ZenShin Connection Methods and Mindset

Upon moving back to Colorado from Tokyo, I decided to create ZenShin Connection once I realized the insurance model was restricting my ability to provide holistic care in a way that was best for my patients. Skilled, functional manual therapy is a skill very underused in Physical Therapy settings today as insurance does not want to pay as much for it as exercise and working on functional activities. Don’t get me wrong, exercise and movement are key elements to getting rid of chronic pain and improving your overall well being. However, when you are taking time out of your schedule to see a professional, I believe you should expect to get results day one. The functional manual therapy techniques at ZenShin Connection offer just that. When you are dealing with pain that has lasted many years and does not seem to fully go away with the basic exercises or stretches, you need someone who can identify the root cause. With the endless amounts of connections in the body, the problem may very often lie outside of the area of pain. Examining posture, movements, daily activities, stress levels, diet, and sleep are all important as chronic pain is very rarely coming from muscles or joints only. Creating a plan of care that considers all factors is what will get you back to a pain-free lifestyle. The treatment methods go beyond just treating pain. ZenShin Connection was also created for those who want to get more out of life and are tired of their body holding them back. . Improving your body’s movement and strength is an important step to reaching whatever goals you may have. Anxiety and depression are becoming the norm these days. Our lack of movement and activity is definitely a factor that has led to a rise in mental health issues.  Research and personal experience have revealed to me just how connected our body’s state is to our mind and spiritual well being. This interconnection of mind, body, and spirit is why the work we do goes beyond just physical. Improving your body’s ability to perform will also lead to an improved mindset and overall state of being. ZenShin Connection stands on this philosophy of connectivity between mind, body, and spirit to create a space for anyone to come and finally get to the heart of their issues and unlock their true potential. We look forward to serving you.

ZenShin Connection was created to provide a skilled hands on approach to meet your specific goals. An initial session will begin with discussing what the issue or goal may be (pain, getting back in to shape, improving athletic performance, etc). Next the Physiotherapist will go through a mobility screen to identify bad habits in posture, movement, and strength. The detailed evaluation will examine the whole body to see the big picture and a treatment plan will be created with corrective movements, strengthening, or breathing exercises that will focus on the biggest factors leading to your problem. Manual therapy will be performed the remainder of the session to either reduce tightness and improve mobility in areas of concern or hands on techniques to facilitate weak muscles that should be providing more stability. At the end of the session the Physiotherapist will give their recommendation for how often the exercises should be done, how often hands on treatment should be done, and some habits that need to be taken out or added to your routine. Follow up sessions will consist of manual therapy primarily and as improvements are made, progressions to the recommended exercises and stretches will be given. ZenShin was created with a manual therapy foundation, so sessions will always consist primarily of hands on techniques to work on whatever goals you may have. Exercise and movement is important, and instruction for things to work on at home will be a priority as well.

When creating the company, I wanted to have a name and symbol that was attached to the overall meaning and mission of the company. Much of the inspiration to go off the beaten path and carve my own way came when living in Japan. Many of the manual techniques that laid a foundation for my treatment style also came from my training and working with athletes while living there. That’s where the name ZenShin was inspired from. Many phrases and sounds in Japanese can take on multiple meanings since their writing system is mainly characters, rather than a phonetic letters. ZenShin has three meanings that all represent what the company stands for. The first is 全身(Zen-Shin) which means whole body. Whatever area of concern a patient may come in with, we examine the entire body in order to find the route cause. Very rarely is an issue localized….The second meaning, 前進, means moving forward. With the techniques we offer and with the goals we help you achieve, we want to always have the mindset of progress. Life will have setbacks, but each session we will aim to improve and have you leave better than when you came in. As time goes on, we also will aim to grow in our efficiency and knowledge of the best treatment methods. The third meaning, 善心, means a virtuous heart. A medical or wellness company may have the best technology, knowledge, and expertise, but will eventually fail is there is no caring heart behind what they do. In the medical system, so many passionate people burn out because the system is designed for profit only and not with the patient’s best interests in mind. I believe this is a heart issue. For an organization to be able to provide effective treatments that consistently work, all staff from the top down must be dedicated to serving others first. A caring and compassionate heart is what fuels us at ZenShin Connection to wake up and put in the hours every week to grow and serve. Last of all, the meaning of Connection. Our treatment model aims to take a full body approach in order to identify limitations that appear separate and connect them together in the plan of care in order to find the route cause. On a larger scale, ZenShin Connection aims to establish connections with a variety of healthcare professionals who share the same virtue and passion for serving our community.