Kehoäly® Body
Intelligence® method and its practice constitute an exceptionally
gentle and benevolent activity in terms of the relationship between
body and mind. What is uniquely and strongly emphasised is the
awareness that body and mind can achieve the best possible
connection, the finest mutual relationship, and the optimal health
benefits only in the absence of negative manipulation between them.
This distinguishes the practice of Body Intelligence® from, for
example, martial arts (including Japanese budō and Chinese
tàijíquán), nearly all forms of sport, “health exercise”,
yoga, and Pilates, as well as other disciplines in which body and
mind are, to a greater or lesser extent, manipulated.
One of the
secrets of learning Body Intelligence® is repetition. The practice
of Body Intelligence® also yields excellent health outcomes, and the
secret to these, too, is repetition. Here lies a surprising
connection between the training methods of Japanese martial arts and
those of Kehoäly. Although Kehoäly® Body Intelligence® method is
a distinctly peaceful and exceptionally gentle Finnish health
methodology, the practice and quality of Body Intelligence® can also
be examined through the training methods of Japanese martial arts.
The unifying factor in this is precisely repetition.
Background of
Body Intelligence®
Kehoäly® Body Intelligence® method is
created and developed by the Finnish health expert Tapio Sippoin. The
proper names Kehoäly® and Body Intelligence® have been firmly
established as registered trademarks (PRH) since 2003, and these
trademarks remain in force. Kehoäly® Body Intelligence® method
incorporates a unique and exceptionally effective approach to health.
The practice of Body Intelligence® consists of concrete
psychophysical, very gentle physical activity in which the mind is
taken into particularly strong account during bodily training.
Tapio Sippoin has taught matters relating to well-being and health for over
40 years in Finland and worldwide. He has coached these subjects for
companies and has served as an instructor in 23 adult education
institutes in Finland. These institutes include Ahjolan
kansalaisopisto, Espoon työväenopisto, Helsingin aikuisopisto,
Helsingin työväenopisto, Hiiden opisto, Kalliolan kansalaisopisto,
Karkkilan työväenopisto, Keravan kansalaisopisto, Mustasaaren
aikuisopisto, Raaseporin kansalaisopisto, Suolahden työväenopisto,
Tampereen työväenopisto, Toimelan vapaaopisto, Valamon luostarin
opisto, Vantaan aikuisopisto, Via-Akatemia, Viittakiven opisto,
Viitasaaren kansalaisopisto, and Ylöjärven työväenopisto.
Information about Tapio Siipoin:
https://sippoin.blogspot.com/2025/10/tapio-sippoin-master-of-kehoaly-body.html
Suburi
and Gentle Practice
In the practice of Body Intelligence® there
are two particularly important modes of action: the Gentle Practice
mode and the Regular Practice mode. Here lies a connection to suburi
training. Literally, suburi is written 素振り
and refers to a “simple” or “bare”
swing—that is, movement without an actual opponent. In practice, it
is a matter of repetition in which the practitioner performs the same
basic movement again and again so that the technique becomes
ingrained in the body. In Japan, suburi denotes basic training in
which the same swinging or striking movement is repeated continually
in order to develop technique, rhythm, body control, and endurance.
The term is especially associated with budō disciplines (such as
kendō, iaidō, and kenjutsu), but it is also used more generally in
other sports in the sense of a “practice swing”.
Regular
practice and sufficient repetition constitute the core substance of
both Kehoäly® Body Intelligence® method and high-level Japanese
martial arts, and it is here that the Japanese concept and exercise
known as suburi comes into play: the use of repetition in the
learning process. Kehoäly® Body Intelligence® method is based on a
preventive approach, the central idea of which is that movement
heals; “movement is the medicine”. The connection between mind
and body, and the guidance of human vitality, are most easily learned
through movement. The exercises are always performed gently and
safely, which allows them to be combined with other health-promoting
treatments, such as sensible Western medical care. Good health
outcomes are achieved through repetition.
Kehoäly® Body
Intelligence® method emphasises the connection between body and mind
in such a way that movement functions as medicine. This fundamental
idea is the core of the methodology and guides all practice. Kehoäly
Body Intelligence comprises gentle, psychophysical exercises designed
to nourish both body and mind, improve general well-being, enhance
vitality, and deepen self-awareness. Unlike conventional fitness
methods, which may prioritise physical exertion and strain, Kehoäly®
Body Intelligence® focuses on safety and encourages sensing the body
and its needs. Through gentle yet effective movements that are
regularly repeated, Kehoäly® Body Intelligence® practice activates
and strengthens the body’s vitality and functions.
The deeper
significance of suburi lies in attitude, just as it does in the
Regular Practice mode of Body Intelligence®. Suburi is not merely a
warm-up, although it is often performed as such. In the budō
tradition, it is also a way of refining the connection between body
and mind: the timing of movement, tension and relaxation, breathing,
and concentration. In the context of kendō, its aim is to unite the
movement of hand, foot, and body so that the strike is not merely an
arm swing but an integrated action of the whole body. If, for
example, a kendōka performs 100 men-suburi, he repeats the same
striking movement towards the head area many times in the same form.
The idea is not simply “to do a lot”, but to perform each
repetition slightly more purely, more coherently, and more
purposefully than the previous one. Just as with the Regular Practice
mode of Body Intelligence®, the value of suburi lies in its building
of the foundation for all other practice. Both develop muscle memory,
technical precision, endurance, and rhythm, and at the same time they
lead the practitioner to confront his own errors, in martial arts
without the disturbance of an opponent, and in Body Intelligence®
practice through the gentle internalisation of matters.
An
Opportunity for Beginners
One of the best ways for a beginner to
start learning Kehoäly Body Intelligence® method is to practise
Elävöittävä liikesarja (in English: Vital Form™) regularly.
This most essential introductory and foundational exercise of Body
Intelligence® practice, namely Vital Form™, is performed in a
standing position called Virtaava asento (in English: FreeFlow™
Stance). For a beginner, the daily practice of this FreeFlow™
Stance basic posture is an excellent way to learn the regular
practice of Body Intelligence® gently. Here are three videos to help
you get started:
Video one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7kaBOYE39Y&t=52s
Video
two: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnPwnGB2ppI&t=98s
Video three:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjOknXDhxBQ&t=12s
Five Concrete Examples of the Effects of Regular Kehoäly® Practice on Ordinary People:
40-year-old woman (library
clerk, natural horsemanship instructor, mother of three): After the
Kehoäly Body Intelligence® basic course, she enrolled in instructor
training; gained balance, relaxation, and better body control – in
riding she managed the horse gently and coped with private-life
challenges in a present-minded manner.
40-year-old man (marathon
runner, MSc in engineering, researcher): Easy, varied Kehoäly Body
Intelligence® practice calmed and refreshed him amid work pressures
and city life; it assisted in endurance-sports coaching, among other
things by improving training results and recovery.
55-year-old
woman: In four months she lost over 7 kg; shoulders that had been
extremely stiff relaxed; her “missing” neck reappeared and she
began wearing necklaces again; the large stress-related hump on her
back disappeared; severe depression eased (medication could be
discontinued); and sensation returned to a lower leg injured in an
accident.
60-year-old woman (yoga and relaxation therapist):
Long-standing constipation improved after the Vital Form™ – yoga
had not helped.
65-year-old woman reports: Her 87-year-old mother
(spinal injury from a fall) was able to walk again two weeks after
starting Kehoäly Body Intelligence® practice. Physiotherapists’
and doctors’ prognoses (four medical statements) had been that her
motor functions had failed and that she would need a wheelchair for
the rest of her life and would never walk again.
These are
only a glimpse of the feedback gathered over the years, which
confirms the benefits of Kehoäly for health and quality of
life.
Virtaava asento, i.e. FreeFlow™ Stance, can also be
found here:
https://kehoeetikko.blogspot.com/2016/09/virtaava-asento-on-kehoaly-liikesarjan.html
