International Japanese Yoga Association

International Japanese Yoga Association Learn more at www.japanese-yoga.com. Human beings have a tremendous latent potential that's waiting to be unearthed. E. The IJYA is now accepting new members.

The International Japanese Yoga Association (IJYA) is a free and not for profit association devoted to the study of Shin-shin-toitsu-do, a form of Japanese yoga and meditation created by Nakamura Tempu Sensei. Nakamura Tempu Sensei discovered the extraordinary energy of mind and body unification beside an ancient waterfall in the Himalayan mountains, allowing him to heal from tuberculosis and manifest a new state of consciousness. Upon his return to Japan, he created a new path called Shin-shin-toitsu-do: "The Way of Mind and Body Unification." A form of Japanese yoga and meditation, Shin-shin-toitsu-do unearths our buried talents and rarely realized potential. THE IJYA PRESIDENT
The International Japanese Yoga Association (IJYA) is a not for profit association devoted to the study of Shin-shin-toitsu-do. In Japan, the IJYA is known as the Kokusai Nihon Yoga Renmei, and its world headquarters is in Kyoto. Sawai Atsuhiro Sensei is the President of the IJYA. He is a best selling author in Japan, focusing on books about Shin-shin-toitsu-do and meditation. He is also a direct student of Nakamura Sensei, having obtained the highest level of teaching certification from the founder of Shin-shin-toitsu-do. THE IJYA INTERNATIONAL CHIEF INSTRUCTOR
Sawai Sensei has appointed H. Davey Sensei as the IJYA Vice President and International Chief Instructor. Davey Sensei, an award winning writer and the author of Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation, oversees the day to day running of the IJYA. He has studied under four top students of Nakamura Sensei, and he began practicing Shin-shin-toitsu-do as a child. He serves as the point of contact for IJYA members worldwide and works directly with the IJYA HQ in Kyoto. He has received the highest level of IJYA teaching certification. JOINING THE IJYA
Recently formed in 2013, membership in the IJYA is FREE. Members only need to provide their basic contact information and e-mail address to join. They receive an attractive membership certificate and a subscription to the IJYA Journal, the publication of the Kokusai Nihon Yoga Renmei. Qualified members are also eligible for teaching certification from the IJYA HQ in Japan. Send all membership inquires to hedavey@aol.com. LEARNING MORE ABOUT SHIN-SHIN-TOITSU-DO
Shin-shin-toitsu-do, which is also known as Shin-shin-toitsu-ho, has been widely practiced in Japan since the 1920s. Its founder, Nakamura Tempu Sensei, taught a very large number of students, many of them celebrities and well-known figures in Japanese society. However, outside of Japan this uniquely Japanese version of yoga is still in its infancy, with few training centers (dojo or juku) available to the average person in the West. Interested parties can learn more about this art by reading Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Michi Publishing), the first book in English about the original mind and body unification principles of Nakamura Sensei. Recently, Michi Publishing issued The Teachings of Tempu: Practical Meditation for Daily Life by Davey Sensei and The True Paths to Meditation by Sawai Sensei should published in the near future. Direct instruction outside of Japan is offered by Davey Sensei's Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in California, which serves as the hub of IJYA activities in the West. Visit www.senninfoundation.com for more information. For information about Shin-shin-toitsu-do instruction in Japan, visit Sawai Sensei's blog at http://tenpujuku.com. The Tenpu Juku is Sawai Sensei's private school of Japanese yoga, and the blog is in Japanese. Individuals outside of Japan that wish to practice at the Tenpu Juku should first make contact with the IJYA. Send e-mail to Davey Sensei, IJYA International Chief Instructor, at hedavey@aol.com. THE IJYA JOURNAL
The worldwide IJYA Journal is a members only publication of the Kokusai Nihon Yoga Renmei (IJYA). IJYA membership is FREE. The journal is published periodically, and it offers instruction in Japanese yoga, meditation, and healing arts to the general public. The goal is to make the teachings of Nakamura Tempu Sensei available to a larger audience than has been the case in the past, with a particular emphasis on making his Japanese yoga available to more people in Western nations. The IJYA Journal is your chance to learn important mind and body unification principles that can help you in most every aspect of life. Plus, it's FREE to members, and our not for profit association will never give your contact information/e-mail address to other parties.

A Message from Nakamura Tempu “Using a View of Life as a Compass”Many people live in a restless and unstable state becau...
12/23/2025

A Message from Nakamura Tempu

“Using a View of Life as a Compass”

Many people live in a restless and unstable state because they are controlled by their emotions and thoughts. A skilled ship’s captain, however, can calmly guide a large vessel through stormy seas by relying on a single compass. In the same way, when we establish a firm and clear philosophy of life, it becomes an inner compass that guides our actions, allowing us to govern ourselves steadily and remain unshaken by external circumstances. — Nakamura Tempu

Read more at www.japanese-yoga.com.

Photo by Ann Kameoka.

12/23/2025

Is mind and body unification the ultimate purpose of Shin-shin-toitsu-do?

Not exactly.

Through coordinating mind and body we realize our true potential and return to our natural state that's powerful and peaceful. It's this unity of mind and body that beginners initially focus on. This helps new students improve their physical health and mental well-being. However, unifying mind and body is just the beginning of real Shin-shin-toitsu-do. It's not the ultimate goal.
​
That's because mind and body represent what Nakamura Tempu Sensei called kaga, the "impermanent self." The transient mind and body, which only last several decades, isn't the primary focus of his teachings.
​
Beginners are initially introduced to the idea that the mind controls the body, and the body reflects the mind. This is the start of learning to unify the mind and body. But what controls the mind?
​
Nakamura Sensei discovered in meditation that while the mind and body are important, they ultimately can't coordinate themselves, and they don't represent our real self. Instead, through his meditation in the Himalayas, he found another self that's formless, infinite, and eternal. It's not mind or body--the impermanent self--but rather pure energy; he called this jitsuga: the "genuine self."
​
It's this genuine self that can, and should, use the mind and body as tools to live well. It's the genuine self that can completely sustain mind and body unification. And it's the genuine self that actually makes mind and body unification possible in the deepest sense.
​
Unfortunately, not everyone understands this and imagines Shin-shin-toitsu-do has two areas that are studied: mind and body. In reality, Shin-shin-toitsu-do isn't based on this duality. It's the study of a trinity: mind, body, and the genuine self. The ultimate goal is to become fully conscious of our true and eternal self.
​
Want to find out more? Visit www.TempuYoga.com

12/23/2025
12/20/2025
What is reiseishin? It’s an important part of authentic Shin-shin-toitsu-do, but it’s sometimes been misunderstood in th...
12/16/2025

What is reiseishin? It’s an important part of authentic Shin-shin-toitsu-do, but it’s sometimes been misunderstood in the past. Reiseishin literally means “spiritual mind,” and it’s characters can be looked up in Japanese dictionaries to confirm this.

Often lying dormant, it is a higher level of consciousness than what Nakamura Tempu referred to as the instinctive mind and the rational mind. Here’s something he had to say about reiseishin.

“The spiritual mind (reiseishin) is the higher mind that realizes our formless and eternal genuine self. The force that governs all lower levels of the mind is the power of the genuine self’s will.”

霊性心は、真我を悟る心である。霊性心以下の心を主宰するのは、真我の意志の力である。

Want to learn what Nakamura Tempu really taught about reiseishin and the levels of human consciousness? Want to understand how the power of will acts on instinctive urges and logical thought? Visit www.TempuYoga.com.

12/11/2025

Learn how you can get a FREE membership in the International Japanese Yoga Association in Kyoto. It includes a journal subscription and certificate. Read more at www.japanese-yoga.com.

“The mind influences the body.”This truth is really quite serious. No matter how people try to dress up their own explan...
12/10/2025

“The mind influences the body.”

This truth is really quite serious. No matter how people try to dress up their own explanations, the nervous system isn’t something controlled only by the body. It directly reflects the activity of the mind and under that influence it carries out the processes that keep us alive. — Nakamura Tempu

Learn more about Nakamura Tempu’s revolutionary Japanese yoga, meditation, and philosophy at www.japanese-yoga.com.

12/10/2025

Our prejudices are so deeply rooted that we never think of them as prejudices but call them common sense. — Bernard Shaw

The playwright exposes the invisibility of our own biases. A prejudice masquerading as "common sense" feels like an objective observation about the world, not a subjective filter. This makes it extraordinarily difficult to detect and uproot. Mindfully, it is an invitation to question our most "obvious" assumptions. Philosophically, it challenges the very notion of a neutral, unmediated perception of reality.

What piece of your own "common sense" about people, success, or life might, upon ruthless examination, reveal itself to be a mere prejudice?

12/08/2025

Fyodor Dostoevsky

“The man who lies to himself…”

Dostoevsky uncovers self-destruction through dishonesty. The worst lie is internal. Truth dissolves identity when denied. Self-respect collapses first. Moral clarity begins with self-honesty. Deception erodes the soul.

12/08/2025

Everything is theoretically impossible until it is done.
Robert A. Heinlein

A seminal American science fiction author. His stories often featured groundbreaking technologies and social structures, embodying the idea that today's fantasy can be tomorrow's reality through human ingenuity and effort.

This champions the power of ex*****on over theory. In the realm of ideas and doubt, every great achievement seems impossible. It is only in the act of doing, of building and testing, that the impossible becomes possible and then inevitable.

What "theoretically impossible" goal are you letting doubt paralyze, that could become possible if you simply started doing?

12/06/2025

“Prejudices are what fools use for reason.” — Voltaire

Voltaire reminds us that prejudice is not true reasoning but a shortcut for ignorance. When people rely on bias instead of thought, they mistake narrow judgment for wisdom. His words challenge us to replace blind assumptions with clarity, fairness, and genuine understanding.

Address

Green Valley, CA

Telephone

+15105267518

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when International Japanese Yoga Association posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to International Japanese Yoga Association:

Shortcuts

Share

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on LinkedIn
Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share via Email
Share on WhatsApp Share on Instagram Share on Telegram

Category

Our Story

Human beings have a tremendous latent potential that's waiting to be unearthed. Nakamura Tempu Sensei discovered the extraordinary energy of mind and body unification beside an ancient waterfall in the Himalayan mountains, allowing him to heal from tuberculosis and manifest a new state of consciousness. Upon his return to Japan, he created a new path called Shin-shin-toitsu-do: "The Way of Mind and Body Unification." A form of Japanese yoga and meditation, Shin-shin-toitsu-do unearths our buried talents and rarely realized potential. THE IJYA PRESIDENT The International Japanese Yoga Association (IJYA) is a not for profit association devoted to the study of Shin-shin-toitsu-do. In Japan, the IJYA is known as the Kokusai Nihon Yoga Renmei, and its world headquarters is in Kyoto. Sawai Atsuhiro Sensei is the President of the IJYA. He is a best selling author in Japan, focusing on books about Shin-shin-toitsu-do and meditation. He is also a direct student of Nakamura Sensei, having obtained the highest level of teaching certification from the founder of Shin-shin-toitsu-do. THE IJYA INTERNATIONAL CHIEF INSTRUCTOR Sawai Sensei has appointed H. E. Davey Sensei as the IJYA Vice President and International Chief Instructor. Davey Sensei, an award winning writer and the author of Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation, oversees the day to day running of the IJYA. He has studied under four top students of Nakamura Sensei, and he began practicing Shin-shin-toitsu-do as a child. He serves as the point of contact for IJYA members worldwide and works directly with the IJYA HQ in Kyoto. He has received the highest level of IJYA teaching certification. JOINING THE IJYA Recently formed in 2013, membership in the IJYA is FREE. The IJYA is now accepting new members. Members only need to provide their basic contact information and e-mail address to join. They receive an attractive membership certificate and a subscription to the IJYA Journal, the publication of the Kokusai Nihon Yoga Renmei. Qualified members are also eligible for teaching certification from the IJYA HQ in Japan. Send all membership inquires to hedavey@aol.com. LEARNING MORE ABOUT SHIN-SHIN-TOITSU-DO Shin-shin-toitsu-do, which is also known as Shin-shin-toitsu-ho, has been widely practiced in Japan since the 1920s. Its founder, Nakamura Tempu Sensei, taught a very large number of students, many of them celebrities and well-known figures in Japanese society. However, outside of Japan this uniquely Japanese version of yoga is still in its infancy, with few training centers (dojo or juku) available to the average person in the West. Interested parties can learn more about this art by reading Japanese Yoga: The Way of Dynamic Meditation (Michi Publishing), the first book in English about the original mind and body unification principles of Nakamura Sensei. Recently, Michi Publishing issued The Teachings of Tempu: Practical Meditation for Daily Life by Davey Sensei and The True Paths to Meditation by Sawai Sensei should published in the near future. Direct instruction outside of Japan is offered by Davey Sensei's Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts in California, which serves as the hub of IJYA activities in the West. Visit www.senninfoundation.com for more information. For information about Shin-shin-toitsu-do instruction in Japan, visit Sawai Sensei's blog at http://tenpujuku.com. The Tenpu Juku is Sawai Sensei's private school of Japanese yoga, and the blog is in Japanese. Individuals outside of Japan that wish to practice at the Tenpu Juku should first make contact with the IJYA. Send e-mail to Davey Sensei, IJYA International Chief Instructor, at hedavey@aol.com. THE IJYA JOURNAL The worldwide IJYA Journal is a members only publication of the Kokusai Nihon Yoga Renmei (IJYA). IJYA membership is FREE. The journal is published periodically, and it offers instruction in Japanese yoga, meditation, and healing arts to the general public. The goal is to make the teachings of Nakamura Tempu Sensei available to a larger audience than has been the case in the past, with a particular emphasis on making his Japanese yoga available to more people in Western nations. The IJYA Journal is your chance to learn important mind and body unification principles that can help you in most every aspect of life. Plus, it's FREE to members, and our not for profit association will never give your contact information/e-mail address to other parties.