What we term

the Chushin-sen (body centre-line) is an imaginary line which we visualize as passing through nose, navel and striking the floor exactly between the feet. Regardless of changing foot positions or widening the stance the Chushin-sen must be kept straight to maintain balance. This line is important as related to technique and in most cases the movement of the sword follows this line.

Shisei can be simply regarded as the basic posture of the upper torso and head in relations to floor and hips. In Kendo the basic Shisei should hold true, regardless of the movements or position of arms and legs at any given moment. Naturally enough, the position of Shisei is very similar to meditation posture and known for thousands of years in the East as the ideal and natural positioning of torso and head. One should not be confused by different circumstances in other Budo arts which demand variations due to the different techniques. Essentially the Shisei is the same.