Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, the youth who once thought it would be fine to die when I was young has already become OSSAN (but I think I am a great middle, just my opinion). In the remaining half of life that has already turned, there is no sense of having obtained any definitive conclusion. I wonder if it would be good if I could convey something, so I continue to walk the path of Physiotherapy in  Mental Health at my own pace.

Looking back on my own path, I might have preferred walking the path that others haven't taken. The well-trodden, easily understandable path that everyone follows, in other words, the ordinary physiotherapy, didn't satisfy me or it left me unsatisfied.

Sure, the path that many people walk on is undoubtedly safe and comforting. But for me, simply seeking safety and comfort while moving forward felt incredibly boring.

The "Great Journey" that African explorers once embarked on, carving through uncharted territories and spreading across the world, was undoubtedly a journey along an invisible path. The genes that led humanity on this Great Journey should have been passed down to us.  However, as civilizations were built over long periods of time, those genes gradually became buried, and now they seem to have largely disappeared.

However, for humanity to evolve and adapt to the future, it is essential to fully activate the genes that walk the invisible path and have individuals who cultivate new paths. Of course, exploring uncharted territory comes with its own dangers, but there is immense joy and satisfaction in using our sensibilities and abilities to establish a path, discover something new, or create something.

Feeling lost or bored in life may be because we are constantly walking the well-established path, molded by common sense and fixed ideas. Why not deviate from it occasionally and explore the invisible paths?

As long as we walk the well-trodden path, we can only do the same things as others. But once we find our own path, we will surely feel a sense of fulfillment in my life. How about embarking on a Great Journey into the unexplored domain of Physiotherapy in Mental Health?

Many patients visit hospitals triggered by "pain." They seek treatment for shoulder pain, back pain, knee pain, foot pain, and so on. However, in many cases, these pains are the "RESULT" symptoms rather than the "CAUSE". While various factors can contribute to the cause, often it comes postures and movements that put strain on the affected areas in the body. Engaging in "EXERCISE" can potentially contribute to pain relief, but it comes the question of whether relying too much on muscle strength is necessary. While armor protects oneself from external threats, it can sometimes sacrifice flexibility in movement, and the adrenaline of a fight stance seems far from the natural state of the body, causing a diminishing connection with the body's intrinsic dialogue. If the cause of pain from posture and movement, then should we focus on treating them? So, how can we change our posture and movement?

Positive attitudes towards "GOOD POSTURE" are commonly among Physiotherapists. Good posture can be seen as a precondition for "Functional Movement". So, what is good posture?

There are several definitions of good posture. From a biomechanical perspective, it is generally considered as a posture that optimizes the balance and stability of the body. "野口体操", developed by Noguchi Michizo, expresses posture and movement as follows:

"Not only muscles but also in every organ, tissue, and cell, the more open parts there are, the more possibilities it can have". （原初生命体としての人間） In other words, good posture can be understood as a state where body functions are optimally utilized without wastefulness, maximizing the potential for subsequent movements. How can one achieve good posture?

Through the BBAT seminars, I often receive questions about the body's axis.

"What is the axis and where is it located?"

Whether sitting or standing, I encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your current posture and observe how much inefficiency is present in maintaining it. From your head, eyes, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, core, spine, waist, pelvis, legs, to your feet... Is everything aligned without any wasted movements, maximizing the potential for the next action? In the sitting sessions of BBAT, we begin by listning our own bodies and gradually becoming aware of the alignment of our present bodies. This process of listening to and engaging in dialogue with our own bodies is the initial step in approaching from the "INNER" perspective. Regardless of how much a physical therapist may enforce their perception of correct posture onto a patient, it cannot truly satisfy the patient unless they themselves understand their own posture.

While sitting, take the time to listen your body and make sure how it is stacked and supported. If you are sitting in a chair, observe how both feet and the sitting bones create the "Base of Support", how the lower limbs connect to the pelvis, and the location of the pelvis itself. How is tilts or twists in the core resting on the pelvis, muscle tension in the shoulders, the position of the neck, and whether the head comfortably rests on the neck. This process allows you to confirm your body's alignment and gather hints for good posture. In this case, good sitting posture (a state where body functions are optimized, maximizing the potential for the next movement) involves the head, neck, core, and pelvis aligning with the centerline of gravity. It is a state where the posture remains stable even when the tension holding the posture relaxes without significant changes. The body remains stable without tilting forward, backward, left, or right, achieving a relaxed and stable posture with minimal effort. This is what it means to be aligned with the "Body's Axis".

When the body obtains its "AXIS" and achieves stability, it creates a sense of afford within the body, which in turn generates mental flexibility. However, the opposite is also true. It is often experienced that mental stress can cause physical tension. On the other hand, I believe it is also possible to influence the mental state through the body. In that meaning, BBAT can be expected to have effects on the mental well-being as well.

The streets are filled with people, not just young people, who walk while using their smartphones. It's understandable how strong the allure of smartphones can be in capturing one's focus. Being engrossed in a smartphone steals attention away from the surroundings, leading to an increase in accidents such as falling into ditches, tripping, theft, or bumping into others. In these cases, it's not just walking while using a smartphone that is the sole cause, but rather being immersed in an "information whirlpool," resulting in decreased awareness of one's body and movement that is rigid and lacking flexibility. As a result, the ability to respond flexibly in unexpected situations diminishes. Humans seem to be the only creatures on Earth that exhibit such unnatural rigidity. The increasing stiffness in people's movements can be seen as evidence of their detachment from nature.

Most human beings are born very soft. There are no infants born with rigid bodies. As they age, their bodies become stiff, and in old age, they become completely rigid and eventually wither away. Infants undergo remarkable changes in the first few years of their lives. They progress from crawling to standing up, and they learn to speak words they couldn't say before. In other words, softness carries within it the potential for numerous transformations.

People not only make their bodies stiff but also accumulate many fixed ideas, making their minds rigid as well. Living involves adapting and embracing change. To ensure that the potential for change does not diminish, both the body and mind must remain flexible at all times.

BBAT involves establishing contact with one's own body and the environment through dialogue and interaction. Through such contact, one explores the body, temporarily loosening the tight knots between the habitual body and the environment, and then reconnecting with the self and the world. By loosening the rigidities of one's own body and carefully reconnecting them in the process, one aims to discover new possibilities for movement once again.