The
editor-in-chief of Uutislähde, Unto Rönkkönen, interviewed Tapio
Sippoin for Uutislähde magazine on November 11, 2022. Below is the
English translation of the interview, and you can find the Finnish
version of the interview here: https://uutislahde.fi/terveys/tiedatko-mita-on-kehoaly/ and here https://sippoin.blogspot.com/2021/10/uutislahde-tapio-sippoinin-haastattelu.html
Kehoäly Body Intelligence
is a Finnish self-care health method created and developed by Tapio
Sippoin. The practice of Kehoäly Body Intelligence involves
concrete, psychophysical, and gentle physical activities, where the
mind is given considerable emphasis in the training of the body.
Tapio Sippoin is a
creator, developer, and authority on Body Intelligence practices, as
well as the Kehoäly® Body Intelligence® method. He has been
teaching The Body Intelligence practices he developed since 1983.
Both Body Intelligence® and Kehoäly® are registered trademarks
that have been well-established since 2003.
Interview on November 11,
2022. Translation.
The editor-in-chief of
Uutislähde, Unto Rönkkönen: What is Body Intelligence? It’s
still a somewhat new and unknown concept for many Finns. How would
you summarize what Body Intelligence is in one sentence?
Tapio Sippoin: Good
question. Explaining Body Intelligence in one sentence is quite a
task, as it is an exceptionally versatile, quite concrete method of
gentle physical training that combines physical activity with a
people-oriented philosophy that enhances the meaning of life, as well
as clear, logical, and effective modern Western psychology. It’s
nearly impossible to fully unpack such a concept in one sentence.
However, if I try to summarize the significance of Body Intelligence
in one sentence, I would say that Body Intelligence equals good mood
and good health. Body Intelligence = good mood and good health.
Unto: Could you elaborate
a bit on what the exercises of Kehoäly Body Intelligence are like? Is there
something physical involved? Or is it meditation?
Tapio: A large part of
Kehoäly Body Intelligence exercises involves gentle movement, but there are
also calmer exercises that are more stationary, such as relaxation
exercises done lying down, exercises specialized in stress relief,
particularly gentle deep stretches in Body Intelligence, and of
course, the Health Meditation closely related to Body Intelligence
training. Most of the Body Intelligence exercises do involve gentle
movement. Body Intelligence strongly believes that movement is
medicine, and the gentleness of that movement distinguishes Body
Intelligence from ordinary exercise.
Unto: What kind of
movement does Kehoäly Body Intelligence training include?
Tapio: In Kehoäly Body
Intelligence training, the movement is generally calm and especially
safe from the perspective of human ergonomics and physiology. Body
Intelligence holds that the movement should be soft, relaxed, and
gentle to take care of a person's health holistically. From the
standpoint of mental and physical health, it's very optimal to engage
in that kind of movement, just like in Body Intelligence training,
while of course adhering to the Gentle Approach of Body Intelligence.
The gentleness and safety of Body Intelligence exercises strongly
distinguish it from ordinary exercise and sports, and also from many
commonly accepted beliefs generally associated with ordinary physical
activity. Forcing the body or mind is foreign to Body Intelligence.
Unto: Is Body Intelligence
some sort of physiotherapy? Or psychotherapy?
Tapio: Kehoäly Body Intelligence
is neither physiotherapy nor psychotherapy per se. However, Body
Intelligence integrates therapeutic self-help and psychotherapeutic
body work to enhance awareness and reinforcement of a person's
natural vitality. You can visualize a triangle where at the center,
inside the triangle, is a Vitalizing Movement Sequence, which is the
most important foundational exercise in Body Intelligence. Each of
the triangle's three corners has one attribute: relaxation, natural
vitality, and strengthening the nervous system. Relaxation is
achieved in two ways, through active relaxation exercises and deep
relaxation. The nervous system is strengthened with many specially
developed exercises, for instance, NSB Form and Rebound Form are such
Body Intelligence exercises. That triangle I mentioned kind of floats
within or on top of Health Meditation.
Unto: What does FreeFlow
really mean?
Tapio: Understanding and
strengthening a person's natural vitality is learned through targeted
exercises called FreeFlow™. These exercises relate to contemporary
Western science, neuropsychology, and the body's electromagnetism. In
English, this subject matter includes scientific concepts such as
electromedicine, electromagnetism, and electropollution. There isn't
much significant literature in Finnish on these topics yet, but in
English, figures like Robert O. Becker and Gary Selden have
popularized this branch of science. Western medicine, for its part,
is also evolving towards electrically based treatments and diagnoses.
An example of this is the use of pulse-measuring watches and similar
devices.
FreeFlow™ exercises are
mainly performed standing with gentle movement. They are pleasant to
do, for example, in beautiful weather outdoors. In these exercises,
one learns well the Body Intelligence way of relating to and
practicing breathing on the body's terms. This is a good example of
how Body Intelligence differs from yoga or Pilates. In Body
Intelligence, we respect the body's own rhythm and do not manipulate
breathing, as is commonly done in yoga. There are certainly also
other FreeFlow exercises besides those done standing. For example, I
practice FreeFlow exercises that improve sleep and rest quality
almost every evening in bed just before falling asleep.
Unto: Can Body
Intelligence exercises treat insomnia?
Tapio: Yes, Body
Intelligence is an excellent tool for treating insomnia, as many of
its exercises are quite suitable for that purpose. The best results
come when one gets advice and concrete instruction from a qualified
Body Intelligence teacher. A beginner might want to try Body
Intelligence's deep relaxation just before bedtime. There are many
cases related to sleep problems in Body Intelligence that strongly
and concretely demonstrate that Body Intelligence can significantly
improve the quality of sleep.
I personally use Body
Intelligence exercises to enhance my sleep and rest quality, as sleep
and sufficient rest are particularly important for health. Many of my
friends and family often express amazement at my ability to fall
asleep and sleep almost anywhere, and my ability to wake up when
necessary, even in the middle of the night, and fall asleep again
immediately once the situation requiring being awake has passed. This
is actually an internal joke within my family because Body
Intelligence training has developed this somewhat unusual skill in
me.
Unto: Is the Health
Meditation part of Body Intelligence training?
Tapio: Yes. The Health
Meditation is an integral part of Body Intelligence, based on
contemporary Western psychology. It draws heavily from the influences
of Viktor Frankl and the trends of positive psychology. Health
Meditation is a notably health-centric, logical, and rational
activity in which a person’s feelings and core needs are understood
and valued. This is connected to the Body Intelligence principle that
effectiveness is a measure of truth. Health Meditation is usually
performed sitting on a chair at the beginning. More advanced
practitioners also do Health Meditation simultaneously with other
Body Intelligence training, and they are seamlessly interconnected.
Unto: Do you sweat during
Body Intelligence training or is it strenuous?
Tapio: Most Body
Intelligence exercises strictly adhere to the Gentle Approach to
training. Generally, one does not sweat significantly. For example,
in Health Meditation or FreeFlow training, one hardly ever sweats.
Body Intelligence offers a wealth of rational, effective, and gentle
exercises. Sometimes one might sweat, but not in the same way as
during sports; it’s more pleasant. Of course, in Vital Walk, which
involves brisk walking exercises, one is expected to sweat. In that
exercise, one takes a faster-paced walk during which the walker
performs a series of nerve-strengthening and relaxing Body
Intelligence exercises. Vital Walk is an excellent form of training
and has significantly stronger positive health effects than ordinary
walking. It's worth noting that even ordinary walking is quite
healthy, at least according to exercise medicine.
Unto: What equipment do
you need to buy in order to practice?
Tapio: You can do Body
Intelligence exercises in normal everyday clothes. At work, when you
do Body Intelligence as a break exercise, just take off your jacket
and loosen your tie, and it works. In guided Body Intelligence
exercises, people often wear sweatpants, for example. Inside,
sometimes a mat is used. In Finland, people usually wear wool socks,
but in summer heat, they can go barefoot. I often wear Japanese toe
socks. Generally, when training outdoors, shoes are worn. Many do
Body Intelligence exercises at home and wear whatever they like. So,
to answer your question, you really don't need to buy any fancy
gadgets or trendy workout clothes to do Body Intelligence exercises.
Your home or any space at work where you can turn around with your
arms spread out will work. In this sense, Body Intelligence is very
eco-friendly and sensible. I personally train a lot outdoors in good
weather, especially in summer. When I go to the gym, I often start
with about an hour of Body Intelligence exercises and then follow
that with about an hour of weight training. This way, resistance
training is much more sensible because the Body Intelligence
exercises balance and warm up the body in the best possible way.
Unto: Why do people
practice Body Intelligence? What do they gain or what are the
results?
Tapio: Another excellent
question. I have gathered feedback and concrete results from Body
Intelligence training for over 30 years. There are many quite
surprising results indicating that in those cases, Body Intelligence
has worked excellently for the health of the practitioners. Through
this feedback, we also know that, in addition to physical health,
Body Intelligence training significantly improves mental health.
However, people most commonly practice Body Intelligence to improve
their quality of life and to free themselves from stress.
Unto: Could you share a
few of those surprising results that have been achieved through Body
Intelligence training? I’ve heard rumors that Body Intelligence
truly works in many ways.
Tapio: Certainly. I'll try
to keep these brief. These are verified matters, but perhaps a bit
too bold to put in print. I won't mention individuals' names to
protect their privacy. In any case, since you ask, it’s essential
to note that most commonly, Body Intelligence increases life quality
and health in a pleasantly smooth manner. In the morning, you don’t
feel as much pain, and in the evening, you don’t feel as much
frustration. With regular Body Intelligence practice, stress reduces
significantly.
During the pandemic, I
gave private Body Intelligence lessons to a retired individual. She
suffers from high blood pressure and continuously measures it with an
expensive smart watch. When we did Body Intelligence foundational
exercises, her blood pressure quickly dropped to normal levels,
meaning it fell to a point where she began to question whether there
was something wrong with the fancy device. Only after this happened
several times did she begin to believe that the balancing of her
blood pressure was due to Body Intelligence exercises. This certainly
set off the "good bells," as she began to share her
"miracle" with others. However, I did advise her against
removing her blood pressure medication because those matters should
be discussed with a doctor. In reality, Body Intelligence training
only functions effectively and sustainably when you start practicing
consistently. If someone has a severe health issue or illness, Body
Intelligence should ideally be practiced daily.
Then there are these more
significant cases. One middle-aged woman had been on strong
antidepressants for seven years due to trauma, having lost her child
in an accident. Following the accident, she had lost sensation in one
leg, spanning the entire length of the leg, and she had a significant
lump on her neck, practically no visible neck. According to neurology
experts, sensation would never return to the leg. After about six
months of regular Body Intelligence practice, her psychiatrist
stopped her mood stabilizers because she had recovered so well in
that aspect. After just four months of practicing, feeling returned
to the woman’s leg, and the lump on her neck had practically
disappeared. The woman began wearing necklaces, as she metaphorically
expressed, "found her neck again."
Tapio continues: Another
anecdote involves an elderly yoga teacher and relaxation therapist
who then transitioned primarily to Body Intelligence training. She
enthusiastically recounted that the reason for her switch was the
concrete health benefits. Her weeks-long constipation had resolved
very quickly after starting Body Intelligence training. To provide an
honest comparison, even yoga had not helped her with that. This
situation demonstrates the immense joy a functioning bowel can bring.
(Tapio laughs joyfully).
A fun anecdote involves
the toes of a woman. When she began regular Body Intelligence
training, she had gray, pale skin and a very serious liver-related
illness. I helped her recover from that illness for which she had
already received a fatal diagnosis. Treatments from Western medicine
were successful, and it’s possible that the Body Intelligence
exercises contributed to her recovery. But those toes—when she
started Body Intelligence training, all the nails on her toes were
completely damaged and looked terrible. Almost miraculously, her
toes’ appearance changed to normal, and her nails fully healed.
Western so-called normal medicine did not contribute to this change
in any way, and even the doctor said he believed the cause was
"somewhere else."
Tapio continues: Once, a
middle-aged man provided feedback that he had lost seven kilograms in
four months thanks to the regular Body Intelligence practice. He
claimed he had not made any other significant changes in his life,
but I do suspect that Body Intelligence motivated him to improve his
lifestyle in general. However, he did not admit this to me. Healthy,
or let’s say normal, weight loss without deliberate dieting is
quite common during regular Body Intelligence training.
An older woman living on
the Riviera cured a whole-leg varicose vein with two months of
regular Body Intelligence practice. At first, her doctor couldn’t
believe it, as she had already been scheduled for surgery to remove
the varicose veins. She had traveled from France to Finland to study
Body Intelligence in my group. At that time, I also gave her private
lessons.
Tapio Sippoin continues:
Perhaps the strongest example is the case of Armi Hammarberg. Armi
has given me permission to use her name, but in other cases, I will
not disclose names. Armi's daughter, Tuula, had studied to become a
Body Intelligence instructor. When this situation occurred, Armi was
87 years old, and Tuula was around 60+. Armi injured her back. I no
longer recall exactly how the back was injured, whether from a fall
or something else, but in any case, Armi became bedridden and could
not walk or even get up from bed. After several doctors and
physiotherapists assessed the situation as "impossible,"
the doctors considered only a motorized bed and a wheelchair as
options. They said there was nothing else that could be done and that
Armi would never walk again.
Fortunately, Armi's
daughter Tuula knew about Body Intelligence. I regularly visited Armi
and guided Tuula on how to act in this situation. Initially, Tuula
helped her mother perform Body Intelligence exercises in bed. The
outcome was extremely convincing. It took only two weeks for Armi to
get up and stand relatively firmly while doing Body Intelligence
exercises. In less than three weeks, Armi was walking like a
sprightly 87-year-old! Armi's walking ability was restored, and she
lived to be 92 years old. Even her mental faculties functioned well
until almost the end. Thus, she gained about 4-5 years of active,
high-quality life thanks to Body Intelligence training.
Unto: That was quite a lot
of information. Surely there must be cases where Body Intelligence
hasn’t worked as well? I’ve heard that, for instance, in yoga,
people have injured themselves, knees, and backs, etc. Although Body
Intelligence is a Western concept, doesn’t it share similar traits
with yoga?
Tapio: You are both right
and wrong, Unto. You are wrong about its danger. I cannot answer on
behalf of yoga practitioners as to why people sometimes get hurt in
yoga. Over the years, I have certainly treated people who injured
themselves in yoga, so you know this does happen. Kehoäly Body Intelligence
and yoga are quite different, there is a significant distinction.
Body Intelligence training is always safe, as such training in which
a person injures themselves is fundamentally contrary to perhaps Body
Intelligence's most important training approach, which I refer to as
the Gentle Training Attitude.
In Kehoäly Body Intelligence,
there are also no extreme positions or otherwise painful stretches,
as can occur in yoga. I have personally participated several times in
yoga classes where the instructor encouraged enduring pain and
focusing on breathing. Such absurd situations. In Kehoäly Body Intelligence,
we adhere to the Gentle Training Approach. In fact, Body Intelligence
is quite well known for its pleasant training method. If someone
injures themselves in this sense, one can immediately conclude that
they have not truly practiced Body Intelligence, but have instead
neglected the training methods and probably done something
superficial or otherwise questionable for health.
You are also partly
correct, Unto. If a person does not practice Kehoäly Body Intelligence often
enough, it won’t work very well. This can be compared to running or
weightlifting; if you don’t train, your fitness won’t improve or
your muscles won’t grow. Body Intelligence is the same. If you only
take the basic Body Intelligence course and don’t apply what you’ve
learned, meaning you don't train Body Intelligence, then it’s
unlikely to achieve those previously mentioned significant health
results, as it involves regular gentle Body Intelligence practice and
the adoption of the Body Intelligence methods and approaches. The
psychology of Body Intelligence and the health-oriented attitude
stemming from it are closely related to the practical training of
Body Intelligence and the positive health effects derived from it.
Unto: Many people will
likely now be interested in Body Intelligence. You have been teaching
Body Intelligence exercises for over 30 years. Is there any material
available to become acquainted with Body Intelligence?
Tapio: Yes, certainly. I
have written three non-fiction books related to Body Intelligence.
One book discusses the Vitalizing Movement Sequence, which is the
most important foundational exercise in Body Intelligence. In another
book, titled "The Secrets of Body Intelligence," I teach
the training methods related to Body Intelligence and other
significantly important concepts. Health Meditation is a part of Body
Intelligence training. I have written a book focused on Health
Meditation, clearly and precisely teaching the fundamental and basic
aspects of Health Meditation. With this book, one can independently
learn the skill of Health Meditation. The title of this book is
succinctly "The Practice and Knowledge Book of Health
Meditation." However, the easiest way to learn Body Intelligence
in the future is to enroll in Body Intelligence courses I conduct or
study Body Intelligence through the teaching and lecture videos I
publish.
Unto: Would you like to
share some fun stories from your teaching trips abroad?
Tapio: I would love to. I
enjoy telling my children at home true stories from my travels, as so
many amusing things have happened. I suppose I can share a bit of
that in this magazine. One neat incident was when it was wonderful to
teach in a beautiful natural location. For instance, in Egypt, we
often trained on a stunning sandy beach. In Portugal, a memorable
experience was when we trained in a dense bamboo forest. One would
think such an experience would primarily occur in Asia, but for me,
the bamboo forest experience occurred in Portugal.
Perhaps the most
breathtaking place I’ve trained in Body Intelligence is the small
town of Tolmin located in western Slovenia. There's a beautiful river
and beach near the town, where even on a genuine summer day, the
water temperature is around five degrees. And particularly, the
Tolmin Gorge situated just a little away from the town is one of the
most magnificent natural places in the world. It's wonderful to do
Body Intelligence exercises there.
Unto: Do you have any
stories involving people from your teaching trips to share?
Tapio: Yes, there are
those as well, but sharing them often veers into boasting. Sure, I
studied the Lanna people's version of Thai massage in Thailand. My
teacher, a relatively elderly master, suffered from diabetes. I
taught him how to manage diabetes using Body Intelligence exercises.
The master was very grateful for the knowledge he received, and I am
still very welcome in his family's home.
I could tell so many
stories from Japan. I’ll just briefly mention that it’s wonderful
to know that a great person and skilled dance teacher uses Body
Intelligence exercises as part of the curriculum in a respected dance
school and also practices Body Intelligence to maintain her own
health. In a very polite and humble manner characteristic of Japanese
culture, she asked for permission to teach the things I developed at
her dance school. I gave her the freedom to teach as she pleased
because she is such an intelligent and down-to-earth, honest person.
I have also traveled
around Japan to learn from various health masters. We can speak of
ethnomedicine. This experience was very enriching and enlightening.
One master always sent me on to the next master. The entire process
worked strongly on the basis of trust, personal relationships, and
recommendations. I learned a lot myself, and at the same time, I also
taught these masters some Body Intelligence methods. Japanese
spiritual people know how to be genuinely grateful for the good they
receive. Such gratitude leaves a positive mark on anyone's soul.
Because I have openly
taught the skills of Body Intelligence to many Eastern masters, I
have almost always received in return the opportunity to learn things
from them that they normally do not teach to Westerners or even to
their local "ordinary" people. I am grateful for the
teachings I have received. With many of these masters, there is
mutual gratitude and a trusting relationship from which a friendship
develops that is hard to describe in quality. Of course, such deeper
understanding has helped me develop my own teaching skills in Body
Intelligence.
I am a Western person
living in Finland. It is important for me to do and teach things in a
way that is suitable for the psyche of Western people. In Body
Intelligence, most of the exercises are entirely my creation, but
there is also a touch of learning from the Eastern direction. For
example, there is Western meridian stretching based on traditional
Chinese medicine, dao-in practice, and Masunaga shiatsu. Developing
Body Intelligence exercises is challenging and requires deep
pedagogical, didactic, and psychological skill. It is important to
know what one is doing, meaning in this case stripping away the
Eastern belief system fluff from everything I have learned there.
When you can strip away that fluff, you find much good and wise
knowledge underneath.
It is absurd for a Finn to
try to become Japanese, Chinese, or Indian. Such an endeavor always
goes awry. Western and Eastern people are largely very different
socioculturally, but the fundamental good core needs are the same
everywhere. Therefore, Finnish people best benefit health-wise from
Finnish understanding. Body Intelligence is distinctly Western and is
one of its significant strengths in today's global health landscape.
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