanced and centered condition, don’t slump or raise the shoulders. Sit down lightly in seiza or in a chair, almost as if your "bottom" were sore, and maintain a relaxed posture that looks "big." Avoid sagging and standing flatfooted on your heels as well.

Many times during meditation, in practicing the Ways, and even in daily life, the head starts to sag forward, while the neck collapses, bends, shortens, and produces a "hump" at its base. The rest of the spine soon curves in on itself as well. You can alter this by concentrating on the hara and by correcting your posture with the movement of your head. Mentally release your muscles (along the neck and spine in particular). Visualizing your hara as a sort of anchor, direct the top of your head up and away from your hara, and then, draw in your chin and bring your forehead back into alignment with your lower abdomen. Allow the spine and neck to lengthen until your posture is aligned. (Envisioning the muscles along the spine growing longer and wider is an effective technique to use at this point.) If you concentrate deeply and relax, the body will move slowly into the correct position, with little conscious effort on your part. On the other hand, be careful not to force your body into an overly erect posture.

By relaxing and using visualization, you should also let the chest expand, while the back and shoulders widen. In most cases, the ears, shoulders, and pelvis should be parallel to the floor. Your head, shoulders, and pelvis are also not twisted.

In practicing sumi-e painting or shodo calligraphy, students sit in a chair as often as they use the seiza posture, particularly in the West. If you sit in a chair, avoid sitting with legs outstretched, as this causes your pelvis to roll backwards, and your lumbar region to curve outward in a slump. When sitting in a chair, try to sit with the feet flat on the floor or tucked under the chair (almost as your legs tuck under your hips in seiza.) This maintains your natural lumbar curve, and it shifts your weight toward the front surface of the lower abdomen . . . exactly where you want to center your weight and mind in the hara.

Regardless of the art being practiced, or the particular position being used, relax your face and eyes, and find the most comfortable posture within the context of the above instructions. This act of "centering" produces a particularly steady position. To sustain this free and relaxed condition of stability, avoid leaning in an unbalanced way, as the upper body's weight must be in equilibrium at the hara.

Taken as a whole, these concepts amount to a posture that’s unified—mind and body working together, upper and lower sections of the body aligned, and every body part working with every other part. This is the posture of unification, and it can be as beneficial in daily activities as it is in the Ways.