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Natural Awakenings Twin Cities

Heart of Tao Resonance Art: Using Movement Therapy to Improve Energy Flow and Generate Self-Healing

Apr 29, 2015 10:29PM ● By Michelle Hamburger

Gadu DouShin, owner of Heart of Tao Resonance Art (HOTRA), in Minneapolis, believes every person is born with the power to help themselves heal, and that healing can be stimulated through body movement. “The motto of my business is to heal, practice and create,” DouShin says. “The idea is to help people find a new way of healing their body, their mind, their spirit through movement. Also, through movement, I try to help them to express their creative outlets.”

Originally trained as a dancer, DouShin was introduced to the concept of moving meditation while enrolled at Subbody Butoh School in India. Moving meditation drew him into a deeper connection with the energy flow in his body, and helped him realize the health implications associated with it. He later began practicing Shiatsu and Qigong, additional forms of energy healing.

Movement plays a powerful role in Oriental medicine and HOTRA embodies an Eastern medical philosophy. “In Oriental medicine the practitioner’s job is to help remove energy blockages so energy flows better, the body is balanced and you heal by yourself,” DouShin explains. “Some of what I learned from years of doing movement is that your body knows the way to heal itself.” DouShin believes that learning to listen to one’s own ‘body intelligence’ allows people to stimulate their natural healing process and even increase the speed in which they heal.

HOTRA offers several healing and movement classes, including Shiatsu, Spring Forest Qigong, Qi~ssage and Subbody Butoh. Shiatsu uses meridian and pressure point stimulation to treat and improve energy flow. Many people associate Shiatsu with Western massage practices, but DouShin explains that the original form of Shiatsu is something closer to acupressure. He has seen clients find relief from chronic pain and illness using Shiatsu, and even with people suffering from cancer.

Spring Forest Qigong was developed by Minnesota resident Master Chunyi Lin. Qigong, according to DouShin, dates back more than 4,000 years, and is a Chinese energy balancing technique which focuses on improving the body’s ability to heal. “In Spring Forest Qigong, the first aspect is to heal yourself, both through a physical movement practice and a sitting meditation,” he explains. “The next aspect is to help heal others, and that’s where we do a technique called energy balancing. You remove energy blockages from the body and send energy to where it’s needed.”

Qi~ssage is a part of Spring Forest Qigong practice and is a similar concept to Shiatsu because its focus is to stimulate energy points. “The beauty of Qi~ssage is that it’s very simple and it doesn’t take long to learn,” DouShin states. “It’s great for working with people who are older or have certain disabilities.” During Qi~ssage sessions clients typically sit in a chair, which is easier than lying down on a mat or getting onto a massage table. Clients can also take home what they’ve learned and treat themselves.

Butoh is a contemporary Japanese art form that explores body movement and allows people to discover their own movement potential. Two types of Butoh classes are offered at HOTRA: Subbody Butoh and Resonance Movement. Subbody Butoh is for people who are interested in learning the specific art form of Butoh. Resonance Movement, also known as Healing Movement, focuses on listening to the body, learning how it wants to move, and stimulating energy flow.

What makes HOTRA different from other healing centers is that classes focus on students initially experiencing the movements and then on understanding what the practice actually means. “It’s in our culture that we go into something headfirst. We have to know and gain knowledge before we start doing something,” Gadu says. Conversely, HOTRA encourages people to feel the movements organically, and then allow questions to develop as a natural response to what they felt. “Information without the direct experience doesn’t mean much, especially without the movement,” Gadu explains. “The important part is really experiencing how the energy moves through your body and just doing it.”

Location: 2322 Garfield St. NE, Minneapolis. For more information or to view class schedules, call 612-703-7501 or visit HOTResonanceArt.com.

Michelle Hamburger can be reached via email at [email protected].