Carsten Möllering

I have to admit that everytime I read a sentence like that I wonder: What does that mean?
And reading is meant literally here: I have never ever hear this someone really say in over twenty years. None of my teacher or sempai has ever made a statement like that. This is an attitude I only know from reading in forums on the internet.

Do you ponder some philosophical oder spiritual issues during practice? Do your teacher lecture during practice? In which way do you learn during practice what it means, aikidô as a way of life, or about the practical applications in life or using aikidô in everything you do? In which way is that taught to you on the mat or how do learn about that on the tatami?

And when you study the texts about the specific philosophical and spiritual background and content of aikidô, in which way do you translate and integrate this daoist, buddhist, shintôist thoughts into your daily life? Who helps you to understand this specific thinking into your everyday life?

And in which way do you connect your bodily practice to your spiritual practice? Within a daoist frame this is relativly "easy", I think. But as far as I understand, this is not the framework most of the people use or live in?

So in which specific way does staying calm and centered during a conflict connect to keiko?

And - the other way round:
Don't you do any communicational training, that helps you in situatations like this? Don't you practice some meditation that helps you to stay calm in situations like this? Don't you have some mental Training, Training for the mind, that help you stay centered and relaxed in Situations like this?
Do you really have only aikidô as your one and only thing in your toolbox for living life?

To be honest: During keiko this "tangible (physical) aspects" is what we deal with.
Although our practice is very soft, it is about exploring our own body and relating it to the body of an attacker. How am I able to stay connected and how am I able to move aite?
Although we don't use the word or that mindset, "success" ist to be able to stay connected and to move a person which I couldn't move before.
Really: It's that simple. That is what I know as the concept of what keiko is for over twenty years now. And with a lot of different teachers. That's all.

So when you are no longer concerned with learning to move a partner you can't move yet: What then is practiced during keiko? And how does keiko look like then?

Um, well don't you do aikidô related physical training every day? (Or did you mean every moment of every day?) I thought most people would usually do so? Not in the dôjô maybe, but at home, in which way ever. Most advanced students and all teacher I know do.
I think there is a very lot of "homework" to do to prepare working with a partner.