Interview with Sooyong Kim,
Licensed Shiatsu Therapist, Energy Therapist,
and Aikido Instructor
Sooyong Kim is a healer and martial artist. She is a graduate of the Ohashi Institute of New York City (http://www.ohashiatsu.org), and is a certified Shiatsu therapist in the State of
She also teaches Aikido at the
Your career path had an interesting turn in the direction of the healing arts. What made you depart life in Corporate
A few months ago, I interviewed a Shiatsu practitioner from
Shiatsu applies the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine through pressure and stretching, and is sometimes called “Acupuncture without needles.” We all experience the ups and downs of life, and when we don’t address and release emotions regularly, energy blocks can stay in the body and create disease. For instance, when there is a storm and a tree falls into a stream, the flow of water is impeded and may eventually be blocked completely. When energy (chi) is not flowing optimally through all of our meridians, we may experience symptoms like discomfort or pain, which could develop into something more serious. In Shiatsu, the goal is to remove blocks to the chi so that it is flowing freely through all the meridians.
When someone comes to you for Shiatsu or other therapies, how do you determine what ails them? How are diagnoses made in Shiatsu, and what are some of the most common afflictions that you treat in your practice?
In Shiatsu, the hara (lower abdomen) is palpated to feel the chi in each meridian, since each part of the hara represents a meridian. Then the meridians felt to be the most jitsu (overactive) and kyo (depleted) are chosen and worked on during the session to bring about balance. There are protocols from other healing therapies that I also use, but more and more, I am opening to my intuition and letting that guide me throughout the session. Some symptoms that people come to with include aches and pains (like lower back pain), strained muscles (like shoulders), digestive problems, headaches, nausea, diabetes, anxiety, and depression. Most of my clients are fairly healthy and use Shiatsu as preventive maintenance. I have, however, also worked with several cancer patients recently.
What is Reiki, and how is it used as a healing art?
Reiki is an ancient and simple system of “laying on of hands” healing derived from Tibetan Buddhism and “rediscovered” by Dr. Mikao Usui. An attunement (a transfer of energy from the teacher to the student which opens the body’s energy channels) allows the healer to open to universal energy (chi) and healing for him/herself and others. For more information, go to http://www.reiki.org. “Essential Reiki” by Diane Stein is the first book that published the symbols that are used in Reiki, a long-guarded secret.
Craniosacral Therapy, Vita Flex, and RainDrop Therapy are new treatment options. Would you be kind enough to define and discuss each one, along with how they augment and complement Shiatsu treatments?
Vita Flex is based upon a complete system of internal body “control points”. When applied by a pressure with a pull of the finger and a slight twist of the wrist, a vibration of healing energy is released to heal. Stanley Burroughs says in his book “Healing for the Age of Enlightenment,” that his many years of research led him to the conclusion that this system apparently originated in
Raindrop Therapy combines Vita Flex and aromatherapy, using pure essential oils. The founder of Young Living Essential Oils, Gary Young, first demonstrated it at a workshop many years ago. For more information about essential oil, go to http://healyourself.younglivingworld.com.
You have studied and taught Aikido for many years. Could you please discuss the training regimen of Aikido?
Practicing Aikido definitely requires at least two people. Much of the training consists of becoming sensitive and aware enough to feel your partner's movement and working with that energy to change the direction of the movement by affecting the balance of your partner. You end each technique with a throw or a pin, which brings about a peaceful resolution. The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba, known as O-Sensei, was skilled in various martial arts, yet towards the end of his life brought the art to harmony and reconciliation. It is important to practice with a variety of people to experience many body types, since the movement angles change with different bodies.
Ultimately, you want to get to the stage where your partner cannot feel what you are doing and so cannot resist at any stage of your technique. The other crucial aspect of aikido is the practice of “ukemi”, which is the art of attacking and falling safely. It is just as important to practice “ukemi” as it is to practice the art of throwing. In practice, we take turns being the attacker (uke) and defender (nage). Ultimately, aikido is a multiple attack art form, so you have to always be ready for the next attack, which means that your posture is always good, and even when you’re falling, you get back on balance as quickly as possible which may give you an opportunity to reverse the technique. Aikido is something you feel and experience, so if you just watch it, you won't fully get what it's all about.
You asked me how I, along with some other virtual members of WDK, learned the techniques of Dragon Kenpo without a consistent training partner or group. Coach Pfeiffer provided you with a tour of the Yellow Belt requirements. As an experienced martial artist, what are your views about learning an art in this manner?
(Note: Dr. Bobby Newman, an early instructor of Dragon Kenpo, is a certified behavior analyst, licensed psychologist, and also a college professor. In 1997, Dr. Newman, presented a paper entitled “Video Modeling Versus In Vivo Modeling and Reinforcement in Martial Arts Instruction,” to the annual convention of the International Association for Behavior Analysis. Here is an archived link for further detail of his findings).
http://web.archive.org/web/19980205155333/www.dragonkenpo.com/research.htm
I have respect for all types of learning and training. Since I have not had any experience with virtual training, I do not have an opinion on it at this time.
