This is from a Chinese internal martial arts forum
[b][i]In my opinion Daito ryu is, at it's highest levels, as "internal" as it gets.
Daito ryu basically consists of three types of technique or three methods of using ones own body and manipulating another persons. Jujutsu, (edited) aiki-jujutsu: the relaxation gives the opponent has nothing to push against while the spiralling movements twist and lock up the joints up to the spine.
and then aiki no jutsu:
Taking control of the opponents spine, breaking their root and throwing them using any point of contact. like a hand on the shoulder, a forearm touching an elbow or whatever. a tiny, fast, barely perceptible circle and you get lifted onto your toes and thrown on the ground. i think a lot of it is to do with subtle and rapid manipulation of a persons natural reflexes. (ie their "intent"....i guess i'll write here what i've been thinking about so i can use the word "intent"...: i'm starting to develop an idea of intent as being something which is happening outside of our conscious control most of the time, for example: when eating and trying to observe, i discover that i am chewing but not deciding when to chew, i reach for another bite without thinking about it, my hands and body shift around all over the place, and very interestingly my eyes move by themselves and also in response to sounds/shapes/movements, before i have time to notice. so now i think this is "yi", and although "yi" can be focused and trained, still a lot of it - most of it - will inevitably be going on constantly responding to the infinite and ever-changing external and internal environment. so talking of sensing and manipulating someone elses "yi" can simply mean feeling and manipulating their bodies' natural reactions - and if you're sensitive enough you can then move them around freely while they are basically powerless since their bodies' inbuilt compensation mechanisms are trying to keep or regain their balance with tiny pushes and pulls that are then manipulated to keep them off balance!!!!