Sotai—The Art of Painless Pain Relief
-Bob Quinn and Tracy Thorne
Sunday, March 4th & 18th, 2012 (9am-5pm)
Bamboo Grove
134 SE Taylor
Portland, OR 9721
$335 - Professionals
$235 - Students (Masters or Doctoral)
14 NCCAOM PDAs
Sotai is “a comfortable medicine” to use the words of Dr. Keizo Hashimoto, MD, its originator. This simple system of healing uses regulated breathing and gentle movements performed against light resistance to release areas of pain and constriction. It is a sort of neuromuscular and movement reeducation. Dr. Hashimoto was often able to achieve miraculous results with these simple tools.
Hashimoto believed true health had four pillars: proper diet, proper breathing, proper thinking, and proper movement. A Sotai treatment utilizes three of these pillars: breath, mind, and movement. Through Sotai movements we relearn how to move painlessly and with ease.
A body in pain and stress is a body open to disease. Always in Sotai we move in the direction of ease, away from pain. This contrasts with many other systems where a hard, and often uncomfortable, approach is taken to treat painful muscles and joints. In Sotai we are training the body-mind how to work harmoniously. The effect of a Sotai treatment is deeply nourishing and relaxing and simply has to be experienced to be appreciated.
New to Traditional Japanese Medicine and these techniques? You will learn new skills that can be immediately applied into your clinical practice. Our focus will be on practical skill development.
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Seminar Structure
On Day 1 of the seminar the basic principles and theory behind Sotai will be introduced. Table work will focus on a basic kata for the supine patient. Sotai movements will be learned three at a time with ample time for practice and questions. At the end of the day students will have a basic kata that can be brought immediately into the clinic. Throughout the day the instructors will emphasize the Sotai principles so that the attendees will be able to start to think in a Sotai way.
On Day 2 we will first review and handle questions that have arisen since the first day. Then the seminar moves on to prone and seated position Sotai movements. Demonstrations will be given on how acupuncture and shiatsu can be combined with Sotai. The day will end with a chance for each participant to give a full treatment and to receive one.
The feedback that has come to both teachers over the years is that Sotai is an invaluable skill for an acupuncturist to have. The intent of the course is
to provide an introduction to Sotai, as well as to ground the student in how to think through a Sotai treatment. The course is structured on two different weekends to allow students to practice what they learn the first Sunday and return with questions. The second Sunday will allow for further refinement of skills, and additional Sotai moves will be introduced.
Instructor Bios
Bob Quinn completed his masters and doctoral studies at OCOM. He teaches now at NCNM. His Sotai studies began in 1999 with Stephen Brown, who translated Dr. Hashimoto’s book into English. He has since then studied Sotai with Jeffrey Dann and
Peter Thompson. Peter is considered the preeminent Sotai practitioner in the US. Bob travels to CT every summer to study further with Peter. He counts Peter as his main influence in Sotai.
Tracy Thorne completed her masters degree at NESA in Boston, MA. She now teaches at OCOM. She began her Sotai studies with Bob Quinn in 2005 and followed by studying Koshi balancing with Jeffrey Dann. Her interest in Sotai complements years of study in the Alexander Technique, ballet, yoga and exercise physiology. Each of these areas informs her interest in biomechanics, orthopedics and structural balance.
