|
gettinjiggywithit
jiggy


Registered: 07/20/04
Posts: 7,469
Loc: Heart of Laughter
|
The Ki of Aikido-The Way Of Harmony
#5727384 - 06/08/06 04:01 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
I've been mentioning my recent interest in Aikido Philosophy lately and thought to share this link as an introductory to it for any one interested. It's beautiful stuff.
http://www.seishindo.org/articles/ki_of_Aikido.html
-------------------- Ahuwale ka nane huna.
|
Ngalyod
Stranger


Registered: 09/29/05
Posts: 494
Loc: Australia
Last seen: 11 years, 10 months
|
|
hehe
I stumbled upon Aikido yesterday whilst browsing the net. Haven't had a chance to look into it closely yet, but from what I read, the philosophy aspect of it is fascinating.
Certainly considering taking it up.
I think Steven Seagal has a couple of Aikido dojo's in the US. Too bad I'm in Australia *cough* Not.
|
gettinjiggywithit
jiggy


Registered: 07/20/04
Posts: 7,469
Loc: Heart of Laughter
|
Re: The Ki of Aikido-The Way Of Harmony [Re: Ngalyod]
#5728081 - 06/08/06 07:36 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Segal huh? I must be baised from his movie roles because I just see him using the violent defence stuff in them. Actually, I remember reading he use to hit one of his girlfriends too, I think he has anger management issues. Good thing he found aikido if he did. I don't look to him as any sort of role model. Bruce Lee I do. Jackie Chan is pretty neat off camera as well. He has issues with how wasteful americans are. He re-uses paper towels. That's cute. Its the philosophy behind them all that really interests me.
Don't get me wrong, he played the role of Nikko well in Above the Law and it was a good vigilante movie as far as those go.
Aikido is a non violent martial art. It doesn't even have an attack or "ready to attack back" form. It teaches compassion and concern for the attacker even. This is not common martial arts as people typically think of them. Right now, I am just interested in how the philosophies are also applicable to everday life.
Maybe in Segals case, knowing about it and applying it are two different things. 
Here is the first page of the link, there is more on the site if this page interests anyone. I know some people are hesitant to click on links so I added it. This is just one view on it.
Introduction This article is the first as a three part series. It will introduce you to the concepts of Energy, Self, and Mind, from an Oriental perspective. The second article in the series will talk about cultivating "ki" within one's self. The third article will discuss how an Aikido practitioner attempts to sense, understand, and blend with the "ki" of their partner, and point to how you can use such a mindset in your daily life.
Preface
There are many different ways to perceive, utilize, and benefit from energy. What I offer here is one of many ways. Indeed when I do other kinds of activities I perceive of and work with energy in quite a different manner. What follows is my experience of energy while performing Aikido over the course of more than twenty years. Certainly there are likely to be many other Aikido practitioners that would explain their experiences and beliefs in a manner that is somewhat different than mine. I offer you here, one experience, my experience, and thus all that I say is part of my belief system, and not at all necessarily THE truth.
Aikido
Aikido is a Japanese martial art, and it does not have an attack form. We do not kick, punch, or in any other manner, attempt to hurt our opponent.
The meaning of Aikido:
"Ai" To gather or harmonize.
"Ki" Universal life force/energy. This is the energy that we share with nature and all living beings.
"Do" An artful path of discovery.
"Aikido" An artful path of discovering how to gather and harmonize the energy of the universe.
When we sense and move with the energy that is manifesting throughout the universe we find that we have a greater ability to live a life that is healthy and fulfilling.
"Ki"
In Aikido we believe that all human beings utilize and share a common energy source (ki) that helps to run and maintain our environment as well as our individual human systems. We believe that since we all share a common energy source, that in some important way we are all truly members of the same family, and truly sharing our lives with all of nature. We do not have an attack form in Aikido, because attacking an opponent would be like attacking a family member that you love. Attacking an opponent would also be like attempting to damage the flow of Universal energy in the world, and such acts are likely to have many far reaching consequences.
In the Japanese language words that use the concept of "ki" are common. "Gen-ki" means "root energy" or one's "personal health". "Ten-ki" relates to "heavenly energy" or "the weather". "Hon-ki" relates to "original energy" or "the truth". "Yuu-ki" relates to "brave energy" or "courage". "Ki o tsukete" means "attach your energy to what you are doing, or "be careful".
The origin of ki?
Where does ki originate from? In Aikido the answer is poetic in nature rather than scientific. It is suggested that ki was "born" at the same instant as the rest of the universe, and that we are all born from the ki of the universe. Ki is considered to be an energy that we all have equal access to. It is an energy that courses through our system if we do not restrict it. In Aikido we believe that excess tension physically and emotionally, fear, hate, greed, and anger, all cut us off from the universal source of ki. Our daily practice involves working at maintaining a balanced state physically and emotionally, and indeed, practicing ways to cultivate physical and emotional balance is much of what the study of Aikido is about. In Aikido physical and emotional balance are meant to be two sides of the very same coin. Physical balance helps to engender emotional balance and health, and vice versa as well. Often in my professional work with individuals I find myself first addressing the clients physical balance when they come wanting to resolve emotional issues, and I do the reverse as well. I often first address or explore how emotional imbalance might lead to the physical difficulties they are experiencing.
"Ki signature" mind, spirit-Energy manifests as spirit, spirit manifests as mind
Energy manifests within each individual as spirit, spirit manifests in each individual as mind. In some way that is a mystery to all of mankind, the freely available energy of the universe is transformed by each person into one's own unique "ki signature", spirit, mind. No two people have the same exact "ki signature", just as no two people have the same exact written signature. No two people have the same exact spirit, no two people have the same exact mind. The unique way that we each take in, utilize, and expend energy, can be considered to be our "ki signature", mind, or spirit. Each person starts with the same source of energy, and manifests this energy in a way that will never exactly be duplicated by any other human being.
Thought, body structure,and movement, shape the flow of ki, into spirit/mind
Think of the freely flowing water of a powerful river that comes upon a series of fairly large rocks spread out across the river bed and extend up beyond the water's surface. These rocks affect the flow of the river but they do not change the nature of the water itself. Ki flows through the river bed of our brain and body. Our thoughts, body structure and movements, are like the rocks in the river bed. These are the main elements that shape ki into individual mind, or spirit The flow of ki is uniquely transformed by each human being, but the nature of the ki itself, is not altered in the process. Just as the pattern of rocks spread out along the river bed is never exactly duplicated in any other place on earth, the pattern of our thoughts, body structure, and movement is also never exactly duplicated. All mind is similar, but no two minds are exactly alike.
A heartfelt understanding of the nature of our spirit will help us to create a healthy alignment of our thoughts, body structure, movements, and actions. When every aspect of our self is fully aligned we have a much greater ability to think, feel, and act in accordance with what is best for us in any given moment. We are better able to adapt and change in a manner that is supports the well being of our entire self and our surroundings.
The misnomers of "mind-body" and "mind and body"
A definition of "mind" that I often use it in my work, is the following: "Mind is a dynamic, self-organizing, creative system, capable of overcoming physical and temporal constraints. Mind uses and manufactures energy in order to support the self and one's surroundings, trade information, and adapt to change."
When considering this definition of mind, we can say that mind manifests equally in the body and in the brain in the skull. Because of this I believe that the terms "mind-body" or "mind and body" as used in the Western world, are somewhat missing the mark and tend to lead to a certain degree of misunderstanding. If you ask a Japanese person to point to their mind, usually they will point to the area of their heart, or they will point to their lower abdomen. If you ask the average Westerner to point to their mind they will point to their head. This is why I think the terms "mind-body" and "mind and body" were developed in the Western world. I believe that the average Western person thinks of the term "mind" in relation to "thinking" or "thought". Oriental philosophy considers "mind" to be immanent in both the body and the brain. In Aikido we say that we practice in order to calm the mind, by coordinating our thoughts, the actions of our body, and our breath. Or we say that we practice in order to further empower and actualize our mind by coordinating our thoughts, physical actions, breath, and spirit.
When looking to calm our mind we give our primary attention to calming our breath and our heart beat, which will tend to lead towards a relaxing of our musculature and a slowing down or cessation of our internal dialogue. If we calm our body we will tend to calm our cognitive thought processes. Calming the mind can also be accomplished by giving primary attention to the speed, rhythm, and tone of voice of our internal dialogue. If we calm our cognitive thought processes we will tend to calm the body. When we calm both our cognitive thought processes and our body, then we calm our mind. Cognitive mind and somatic mind are part of a recursive feedback loop. You can't affect one without affecting the other.
Practice A Seishindo practice that relates to what you have been reading is entitled “Heartbeat Breath – Calming Breath” practice. Please give it a try.
About the author: Charlie Badenhop, the originator of Seishindo, a licensed instructor of Aikido, a long term practitioner of Self-relations therapy, Ericksonian Hypnosis, and the Japanese healing art of Sei Tai. Has students throughout the world. Charlie's workshops on Somatic Intelligence have been part of Stephen Gilligan's Trance Camp summer workshop series since 1999. Contact Charlie at seishin@seishindo.org and subscribe to his free newsletter "Pure heart, simple mind" at http://www.seishindo.org/newsletter.html.
-------------------- Ahuwale ka nane huna.
|
leery11
I Tell You What!

Registered: 06/24/05
Posts: 5,998
Last seen: 8 years, 9 months
|
|
interesting, I did not know Akido was like that and energy oriented (though I skimmed over) I wonder if it is similar to Taiji?
-------------------- I am the MacDaddy of Heimlich County, I play it Straight Up Yo! ....I embrace my desire to feel the rhythm, to feel connected enough to step aside and weep like a widow, to feel inspired, to fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human...... Om Namah Shivaya, I tell you What!
|
gettinjiggywithit
jiggy


Registered: 07/20/04
Posts: 7,469
Loc: Heart of Laughter
|
Re: The Ki of Aikido-The Way Of Harmony [Re: leery11]
#5728252 - 06/08/06 08:27 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
I don't know anything about Taiji to know if they are similar. Yes, aikido is all energy oriented. Another staple of it would be, that instead of defending a punch or kick with a block, where you would absorb the impact with your fore-arm, aikido teaches you how to re-direct the energy away from yourself so you and the attacker NEVER get harmed or injured.
Imagine being able to use that when under a verbal assault or something.
Tell me about TaiJi.
-------------------- Ahuwale ka nane huna.
|
leery11
I Tell You What!

Registered: 06/24/05
Posts: 5,998
Last seen: 8 years, 9 months
|
|
my taiji (tai chi) instructor does that.... absorbing punches and kicks without doing anything other than absorbing them.
it is based upon never using any force whatsover, rather using the opponents force to throw him off balance..... stuff like pushing someone with one finger.....
pushing someone across the room while barely touching him.....
the staple is a meditative form done very slowly that helps you sense your chi and structure balance...... the form itself is supposed to circulate chi throughout the body kind of like a moving qi gong.
it is a martial art that takes a very long time to master and is about sensing every single thing that is going on inside the opponents body, using his body against him without him knowing what you are doing.
it is about using your imagination to keep absorb huge amounts of force without being pushed over, visualization of being rooted, things like that.
i do not practice enough! but i'm almost back in town for taking classes.
it is also often taught simply as a form of meditation and many styles are showy and not suitable for combat applicatoins. I, however, have the grace of a great instructor who teaches a simple and efficient form without flash or show.
wu-hao style to be exact. I hope he is still in the country as he was going to have to leave if he couldn't get a teaching job.
-------------------- I am the MacDaddy of Heimlich County, I play it Straight Up Yo! ....I embrace my desire to feel the rhythm, to feel connected enough to step aside and weep like a widow, to feel inspired, to fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity and still be a human...... Om Namah Shivaya, I tell you What!
Edited by leery11 (06/08/06 08:33 PM)
|
gettinjiggywithit
jiggy


Registered: 07/20/04
Posts: 7,469
Loc: Heart of Laughter
|
Re: The Ki of Aikido-The Way Of Harmony [Re: leery11]
#5728347 - 06/08/06 08:51 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
So TaiJi is just another word for Tai Chi? I'm familiar with the basic idea of that. The lady who runs my Do Jang for Tae Kwon Do is awesome at it. She loves to teach stuff to us on the side, on the way out from class. She was even doing all of this secret Japanese acupressure stuff on me when I twisted my ankle the other day, like a Mr. Miaggi from the Karate Kid she is.
I asked her, what are some books you can recommend to me on what you just did. She said, "No Books. This is Japanese Art. No books." 
Anyway, based on what I know about Tai Chi, I am going to say it is different in some aspects, though it shares an emphasis on balance and centering and gracefulness.
Like how you said your instructor just absorbs the force of the impact. An aikidoist would direct the force away from itself out into the air. In this way, neither the aikidoists nor the attacker, has to absorb the force of an impact with anything.
Anyway, I am in no position to teach anything about any of it. I am just starting to learn more and putting it out there for others who may find it interesting and useful to study as well.
I did pick up books on Tai Chi as well. I'm getting my mom into that, she starts classes soon. Later this month I will be putting a dojo in my back yard. I plan to practice it on the side on my own at home.
-------------------- Ahuwale ka nane huna.
|
Lakefingers

Registered: 08/26/05
Posts: 6,440
Loc: mumuland
|
|
I've trained Aikido...not for a few years though. The general principles are very interesting and I bring them up often in conversation or in approaching situations. That is, I talk about how posturing (in body, speech and action) affects how one is received, etc.
Most people think this (that the way we act says something about us) is obvious. At the same time, these same people are usually completely oblvious to body language and its pathology.
I find that people born in the city are even worse at figuring out what random people they encounter are likely to do and how they are likely to interpret what is done to them.
The danger here is that the assumptions about other people can get behavioristic, but most often they work. The behaviorism can be avoided in taking the principles of aikido into account pragmatically, but not believing they correspond to anything real, and dumping the principles if they are no longer instrumental.
With Ai-ki-do as a touchstone one can illustrate, for other people, the beauty of aikido while showing them how to avoid conflicts which are started due to lack of tact in action, thought and (body) language.
|
Quoiyaien
><<<<0>>>><


Registered: 06/08/04
Posts: 1,409
Last seen: 3 years, 1 month
|
Re: The Ki of Aikido-The Way Of Harmony [Re: Lakefingers]
#5739202 - 06/11/06 07:10 PM (17 years, 7 months ago) |
|
|
Hm, this is very interesting. I just enrolled in a weekly aikido class near where I live. I dont start for a couple weeks, but so far it seems very interesting.
Peace 
|
|