Body Mechanics for Bodyworkers (Video)

As Manual Therapists, Bodyworkers, and Massage Therapists, we use our hands and bodies to work on our clients.  This can be very physically demanding work, and if we are going to do it over a long period of time (as a career), we need to know how to use our bodies to exert the necessary force, repeatedly, without hurting ourselves.

Martial artists have the same concern, and because Martial Arts (on a practical level) is largely about exerting force with one’s body, martial artists have become quite sophisticated in their approach to body mechanics.  I have developed a series of classes based on Principles of Body Mechanics drawn from a number of different martial arts. These classes are designed to train Bodyworkers in how to use their bodies to exert force in their work in ways that will keep them from being injured and insure that they can have a long, productive career doing the work that they love.  I have used these strategies throughout my 25-year career as a Manual Therapist and Acupuncturist.

This is a video montage of a class I taught in Seattle, WA, a few years ago.  This is a sample of the kinds of things I like to talk about in this context, and is excerpted from a 4-hour class that includes principles of pushing, pulling, using your hands to exert force, using balance, leverage, and other strategies to prevent injuries.  It is a fun class with lots of simple exercises to demonstrate the principles and help to build them into your muscle memory and nervous system, so that they become automatic habits.  The principles taught in this class also apply to martial arts, yoga, dance, and other athletic or work situations that might put someone at risk for injuries.

Please contact me if you think you or your students might like to learn more about these kinds of subjects.

For more information, please give me a call at (206) 632-5640, or email me at ed@hibikimedia.com (Click the envelope icon at the top right of this page)

I look forward to hearing from you.

Introduction to Teate Manual Therapy (Video)

When I first started as a student at the Kototama Institute in Santa Fe in 1982, I began a journey of training in a very unique school of Traditional Japanese Medicine.  I was fortunate to have begun my education not only in Acupuncture, but in a comprehensive medical system from a foreign culture.  I was also fortunate that the training program was not just about how to practice the therapies taught there, but how to learn about treating people for their medical and health concerns on a lot of different levels, with a variety of therapeutic modalities.

Manual Therapy, as taught at the Kototama Institute by Nakazono-Sensei and other teachers at the school, was one of the foundations of the practice.  Nakazono-Sensei called manual therapy Teate, or simply “Handwork”.  For the first year of my training, I studied Asian Medical Theory along with regular practical classes (three nights a week) where my fellow students and I treated each other exclusively with Teate treatment, under close supervision by our teachers - starting and ending with pulse and other diagnostic methods, to find out the condition before and after the treatment.  This was the foundation of the treatment therapies taught at the school - eventually we learned Moxabustion and Acupuncture, as well as other treatment modalities.

I have studied and practiced what I learned at the Kototama Institute for over 25 years now, and furthered my training with some other significant teachers along the way.

Here is a video introducing some aspects of Teate treatment and evaluation methods:

I will be posting more videos soon, about many subjects that I have explored since my time at the Kototama Institute.  I will be teaching classes in a wide variety of subjects.

Please contact me if you think you or your students might like to learn more about these kinds of therapies.

For more information, please give me a call at (206) 632-5640, or email me at ed@hibikimedia.com (Click the envelope icon at the top right of this page)

Special Needling Techniques

Acupuncture Needles are very versatile tools. Different traditions use them in different ways.

Acupuncture has been passed down by Word-of-Mouth from teacher to student for a long time, and by many venerated Classics of Medical Theory - there are many ways of practicing.

Here is a discussion of one kind of needling technique… I learned this from a friend - Matt Callison.

This kind of Acupuncture technique is not that widely practiced yet, but is a very effective treatment strategy to incorporate into a plan for injury treatment.

For more information, please give me a call at (206) 632-5640, or email me at ed@hibikimedia.com (Click the envelope icon at the top right of this page)

Shoulder Injury - Before and After Video

This is example of an intake interview with MJ, a Yoga teacher suffering from shoulder pain from an injury.  Questioning, listening, and touching evaluation are part of the intake process.  If you have been injured, it matters how it happened, what the consequences have been, and the details of what you are experiencing.  It is helpful if your provider lets you tell your story and explain your situation.  A physical injury usually has consequences in a lot of areas of your life.  Your goals in treatment should be a priority in your treatment.

Here is a follow-up interview after five treatments over a period of about 1 month: this is an interview with MJ after about 5 treatments, with her talking about her recovery process.

These videos are representative of what treatment for many kinds of joint and muscle injuries might be like - MJ’s injury was to her shoulder, but similar intake and results could be expected with injuries to other parts of your body.

These videos will give you some flavor of what an Acupuncture intake and evaluation looks like, and the results of a short series of treatments.

Longer and  more detailed videos of this series of treatments will be coming soon to the Professional Education section of this site - check back for more…

For more information, please give me a call at (206) 632-5640, or email me at ed@hibikimedia.com (Click the envelope icon at the top right of this page)