To closely coordinate my mind and body I must bring the temporal difference between the processes of my mind and the actions of my body as close to zero as possible. I must endeavor to remove conscious assessment from the "sense-process-act" loop in order to bring mind and body into tight temporal alignment.
Coordination of mind and body enhances correct feeling. Heightened correct feeling warps Ki in much the same way that mass warps the geometry of spacetime. One characteristic of a high degree of correct feeling is that my partner will notice an increase in my resistance to being moved if stationary or an increase in my weight if in motion. I call this perceived mass, a subjective quantity observed by my partner. Intensified correct feeling will also cause an slowing of subjective time as perceived by me.
Ki exercises, Ki testing and technique practice have the common goal of coordinating my mind and body in order to maximize correct feeling and realize my strongest and most dependable state.
Monday, March 4, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Two Hundred and Twenty-six
Notes to self:
Take the push in. Ground it. Note how it feels.
Keep the push out. Note how it feels.
Take the push in, at one point cycle it back out, return to sender. Note how it feels.
Wash, rinse, repeat... again... again... again...
Vary the angle of the push, the intensity, the rhythm, the beat, the point of entry. Note how it feels.
Change intent, lose center, regain it. Note how it feels.
Go from push to pull and back again. Note how it feels.
Wash, rinse, repeat... again... again... again...
Stand stationary on both feet, then one foot, then none (if only momentary). Note how it feels.
Move while being pushed/pulled both into and away from. Note how it feels.
Raise center, lower it, contort body changing form. Note how it feels.
Wash, rinse, repeat... again... again... again...
Take the push in. Ground it. Note how it feels.
Keep the push out. Note how it feels.
Take the push in, at one point cycle it back out, return to sender. Note how it feels.
Wash, rinse, repeat... again... again... again...
Vary the angle of the push, the intensity, the rhythm, the beat, the point of entry. Note how it feels.
Change intent, lose center, regain it. Note how it feels.
Go from push to pull and back again. Note how it feels.
Wash, rinse, repeat... again... again... again...
Stand stationary on both feet, then one foot, then none (if only momentary). Note how it feels.
Move while being pushed/pulled both into and away from. Note how it feels.
Raise center, lower it, contort body changing form. Note how it feels.
Wash, rinse, repeat... again... again... again...
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Two Hundred and Twenty-five
Once I know what I feel like when I am performing a Ki exercise correctly I can return to that feeling at will. I can apply the feeling to other Ki exercises so that no matter which exercise I am engaged in, I can use the feeling to cut through the form, which will vary from exercise to exercise, and retain my structural integrity. I can increase the intensity of the exercise in order to strengthen the feeling. Extending the utility of the exercise changes it from a measuring tool to a tool for developing correct feeling to a higher degree.
This method of learning is very simple in execution. It requires of me only the ability and wherewithal to remain focused on what is going on inside of me. To be successful, my mind and body must be tightly coordinated so that both get the feeling as close to simultaneously as possible. In this way, my mind/body state will improve and grow as a unified whole.
If necessary I can use visualization and metaphor to augment my understanding of what I am feeling, but visualization and metaphor are not in and of themselves the learning tools. Correctness of feeling is what teaches.
This method of learning is very simple in execution. It requires of me only the ability and wherewithal to remain focused on what is going on inside of me. To be successful, my mind and body must be tightly coordinated so that both get the feeling as close to simultaneously as possible. In this way, my mind/body state will improve and grow as a unified whole.
If necessary I can use visualization and metaphor to augment my understanding of what I am feeling, but visualization and metaphor are not in and of themselves the learning tools. Correctness of feeling is what teaches.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Two Hundred and Twenty-four
In the indomitability of my spirit
the source of power lies.
While my body may be overcome physically
and my mind bested intellectually,
I cannot be defeated
unless my spirit is broken.
Spirit is the catalyst
that engenders
coordination of mind and body
giving rise to correct feeling,
my most dependable and powerful state.
the source of power lies.
While my body may be overcome physically
and my mind bested intellectually,
I cannot be defeated
unless my spirit is broken.
Spirit is the catalyst
that engenders
coordination of mind and body
giving rise to correct feeling,
my most dependable and powerful state.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Two Hundred and Twenty-three
Distillation.
When the temporal separation
of my mind and body
has narrowed to the point
where
my mind and body are functioning
as a single unit
there is no perceptible gap
between thinking and doing.
When the temporal separation
of my mind and body
has narrowed to the point
where
my mind and body are functioning
as a single unit
there is no perceptible gap
between thinking and doing.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Two Hundred and Twenty-two
To closely coordinate mind and body I must endeavor to bring them into close temporal alignment. As I've stated in prior posts, absolute temporal alignment of mind and body is not possible due to the time lag that the mind experiences processing sensory input. However, the two can be brought together without limit as their degree of temporal separation approaches zero. A non-Aikido example may help to clarify what I mean.
When I set out to do a painting the first thing I do is think about what it is that I am going to paint. I consider subject, composition, color pallet and preparation of materials. All of those considerations share in common the fact that they are parts of a future act and as I ponder them my mind moves further from the moment as I visualize the finished work. My mind and body become increasingly separated in temporal space the further my visualization process goes.
When I actually begin the physical process of applying paint to canvas all of those future musings go away. The brush moves seemingly of its own volition, not that it actually does; but by that time the temporal separation of my mind and body has narrowed to the point where mind and body are functioning as a single unit. The separation is too narrow for me to perceive consciously.
It can be seen from my example that mind/body coordination is not a binary state. Mind/body coordination is continuous. What varies is the degree of coordination at any given moment. Aikido practice provides me with the venue I need to explore very close to the horizon of now; to feel and strengthen my awareness of the present with my whole being. When my mind and body are closely coordinated I am in my strongest, most dependable state.
When I set out to do a painting the first thing I do is think about what it is that I am going to paint. I consider subject, composition, color pallet and preparation of materials. All of those considerations share in common the fact that they are parts of a future act and as I ponder them my mind moves further from the moment as I visualize the finished work. My mind and body become increasingly separated in temporal space the further my visualization process goes.
When I actually begin the physical process of applying paint to canvas all of those future musings go away. The brush moves seemingly of its own volition, not that it actually does; but by that time the temporal separation of my mind and body has narrowed to the point where mind and body are functioning as a single unit. The separation is too narrow for me to perceive consciously.
It can be seen from my example that mind/body coordination is not a binary state. Mind/body coordination is continuous. What varies is the degree of coordination at any given moment. Aikido practice provides me with the venue I need to explore very close to the horizon of now; to feel and strengthen my awareness of the present with my whole being. When my mind and body are closely coordinated I am in my strongest, most dependable state.
Friday, December 7, 2012
Two Hundred and Twenty-one
Connection once established
is unidirectional,
from nage to uke
but not the reverse.
Uke is fully accessible to nage,
while nage remains "hidden";
simultaneously slightly ahead
and behind.
Uke, free to move with autonomy,
is unable to intersect with nage
as points of intersection
become tangents on meeting.
is unidirectional,
from nage to uke
but not the reverse.
Uke is fully accessible to nage,
while nage remains "hidden";
simultaneously slightly ahead
and behind.
Uke, free to move with autonomy,
is unable to intersect with nage
as points of intersection
become tangents on meeting.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Two Hundred and Twenty
Maintain correct posture.
My overall posture is composed of two separate components that come together, appropriately enough, at One Point. External posture is the posture of my body. It is characterized by how I maintain my physical structure in space. Internal posture is the posture of my mind. It is characterized by how I see myself in my mind's eye. External and internal posture combine to form a co-referential feedback loop which can prove extremely empowering.
The cooperative nature of Aikido training serves to foster correct external and internal postures. Over time as I continue to train, lapses of posture are less frequent and correct posture becomes my natural and most dependable state.
My overall posture is composed of two separate components that come together, appropriately enough, at One Point. External posture is the posture of my body. It is characterized by how I maintain my physical structure in space. Internal posture is the posture of my mind. It is characterized by how I see myself in my mind's eye. External and internal posture combine to form a co-referential feedback loop which can prove extremely empowering.
The cooperative nature of Aikido training serves to foster correct external and internal postures. Over time as I continue to train, lapses of posture are less frequent and correct posture becomes my natural and most dependable state.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Two Hundred and Nineteen
Train to become progressively more relaxed.
When I first started my study of Aikido the sentiment above was stated simply as "Relax Completely." Shortly after leaving Ki Society and forming Kokikai, Maruyama sensei changed it to "Progressive Relaxation." He reasoned that complete relaxation would leave one with the structure of a cooked noodle, no form, no strength. He wanted to preserve the idea that relaxation is an integral part of coordinating mind and body while doing away with the notion that complete relaxation was attainable or even desirable. Keeping with the idea proposed in my previous post that these "principles" are really instructional guidelines I rephrased "train to become progressively more relaxed."
A coordinated mind/body is greatly facilitated by a relaxed mind and relaxed body. A stiff mind is a mind that cannot be emptied, that cannot cede conscious control over the body. A stiff mind remains separate from the body thereby preventing the occurrence of mind/body coordination. A stiff body is a body that is partitioned and cannot move as an integrated whole. Whenever I lock a joint I disrupt communication across that joint and weaken my structure. If I use muscle tension to ward off an incoming force I provide uke with a place to "rest" since my tensed muscles prohibit the body part being loaded from passing the force along and being dissipated. When my mind and body are relaxed incoming forces have no where to land and be applied.
My relaxed mind is sharp, my relaxed body is strong, integrated and free of tension. My coordinated mind/body is my most dependable state. As I continue to train I become progressively more relaxed, more completely integrated, more "One Pointed."
When I first started my study of Aikido the sentiment above was stated simply as "Relax Completely." Shortly after leaving Ki Society and forming Kokikai, Maruyama sensei changed it to "Progressive Relaxation." He reasoned that complete relaxation would leave one with the structure of a cooked noodle, no form, no strength. He wanted to preserve the idea that relaxation is an integral part of coordinating mind and body while doing away with the notion that complete relaxation was attainable or even desirable. Keeping with the idea proposed in my previous post that these "principles" are really instructional guidelines I rephrased "train to become progressively more relaxed."
A coordinated mind/body is greatly facilitated by a relaxed mind and relaxed body. A stiff mind is a mind that cannot be emptied, that cannot cede conscious control over the body. A stiff mind remains separate from the body thereby preventing the occurrence of mind/body coordination. A stiff body is a body that is partitioned and cannot move as an integrated whole. Whenever I lock a joint I disrupt communication across that joint and weaken my structure. If I use muscle tension to ward off an incoming force I provide uke with a place to "rest" since my tensed muscles prohibit the body part being loaded from passing the force along and being dissipated. When my mind and body are relaxed incoming forces have no where to land and be applied.
My relaxed mind is sharp, my relaxed body is strong, integrated and free of tension. My coordinated mind/body is my most dependable state. As I continue to train I become progressively more relaxed, more completely integrated, more "One Pointed."
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Two Hundred and Eighteen
Keep One Point.
One Point is where my mind and body come together. It is not a point in space. Not a location in my body; though that is sometimes a useful metaphor for envisioning the result of the dissolution of the separation of mind and body. My mind and body are welded together by intent which, when it becomes the sole focus of both, facilitates the emergence of mind/body, my most dependable state. One Point is connection, the primary connection I must make with myself before I can hope to effectively connect with uke. Aikido training is a vehicle which provides me with the tools I need to discover and strengthen One Point.
Keep One Point. It's not a principle, it's an instruction.
One Point is where my mind and body come together. It is not a point in space. Not a location in my body; though that is sometimes a useful metaphor for envisioning the result of the dissolution of the separation of mind and body. My mind and body are welded together by intent which, when it becomes the sole focus of both, facilitates the emergence of mind/body, my most dependable state. One Point is connection, the primary connection I must make with myself before I can hope to effectively connect with uke. Aikido training is a vehicle which provides me with the tools I need to discover and strengthen One Point.
Keep One Point. It's not a principle, it's an instruction.
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