PT STOP, 3407 W6th Street Unit# 514, Los Angeles, CA (2026)

06/17/2026

Your eyes matter—not because of what they see, but because of how they perceive the space around you. If I had kept the glasses prescribed from a seated refraction test, imagine how they could have affected my hips, ankles, neck, and back. As shown in this clip, I would have been subconsciously compensating to avoid falling to the left in every steps I take.

Your chronic IT band tightness may be related to how your visual and vestibular systems process spatial information. When vision alters your perception of where you are in space, the rest of the body often adapts in ways you may not even realize. Grateful to work with Vizen Optometric Center for our patients!

05/11/2026

Reading English has always felt physically difficult for me in a way I could never fully explain.

It’s not just “understanding” the words.
My whole sense of rhythm, focus, and even body awareness feels strained when reading English text for long periods. Like my brain has to force itself through a narrow channel.

But when I read Japanese or Chinese characters, the experience feels different. More spatial. More visual. More intuitive. My eyes and mind don’t fight the page in the same way.

I recently learned that different writing systems actually recruit the brain differently.

English relies more on sequential sound-decoding and left-hemisphere language processing:
letter → sound → word.
(❌Mai buk ✅My book)

Chinese characters and kanji involve more visual-spatial (recognizing shapes, structure, movement) and bilateral brain processing:
pattern → meaning → sound.

So dyslexia and reading difficulty can feel very different depending on the language and script.

Same brain. Different cognitive pathways.

11/10/2025

[Journey continues..]

What an incredible three days of deep learning with Nobuhito Yamamoto Sensei from Daitoryu Aiki Jujutsu Roppokai.

It was an invaluable experience. I truly felt how he throws people by using the intercostals, clavicles, sternum, scapulo-thoracic, thoracic-scapular, arms, and diaphragm!

As a therapist, I confirmed that none of these martial arts techniques work without establishing the ZOA (Zone of Apposition). Especially since I’m much smaller and physically weaker than most of the men at the seminar, being able to throw someone much bigger with little to no effort was mind-blowing.

Without ZOA, it’s not only impossible for the techniques to work— you immediately feel your upper traps, neck, and pecs interfering with your movement (which is how often people get hurt).

Sensei shared that in Japanese, we say someone skillful has “腕がいい (ude ga ii),” which literally means “good arms.” Upper arms.
The humerus connects to the scapula, then to the clavicle, and then to the sternum.
To truly have “good arms,” you must understand the role of the sternum — and its connection to the ribs.

The seminar was held at Seishinjuku Dojo in Culver City. I’m so grateful for this opportunity to learn from true masters. 🙏

#先生はふにゃふにゃしているようで動きが半端なく速かった
#達人は前腕がぶ厚くて棉みたいに柔らかいのに中にナイフが入ってるみたい

10/16/2025

[Evolution of vertebrates moving from water to land]

Tiktaalik is an ancient fish that lived over 375 million years ago,

and it represents more than just the evolution from water to land—it marks a pivotal moment in the story of human movement.

Most fish cannot move their heads independently of their bodies because their head is housed to the shoulder girdle. But Tiktaalik broke that rule - the head is not fused to the pectoral girdle. This ancient lobe-finned fish is a powerful symbol of our first fundamental shift that gave rise to cervical mobility.

The first discovered fossil that clearly shows weight bearing limb structure and wrists - beginning of an arm, used its fins to help push its head and upper body out of the water.

This is huge for an animal that is now pushing up and looking around - for scanning for prey/predators, and breathing air.

The development of hand-like fins and the ability to move the head seem to have evolved around the same time.

In many ways, Tiktaalik’s anatomical breakthrough foreshadowed our ability to use arms not only for locomotion but also for exploring, manipulating, and orienting ourselves in the world around us. It is the origin of head-led movement, where visual and spatial awareness became integrated with limb action. It is a symbol of liberation—for the head, for the spine, and eventually, for the hands.

When I think of Tiktaalik, I see more than just a fossil. I see the beginning of how we came to use our arms to explore the world, guide our vision, and move with better balance and awareness. It reminds us that head and neck movement isn’t just about turning or looking—it’s deeply connected to how we use our whole body.

10/09/2025

[Right hip and Right neck pain]

Llisten to his steps.

The first video at the initial session, you can hear only his right step. He strikes his right foot as if he needs that to perceive where he is and where he is going.

The second video when he put MMOO, he no longer heard his right heel strike. His R pterygoids and sternocleidomastoid muscle calmed down. His R hip adductor didn’t have to scream at him. That made his pain go away.

I appreciate Ron Hruska’s writing “Vocal-Auditory Imbalanced Processing Reflections”.

10/04/2025

[Stillness]

So many people can’t sit still—
not because they don’t want to,
but because their bodies won’t let them.

It’s not just about discipline.
It’s about internal balance.
It’s pressure management.
It’s breathing.

Watching my Aikido teacher, Haruo Matsuoka, sit like this for long time —
effortlessly—
is a lesson in how much is happening
beneath the surface.

Being still requires an alternation of both sides of the body,
which is inherently asymmetrical.
#合気道
Art of Peace short film by Jamie Levene

09/20/2025

[Now and Then]
Japanese people before late 1800s never stood with straight back and straight knees. Knees were slightly bent to keep their center of gravity lower.
There are records of people back then walking >18 miles/day.

During the Meiji era, as Western culture flowed into Japan, there are records of kids being told to keep their knees straight and back straight in Japan.

People began to abandon the natural, efficient movements rooted in the bodies’ innate abilities and instead adopted a consciously straight upright posture by relying on willpower.

Humans do not have a straight spine. We are not designed to stand up with back straight.

08/19/2025

[How to connect with other disciplines]
This is the email I wrote and the reply from the dentist (a TED talker my patient requested). I hope it helps PRI practitioners out there who’s looking for more integrations! (I have been asked many times how I navigate) I never send them research or other info/materials until they get back to me and ask for them (ready to go anytime). First, we gotta connect through clients - who wouldn’t wanna help? doesn’t matter you have a doctorate title or not.

08/18/2025

[Balloonist]

A short story of my favorite book— “The Fall of a Certain Balloon” by Kanako Nishi
(西加奈子『炎上する君』より「ある風船の落下」)

—

Cases of “balloon disease” have been reported around the world in recent years. The illness progresses from TERM 1 to TERM 4, and its cause is believed to be emotional stress.

In TERM 1, individuals begin to feel their chest fill with air — a sensation of detachment, numbness, and “floating.” As the condition worsens, they float more and more… until finally, at TERM 4, they SHOOT into the sky.

In that distant realm, balloonists float in perfect, equal spacing. There is no judgment, no cruelty, no noise — just stillness. But if anyone dares to trust or grow close to another, a mysterious gravity appears… pulling them back down to Earth.

—

This is the journey of Hana, who drifts into the disease — from emotional numbness in TERM 1 to the quiet heavens of TERM 4. But unlike others, she chooses something different.

She becomes the first-ever balloonist to fall —
Choosing gravity.
Choosing connection.
Choosing to express herself.
Because in all its chaos and imperfection, Earth is where real life happens.

06/02/2025

[9 years]
I received this message from my first boss (18years ago). I started my practice after taking a course from because I needed more time to see each patient. I needed more time to understand what they are experiencing at deeper level. It’s been so much learning and it will be more learning. Personally, I’ve realized that I’ve become more capable of letting go—of thoughts, frustrations, or situations—more easily than before. Thank you for your support, your lessons, and being around us!!

PT STOP

06/17/2026

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