Sanchin and the Seven Chakras
by Sensei Michael Strong, posted 8/26/2020
Teaching Martial Arts for over 25 years, I have learned a few things. I am still learning, which is why I say I study martial arts. It appears that there are many misconceptions about traditional karate, and it's popularity has been in decline. The Western view latches on to physical aspects, cutting it from its philosophical roots. At the same time, I have observed that yoga has become quite mainstream. I have always felt there are general similarities between yoga and karate. Recently, I've realized some deeper connections between them.
The style I study is Uechi-Ryu (pronounced way-chee roo). It is a traditional style, derived from a Southern Chinese system. I will not elaborate on its history here, but there are a few factors I'd like to emphasize as they relate to this article. Briefly; the style is named after its Master, Kanbun Uechi. He left his home in Okinawa for Southern China. There he studied under a Buddhist monk. It is said Master Uechi spent the first several years learning and developing the form Sanchin. I should also include that it is not unique to Uechi-Ryu, and is predominant in other Okinawan styles.
I began my training in 1988. I was taught that Sanchin is the heart of the Uechi-Ryu system. It means "three conflicts", and it is "the way". What could be in this kata? Why did it take years for Master Uechi to learn it? It certainly must be complex. It wasn't long after observing the kata in class, that my preconceptions met their end. On the surface, Sanchin is quite dull. There are no flying kicks or spinning punches. There are no beautiful, grand flowing movements. It may look quite odd to the outsider. The practitioner appears to take a pigeon-toed, knocked-kneed stance. While doing some heavy breathing, they proceed to take simple steps forward, making basic strikes. Then, someone punches them in the stomach. What?
The style I study is Uechi-Ryu (pronounced way-chee roo). It is a traditional style, derived from a Southern Chinese system. I will not elaborate on its history here, but there are a few factors I'd like to emphasize as they relate to this article. Briefly; the style is named after its Master, Kanbun Uechi. He left his home in Okinawa for Southern China. There he studied under a Buddhist monk. It is said Master Uechi spent the first several years learning and developing the form Sanchin. I should also include that it is not unique to Uechi-Ryu, and is predominant in other Okinawan styles.
I began my training in 1988. I was taught that Sanchin is the heart of the Uechi-Ryu system. It means "three conflicts", and it is "the way". What could be in this kata? Why did it take years for Master Uechi to learn it? It certainly must be complex. It wasn't long after observing the kata in class, that my preconceptions met their end. On the surface, Sanchin is quite dull. There are no flying kicks or spinning punches. There are no beautiful, grand flowing movements. It may look quite odd to the outsider. The practitioner appears to take a pigeon-toed, knocked-kneed stance. While doing some heavy breathing, they proceed to take simple steps forward, making basic strikes. Then, someone punches them in the stomach. What?
M. Strong being tested in Sanchin (1992)
With more training and development, I began to gain a greater understanding of it. To summarize the physical stance: the body is lowered by bending slightly at the knees, while keeping the back upright. This lowers the body's center of gravity, giving one greater balance and stability. The foot position creates a wider base, and guards the groin and femoral artery. The arms are held up to protect the chest and torso. The heavy breathing helps to accomplish a dynamic tension of all the muscles. All creating a strong, harden body virtually impossible to knock off balance.
With regards to the hitting: There are many videos of Sanchin available online where you are bound to see the practitioner standing resiliently against a barrage of hard strikes to his abdomen, legs, chest and shoulders. You will even see boards being broken over the shins, thighs, abdomen or forearms. These are incredible demonstrations of strength, achieved through years of body conditioning. This can be quite misleading to the outsider, and even to practitioners themselves as to Sanchin's purpose. I have heard several times from advanced karate-ka, and even black belt instructors that "We Uechi guys can take a punch". There's an error in this mentality. The point is not to take a punch, rather it is to deflect it and aggressively counter the attack. There is a great deal more to the kata.
Sanchin can be termed as a physical meditation. Meditation is often associated with deep relaxed states, where one attempts to clear the mind. Here, the tensions in the body are released, and muscles go soft. Sanchin seeks the same state of mind, but on the opposite end of the physical scale, where all the muscles are engaged and tense. In both types of meditation, correct breathing is integral. The hitting or "testing" done in Sanchin is meant to check that the practitioner is indeed holding their body in this hardened state. Simultaneously, the testing helps guide ones state of mind, by mainting their focus. The mind easily wanders, but focus is brought back to the present when tightening muscles to receive a hit. I should state here that the intensity of the testing is rank appropriate. Beginners receive light taps with reminders to "tighten up".
With regards to the hitting: There are many videos of Sanchin available online where you are bound to see the practitioner standing resiliently against a barrage of hard strikes to his abdomen, legs, chest and shoulders. You will even see boards being broken over the shins, thighs, abdomen or forearms. These are incredible demonstrations of strength, achieved through years of body conditioning. This can be quite misleading to the outsider, and even to practitioners themselves as to Sanchin's purpose. I have heard several times from advanced karate-ka, and even black belt instructors that "We Uechi guys can take a punch". There's an error in this mentality. The point is not to take a punch, rather it is to deflect it and aggressively counter the attack. There is a great deal more to the kata.
Sanchin can be termed as a physical meditation. Meditation is often associated with deep relaxed states, where one attempts to clear the mind. Here, the tensions in the body are released, and muscles go soft. Sanchin seeks the same state of mind, but on the opposite end of the physical scale, where all the muscles are engaged and tense. In both types of meditation, correct breathing is integral. The hitting or "testing" done in Sanchin is meant to check that the practitioner is indeed holding their body in this hardened state. Simultaneously, the testing helps guide ones state of mind, by mainting their focus. The mind easily wanders, but focus is brought back to the present when tightening muscles to receive a hit. I should state here that the intensity of the testing is rank appropriate. Beginners receive light taps with reminders to "tighten up".
Sensei Strong test a students Sanchin (2018)
Sanchin is a guided meditation. Beginners are discouraged to practice the full form on their own. Instead, an instructor walks them through it, telling them when to step and turn, making corrections to their posture, and lightly testing them throughout. The goal is to achieve a clear focused mind and strengthened body, subconsciously, ready to react without anticipation. Being a physical and guided meditation, correlations with yoga begin to emerge.
Many practice yoga to improve the body's muscle tone, balance and flexibility. However, beneath the physical, there are other benefits. Namely; stress release, which in turn can have real positive physiological effects like boosting the immune system. Yoga essentially is the practice of "stopping the mind". A Yogi works to move energy through specific points of the body, referred to as chakras. This is achieved through breath control, bodily postures, and meditation. Similar to martial arts, only the physical aspects are seen. But the practitioner should learn the philosophical concepts of mind/body harmony as well. The connection runs deeper still. Let's examine the chakras.
Many practice yoga to improve the body's muscle tone, balance and flexibility. However, beneath the physical, there are other benefits. Namely; stress release, which in turn can have real positive physiological effects like boosting the immune system. Yoga essentially is the practice of "stopping the mind". A Yogi works to move energy through specific points of the body, referred to as chakras. This is achieved through breath control, bodily postures, and meditation. Similar to martial arts, only the physical aspects are seen. But the practitioner should learn the philosophical concepts of mind/body harmony as well. The connection runs deeper still. Let's examine the chakras.
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I have always felt yoga would be a great compliment to my martail-arts training. Though I have never practiced it at any length, except to borrow a few poses for stretching. The "pigeon pose" feels great on the glutes, by the way. But, it would seem that you can't really get to far in yoga without running into the chakras. What I offer below is my interpretation.
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Chakras are defined as energy centers of the body. Their importance is becoming more widely accepted, yet Western medicine or skeptics may argue their validity. Understandably, for one thing, if you were to perform a dissection, you cannot locate and remove a chakra. They aren't tangible or measurable by any valid scientific means. Attempts to do so appear as quackery.
If we were to examine a light from a lamp by dissecting it, we would pull the light bulb from its fixture, leaving us with the glass shell and element. But no light. Taking it further, we would find the wiring, leading to an outlet, leading to a fuse box, leading to transformers, eventually leading to the power station where the electricity is generated. Yet we still would not discover the original light we sought to examine. Analogically, a chakra can be viewd as this light. The fixture may be a gland of the endocrine system, perhaps the wiring presents as the nervous system. As I understand it, chakras are biological energy centers generated by a complexity of various systems in the body.
From a historical standpoint, understanding them is warranted for the Uechi-Ryu student. When Master Uechi began teaching in China, he taught only a very few things. That was; three katas (one of which was Sanchin), Kotekitai (a body conditioning exercise) and Chinese Medicine. Elemental to traditional Chinese medicine are channels of energy that connect the organs known as meridians. These meridians pass through centers in the body that are congruent with the chakras.
There are seven major Chakras, located at specific points in the body. There is some variation in their interpretations. I am offering only a summary here.
If we were to examine a light from a lamp by dissecting it, we would pull the light bulb from its fixture, leaving us with the glass shell and element. But no light. Taking it further, we would find the wiring, leading to an outlet, leading to a fuse box, leading to transformers, eventually leading to the power station where the electricity is generated. Yet we still would not discover the original light we sought to examine. Analogically, a chakra can be viewd as this light. The fixture may be a gland of the endocrine system, perhaps the wiring presents as the nervous system. As I understand it, chakras are biological energy centers generated by a complexity of various systems in the body.
From a historical standpoint, understanding them is warranted for the Uechi-Ryu student. When Master Uechi began teaching in China, he taught only a very few things. That was; three katas (one of which was Sanchin), Kotekitai (a body conditioning exercise) and Chinese Medicine. Elemental to traditional Chinese medicine are channels of energy that connect the organs known as meridians. These meridians pass through centers in the body that are congruent with the chakras.
There are seven major Chakras, located at specific points in the body. There is some variation in their interpretations. I am offering only a summary here.
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1 - Root; relating to survival, feeling grounded and secure.
2 - Sacral; relating to creativity and sexuality, feeling physical pleasure. 3 - Solar Plexus; relating to will power and conquest, feeling in control of your own life. 4 - Heart; relating to love, feeling joy. 5 - Throat; relating to communication of truths, feeling honest, vulnerability. 6 - Third Eye; relating to focus and deep thought, feeling intuitive. 7 - Crown; relating to spirituality, feeling connection and pure bliss. |
The idea is to have a healthy flow of energy through each chakra. Problems arise when there is a deficit. In that case, it is said a particular chakra is closed or blocked. For example, financial troubles may threaten the basic need for food and shelter. This translates to feeling insecure about one's own survival. If one is stressed over financial issues, there are yoga exercises that aim to open the root chakra. Thus, dissipating the stress, maintaining a healthy body, and inviting positive opportunities that would resolve the matter.
When we examine the chakras further, an interesting duality arises. If you connect them with concentric circles, with the heart at the center, pairs of opposites emerge.
When we examine the chakras further, an interesting duality arises. If you connect them with concentric circles, with the heart at the center, pairs of opposites emerge.
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1 & 7 - biological survival / spiritual existence
2 & 6 - physical pleasure / transcendent thought 3 & 5 - self assertion / vulnerable expression 4 - At the center we have love, where selfishness terminates, and selflessness begins. It is the same point. Both exist together. |
We can feel this yin and yang at work in the body. Imagine that you have been put in a position where you must admit to something. Perhaps you were wrong and need to apologize. The moment you're caught and on the brink of expressing it, it causes that "lump in your throat" feeling. I would theorize that this could be chakras 3 & 5 in conflict. The expressive energy wells up and needs to be released. The assertive energy can't be wrong and tries to swallow it down. The 3rd chakra is sometimes referred to as "The Warrior". Indeed, when we express our true feelings, we are letting our guard down.
As a Sanchin practitioner, here's where knowledge of the chakras became even more interesting. If we can pair the chakras in opposites, we can group them by their similarities. When you look at the first three, these energies are what drive us to hunt and eat, reproduce, produce waste, and claim our place in the pecking order of our society. You find they all relate to the basic biological self. They are of nature and so termed the earthly chakras.
We've already established that the upper three are opposites. Communicating inner truths, transcendent thought, and heavenly bliss. These energies drive us to realize something greater than the self, a connection or oneness with all things. So, we could term these three as the heavenly or universal chakras.
Again, we are left with the heart in the middle. Here, the energy is to give and receive, to love and be loved. This is where we understand ourselves as something greater than our natural biology, but we still desire our individuality. It is the self.
As a Sanchin practitioner, here's where knowledge of the chakras became even more interesting. If we can pair the chakras in opposites, we can group them by their similarities. When you look at the first three, these energies are what drive us to hunt and eat, reproduce, produce waste, and claim our place in the pecking order of our society. You find they all relate to the basic biological self. They are of nature and so termed the earthly chakras.
We've already established that the upper three are opposites. Communicating inner truths, transcendent thought, and heavenly bliss. These energies drive us to realize something greater than the self, a connection or oneness with all things. So, we could term these three as the heavenly or universal chakras.
Again, we are left with the heart in the middle. Here, the energy is to give and receive, to love and be loved. This is where we understand ourselves as something greater than our natural biology, but we still desire our individuality. It is the self.
One can visualize the bodies energies in an hourglass form,
much like the physical characteristics of the sanchin posture itself.
much like the physical characteristics of the sanchin posture itself.
It should be apparent now that these are the 3 conflicts of Sanchin; earth, man and universe. As I teach it, the term conflict is used synonymously with balance, and balance is not a static state, rather constant ebb and flow. Man is not meant in the collective sense, rather singularly as the self. Sanchin is a means to balance the energies of the body; the self holding balance between the earthly chakras, and the universal chakras. Made possible by moving the body in a specific form, while in a meditative state. Suspiciously like yoga.
I don't necessarily believe Master Uechi understood chakras in this way, nor do I teach chakra work as part of sanchin. That is left for the practicioner's own discovery.
My observations are just as much for the yoga practitioner as they are for the karate-ka. They are an examination of the parallels between both. My study and personal practice has taught me that it’s not just about being tough or "taking a punch". Master Uechi didn’t study for years in Southern China to that end. This form, as physical meditation, offers a way to achieve mind/body harmony, or what my Sensei called “ultimate awareness”.
I don't necessarily believe Master Uechi understood chakras in this way, nor do I teach chakra work as part of sanchin. That is left for the practicioner's own discovery.
My observations are just as much for the yoga practitioner as they are for the karate-ka. They are an examination of the parallels between both. My study and personal practice has taught me that it’s not just about being tough or "taking a punch". Master Uechi didn’t study for years in Southern China to that end. This form, as physical meditation, offers a way to achieve mind/body harmony, or what my Sensei called “ultimate awareness”.
