Steve published this on his Facebook page. I liked it and thought everyone else might enjoy it, too.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Aikido & Life
Lenore Sensei is very quick to let anyone who not familiar with martial arts who are interested in joining the Sangamon Aikikai that the little rituals we follow before, after, and during class are not religious in nature. And, it’s true. They are not. They are signs of respect with the origins in Asian culture handed down from martial arts’ founders. Only natural considering that is where many of the most widely studied martial arts have their origins.
No practitioner should approach Aikido as if it were a religion. But it can be a metaphor for life. Study it long enough and you will find some of its philosophies altering how you deal with others on and off the mat. O’Sensei had done a lot spiritual study during his life and some of the personal philosophies he developed do surface in the art. He expressed this once when he said, “The art of Peace I practice has room for each of the world's eight million gods, and I cooperate with them all. The God of Peace is very great and enjoins all that is divine and enlightened in every land.”
There is another saying in all martial arts, not just Aikido: “Your opponent will tell you how he wants to be defeated.” O’Sensei also said it as, “When an opponent comes forward, move in and greet him; if he wants to pull back, send him on his way.” On the mat this means be aware of your partner’s energy. How are they moving, what direction their body is pointed, how their center directed. Realizing these things – and at a certain point you’re able to feel them without looking – tells you how to direct your own body, energy, and center to throw your partner or opponent. Do not fight against them but add your resources to the direction they are already going.
Off the mat, this is equally true. Do you have a boss who overextends their authority into areas it is not appropriate? Do not argue with them. Do not fight. Appeal to a higher authority. Do you have an employee who acts too independently? Allow them their independence. Eventually, it will reap rewards or they will have to turn back to you for guidance. Do you have a relative who is only interested in you when they need something? Do not try to force them to be a part of our life. Do not wait for them to express interest in you. Live your life, regardless of their interest or blessing. You will be happier and less stressed.
Other sayings are equally relevant. On the mat, we students are often enjoined to not stop moving. Always stay in motion, even if you’re not certain what comes next or what to do. To stop is to die – or be thrown, as the case may be. If you enter into one technique and it’s not working Do Not Stop. Do something else. Anything. Eventually, you will find your body doing things before your mind has consciously told you why.
Recently, I become hooked on a Facebook game – Mahjongg Dimensions. As with most Facebook applications, it links you up to your friends who are also playing the game and allows you to post your high scores whenever you play. My scores have been considerably higher than my friends. One of my practice partners asked me how I was managing to do it. I told her, but I should have expressed it differently. I should have told her it’s like Aikido: Don’t Stop Moving. Stay in motion, regardless of what is and what is not working. Eventually, you’ll hit the right combination to win.
So many things are like that; so many things can be expressed as “like Aikido,” if only we allow ourselves to feel how our partner’s energy is moving around us.
No practitioner should approach Aikido as if it were a religion. But it can be a metaphor for life. Study it long enough and you will find some of its philosophies altering how you deal with others on and off the mat. O’Sensei had done a lot spiritual study during his life and some of the personal philosophies he developed do surface in the art. He expressed this once when he said, “The art of Peace I practice has room for each of the world's eight million gods, and I cooperate with them all. The God of Peace is very great and enjoins all that is divine and enlightened in every land.”
There is another saying in all martial arts, not just Aikido: “Your opponent will tell you how he wants to be defeated.” O’Sensei also said it as, “When an opponent comes forward, move in and greet him; if he wants to pull back, send him on his way.” On the mat this means be aware of your partner’s energy. How are they moving, what direction their body is pointed, how their center directed. Realizing these things – and at a certain point you’re able to feel them without looking – tells you how to direct your own body, energy, and center to throw your partner or opponent. Do not fight against them but add your resources to the direction they are already going.
Off the mat, this is equally true. Do you have a boss who overextends their authority into areas it is not appropriate? Do not argue with them. Do not fight. Appeal to a higher authority. Do you have an employee who acts too independently? Allow them their independence. Eventually, it will reap rewards or they will have to turn back to you for guidance. Do you have a relative who is only interested in you when they need something? Do not try to force them to be a part of our life. Do not wait for them to express interest in you. Live your life, regardless of their interest or blessing. You will be happier and less stressed.
Other sayings are equally relevant. On the mat, we students are often enjoined to not stop moving. Always stay in motion, even if you’re not certain what comes next or what to do. To stop is to die – or be thrown, as the case may be. If you enter into one technique and it’s not working Do Not Stop. Do something else. Anything. Eventually, you will find your body doing things before your mind has consciously told you why.
Recently, I become hooked on a Facebook game – Mahjongg Dimensions. As with most Facebook applications, it links you up to your friends who are also playing the game and allows you to post your high scores whenever you play. My scores have been considerably higher than my friends. One of my practice partners asked me how I was managing to do it. I told her, but I should have expressed it differently. I should have told her it’s like Aikido: Don’t Stop Moving. Stay in motion, regardless of what is and what is not working. Eventually, you’ll hit the right combination to win.
So many things are like that; so many things can be expressed as “like Aikido,” if only we allow ourselves to feel how our partner’s energy is moving around us.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
ANNOUNCEMENT
Lenore Killam will not be available to lead class on Thursday, April 1st. Class will be led by Michael Gammon.
Monday, March 22, 2010
What, not Where
This past week, I read an article about wabi-sabi (the Japanese aesthetic, not the hot, green paste). While reading, I came across a quote by Sen no Rikyu, author of a tea sacrament:
It was a timely passage, as I had just been having a conversation with a “missing” practice partner about the aesthetics of the dojo where we practice. Understand, the building where the Sangamon Aikikai practice was, until recently, owned and operated by our sensei, but she since sold it to the MMA sensei who had been renting from her.
There were many reasons for this, most of which are none of my business. It was, overall, a practical business decision and one that had mutual benefits. Warrior Concepts, the MMA club that practices in the same space as us, have more financial resources to maintain the facilities, more members to assist with the labor, and more time to devote to marketing and upkeep. Conversely, a least half of the members of the Sangamon Aikikai, including sensei, are pursuing degrees in higher education and most of the others have young children. Both are time intensive occupations that prevent the aikido students from pitching in with the facilities and marketing as we ought to have done. Something had to give.
And it did.
Now, the plus side of this is Lenore, our sensei, and Scott, Warrior Concept’s sensei, are good friends and as long as Scott’s club has a mat to practice on, so shall we.
However, some of my fellow students have expressed dismay over the changes Scott has made to the facilities. Under the care of the aikido students, the dojo, at best, had potential. The walls needed a good coat of paint. The entryway needed personality. Our storage needed better organization and more options. Information about the different clubs needed a home.
Scott has taken care of most, if not all, of those issues, but he has done it in such a way that the personality of the dojo, instead of the calm, understated vibe that is aiki, is the bold, in-your-face personality that is MMA. The once dirty, in need of a scrubbing, off-white walls, have been painted red and yellow. There is a fence around most of the mat, quotes about war on the walls, and pictures of men who have been beaten bloody and survived.
And you know what? That’s okay. Because being aiki is not about our surroundings. It is something we are taught to carry within. It is one thing to be calm and relaxed in a soothing environment. It’s quite another thing to do so when everything around you is screaming at you to stand out. We should be able to be aiki at work, with three different individuals demanding impossible deadlines, at home when the children are crying, driving, at the store, wherever we are.
In the end, aiki has nothing to do with where we are; it is what we are.
A luxurious house and the taste of delicacies are only pleasures of the mundane world. It is enough if the house does not leak and the food keeps hunger away.
It was a timely passage, as I had just been having a conversation with a “missing” practice partner about the aesthetics of the dojo where we practice. Understand, the building where the Sangamon Aikikai practice was, until recently, owned and operated by our sensei, but she since sold it to the MMA sensei who had been renting from her.
There were many reasons for this, most of which are none of my business. It was, overall, a practical business decision and one that had mutual benefits. Warrior Concepts, the MMA club that practices in the same space as us, have more financial resources to maintain the facilities, more members to assist with the labor, and more time to devote to marketing and upkeep. Conversely, a least half of the members of the Sangamon Aikikai, including sensei, are pursuing degrees in higher education and most of the others have young children. Both are time intensive occupations that prevent the aikido students from pitching in with the facilities and marketing as we ought to have done. Something had to give.
And it did.
Now, the plus side of this is Lenore, our sensei, and Scott, Warrior Concept’s sensei, are good friends and as long as Scott’s club has a mat to practice on, so shall we.
However, some of my fellow students have expressed dismay over the changes Scott has made to the facilities. Under the care of the aikido students, the dojo, at best, had potential. The walls needed a good coat of paint. The entryway needed personality. Our storage needed better organization and more options. Information about the different clubs needed a home.
Scott has taken care of most, if not all, of those issues, but he has done it in such a way that the personality of the dojo, instead of the calm, understated vibe that is aiki, is the bold, in-your-face personality that is MMA. The once dirty, in need of a scrubbing, off-white walls, have been painted red and yellow. There is a fence around most of the mat, quotes about war on the walls, and pictures of men who have been beaten bloody and survived.
And you know what? That’s okay. Because being aiki is not about our surroundings. It is something we are taught to carry within. It is one thing to be calm and relaxed in a soothing environment. It’s quite another thing to do so when everything around you is screaming at you to stand out. We should be able to be aiki at work, with three different individuals demanding impossible deadlines, at home when the children are crying, driving, at the store, wherever we are.
In the end, aiki has nothing to do with where we are; it is what we are.
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