Click for updates & pictures from Bapak Waleed & the ISFA's summer tour to Indonesia, including Padang, Bukittinggi, and other locales,
ISFA@Yale is a student group dedicated to sharing the arts, cultures, natural healing methods, and traditional dances of Indonesia and Southeast Asia
with the Yale University and New Haven community. CLICK for more information
on Indonesia's History & Culture
We hold ongoing sessions on campus and special events throughout the
year. For more information, to subscribe to our email list, or if you have questions or comments, please
contact us.
UPCOMING EVENT: The Yale Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP) has invited Bapak Waleed to lead a Wellness Program for this summer's participants. The Wellness Program will take place on Thursday, June 25, at 7pm, in The Anlyan Center (TAC) Auditorium & Foyer. If you would like to participate, contact us by email. The next meeting of the ISFA-SMDEP Wellness Program is Tuesday, July 1, at 3:30pm, meeting in the Harknes Lounge.
Silat Tuo Minang encompasses the forms of natural and traditional healing practiced throughout Indonesia and Southeast Asia. In the lexicon of Complementary and Alternative Healing, Silat can be considered part of the category of 'mind-body medicine,' along with such disciplines as yoga, tai-chi, qigong, mindfulness meditation, and others.
Silat draws many of its movements from the natural environment, and the movement of animals including the tiger, water buffalo, and eagle. The natural element within the movements brings alignment to the joints and strengthening to the muscles and ligaments throughout the body. Consistent practice of Silat movements have been shown to aid in injury prevention and rehabilitation, and Silat is used by athletes and performers alike for this purpose. In addition, due to the enhancement of balance that comes as a result of the movements, Silat Tuo Minang has potential therapeutic benefits particularly for the elderly, in terms fall prevention and postural stability.
Emphasis in all movements of Silat is on awareness of one's breath. With experience, practitioners, or silat players, gain control over their breath, even in situations that would normally require elevated levels of exertion. More advanced practitioners may gain control over other physioogical aspects as well, including their heart rate. In fact, cardiac hospitals in Indonesia provide Silat Tuo Minang therapy for patients recovering from heart conditions.
Silat Tuo Minang also facilitates healing through the meditative aspect of the movements, where the goal is to move fluidly and continuously, without thinking. This aspect aids in stress reduction, the prevention of fatigue, and bolstering of the immune system. In a similar fashion, the movements of yoga, tai chi, and qigong are used in the treatment of depression, fatigue, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and have been shown to improve the immune response. Silat practice is also encouraged for those seeking focus and clarity of thought, which is helpful both for the younger generation as they go through their schooling, and also for the older generation to offset the effects of aging on the mind and memory.
In Indonesia, another form of natural remedy and treatment is available in the way of traditional herbs, called Jamu. Please click to read a brief introductory article on Jamu and its usage, hosted by Natural Healing Alternatives.
Further material is provided below; click the images for a pdf file.
Click here for more information about Silat Physiology and Therapeutics, prepared for the Integrative Medicine Program at the Yale University School of Medicine.
International Silat Federation of America
Meditations in Motion 
Spiritual Dance
Silat Training
ISFA@Yale gives thanks and recognition to the many groups on campus and in the community who are dedicated to building bridges between communities, including:
...and many more.
Bapak Waleed was invited up onto the main stage, with other dignitaries and officials, for the opening ceremonies of 'Pekan Budaya Sumatera Barat 2008,' the week-long Cultural Festival in Padang in July, 2008.
