Patience v.s. Frustration

[Please visit our sponsor:]

[abarnhar]

I'm very new to Aikido, and am experiencing my first feelings of frustration surrounding my practice. I have two left feet and the grace of a three-legged giraffe. :D

I was wondering if some of the senior members here could share their stories of working through their times of frustration. Is there any practice on/off the mat that you found especially helpful in developing your ki and calmness?

[tedehara]

Originally posted by abarnhar
...Is there any practice on/off the mat that you found especially helpful in developing your ki and calmness?

This may sound strange and puzzle those who take the martial arts on a physical level. The two practices I've noted throughout the Japanese martial arts, which help develop your ki and calmness is Breathing Exercise and Meditation. These two practices, which can easily be done together, form the real difference between bujitsu and budo.

I prefer the Ki Society's way of breathing exercise (http://unofficial.ki-society.org/Breath.html) and ki meditation (http://pazymino.freeyellow.com/KiMeditation.html), because of its simplicity. However, almost any form of breathing exercise, which promotes abdominal breathing will help. Most of the forms of meditation in the Japanese martial arts comes from Zen, which promotes relaxation and awareness.

I had an opportunity to attend a seminar by Shinichi Suzuki, 8th Dan Ki Society. He used to do one hour of breathing exercise a day. If he missed a day, he did two hours the next day. However since he retired, he was doing three hours a day.

[shihonage]

Originally posted by abarnhar
Is there any practice on/off the mat that you found especially helpful in developing your ki and calmness?

Try balancing in a bus while using your arm muscles less and less.

[abarnhar]

Thanks for the links to the breathing page! I will be certain to incorporate that into my daily routine.

It's funny that you mention riding bus "hands-free." My friends and I would try to surf (inside) buses when in high school. We were from a small town where there wasn't a terrible amount of stuff to do. If someone had told me that I was practicing my ki then I would have probably laughed in his face. I'll have to rekindle old habits!

[otto]

Mr. Ehara

I've practiced the breathing exercise described on the link you posted.

But i have found extreme dificulty to do it as shown....especially after exhaling all the air out....after doing that and returnig to the neutral position...i've experienced a series of rapid spasm...as i try to control myself from inhaling too fast.....

i have found exhaling difficul slowly very difficult too...

have these Spasm (or contractions) ocurred to any of you in the past...are they normal..or maybe i'm pushing myself too much..


thanks very much in advance , and please excuse my bad english.

Muchos Saludos
Ottoniel Ojeda

P.S:i'm very interested in the aikido style instructed by the Ki Society , sadly there aren't any know dojos here in Venezuela...would u happen to know any in the country...or what would u recommend to someone interested in pursuing that particular style...in such conditions..

Thanks again for your patience.

[tedehara]

Originally posted by otto
Mr. Ehara

I've practiced the breathing exercise described on the link you posted.

But i have found extreme dificulty to do it as shown....

Muchos Saludos
Ottoniel Ojeda

P.S:i'm very interested in the aikido style instructed by the Ki Society , sadly there aren't any know dojos here in Venezuela...would u happen to know any in the country...or what would u recommend to someone interested in pursuing that particular style...in such conditions..

I know the article gives you the amount of seconds that you should be in the neutral postion and how much time to inhale and exhale. But when you are beginning to do breathing exercise, forget about the time!

You want to breathe in a comfortable, relaxed manner. You don't need to start off by breathing long and hard. You'll build up to it naturally over time. You don't need to force yourself, since the main purpose of the exercise is to learn how to relax. If you take less than 5 seconds, Don't Worry. If your exhale is not a perfect Haaa, Don't Worry.

You can also look at other people who do abdominal breathing like yoga, qi-gong and other Japanese martial artists like karate. Their techniques may be different, but the type of breathing is the same.

Since you have access to the internet, you can order books by Ki Society members (http://www.geocities.com/tedehara/cks/book.html) online. The Ki in Aikido by CM Shifflet is a good start, especially for someone who has Aikido training. You can get together with some friends and try out the exercises.

[unsound000]

You can take care of both problems at once. Go get a good leather jump rope. Use it. When you get good try switching feet back and forth instead of jumping both at the same time. After every workout (5min or longer), try to control your breathing. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Make sure your posture is good for all breathing exercises and that you are relaxed.

Originally posted by abarnhar
I'm very new to Aikido, and am experiencing my first feelings of frustration surrounding my practice. I have two left feet and the grace of a three-legged giraffe. :D

I was wondering if some of the senior members here could share their stories of working through their times of frustration. Is there any practice on/off the mat that you found especially helpful in developing your ki and calmness?