ABOUT
Now offering worldwide online instruction using Zoom! Contact us today about ongoing instruction and observing a FREE class.
The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts is a nonprofit organization in Albany, between Berkeley and El Cerrito. Our dojo can be found at 1053 San Pablo Avenue, in a safe, well-lit neighborhood 1 1/2 miles from the El Cerrito Plaza and North Berkeley
BART stations. AC Transit's 72 bus stops in front of our dojo. To see a map of our location, click here.
Hover over the photos to show the title of the image. Click to see the full picture and read a caption. After an image is enlarged, use the arrows to navigate through our gallery. Be sure to click "Show More" to see all the photos.
Images of Japanese yoga, healing arts, martial arts, and fine arts are intermingled here,but they represent
separate classes at our dojo. The Sennin Foundation Center works like a university for Japanese cultural arts, with Japanese yoga being the basic course, and martial arts, healing, and brush calligraphy functioning as optional electives. Classes for children blend Japanese yoga and martial arts.
The classic lotus posture is used in Japanese yoga for meditation and breathing exercises, just as it is in traditional Indian yoga and Zen. It is not, however, required for new students, and meditation can be practiced in many easier positions. Several distinctive meditations are offered at our dojo.
There's no need to be uncomfortable to practice Japanese yoga. Meditation and breathing exercises will dramatically improve your well being, and they can be done in a chair.
Deep abdominal breathing exercises are common in yoga, but our methods are uniquely simple and exceptionally powerful. They can be done in many everyday postures, not just the Japanese kneeling position shown here.
Japanese yoga uses the sound of a special Japanese bell to lead students to meditation in just two simple steps. Incredibly deep states of concentration and calmness are realized.
At our dojo we offer two forms of sound-based meditation, one using a Japanese meditation bell and the other utilizing a special buzzer. This distinctive frequency rapidly and deeply focuses the mind.
Unity of mind and body is the cornerstone of Nakamura Tempu's yoga. Through this state of self-harmony we can realize an amazing latent power. Simple two person exercises help students to rapidly feel this hidden strength.
Ki, "life energy," lies at the heart of Japanese yoga, representing our greatest human potential. Nakamura Tempu developed understandable two-person exercises like this one to cultivate ki.
When we coordinate the mind and body, we're capable of manifesting more capability than we typically see around us. In this exercise, one student effortlessly pushes another across the room with only a light touch. The same power can be used in school, business, and daily life to enhance effectiveness.
Japanese yoga is a path everyone can walk, regardless of age or physical condition. All ages practice simple stretching and strengthening exercises at our dojo, techniques you can also easily use at home. Beginners progress at their own pace in small, personalized classes.