The term Gyoki (行氣) literally translates to “cultivating the sensation of Ki.”
In Japanese therapeutic traditions such as Seiki Soho and Shiatsu, it is often described as “breathing through the hand” or working with a “breathing hand,” because the breath is inseparable from Ki (breath is life, and life is Ki).
One of the roots of this Japanese approach lies in the *Hannya Shingyo* (the Heart Sutra, or the Sutra of the Perfection of Wisdom). As I explained last year at the Seiki gathering in Spain, we can observe what lives beyond forms, thoughts, and emotions.
“Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.”
(To learn more, here is the article dedicated to this subject:
All Shiatsu practitioners share a common heritage stemming from Namikoshi. They all know this motto:
指圧の心母心、押せば命の泉湧く
Shiatsu no kokoro hahagokoro, oseba inochi no izumi waku
The essence of Shiatsu is that of a mother’s heart; through pressure, the spring of life wells up.
A mother’s heart is filled with love (generally speaking). It is an unconditional love.
This is where a connection is established with the Buddhist practice of the *Hannya Shingyo*: it is about finding that space where one can feel unconditional love. Touching someone with this understanding and sensation helps to strengthen and energize the vital flow in its entirety: Ki and breath.
Another translation I particularly appreciate is this one:
The spirit of Shiatsu is a “heart-to-heart” encounter; when pressure is applied, the source of life springs forth.
This notion of “heart-to-heart” corresponds to the expression “I shin den shin”; beyond a simple exchange between hearts, it can also be understood as a communion of “soul to soul.”
Herein lies a wonderful meeting point:
To find “I shin den shin” is to discover that space free from all judgment—devoid of notions of right or wrong—where unconditional acceptance reigns.
Beyond the hands
The essence – what is easiest to understand – lies in the hands. We can practise gyoki and focus on the hands, on the sensations they evoke, but…
But what matters is being able to feel gyoki with one’s whole body (not doing it, nor practising it: feeling it). It is a long journey: practising on the one hand, and nourishing one’s mind and soul on the other through texts, discussions…
And so, little by little, the practice becomes clearer and takes us further and higher.
When you touch a body with this spirit, you touch someone with your whole soul; you touch the deep soul, and things happens!
Illustrations by Daniel Sigler
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