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Old 05-22-2011, 01:00 AM   #6
Linda Eskin
 
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Dojo: Aikido of San Diego, San Diego, California
Location: San Diego County, California
Join Date: May 2009
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Ai symbol Re: Learning Through Feeling

Quote:
Niall Matthews wrote: View Post
... And there's a paradox there. Analyzing what your body is doing isn't using your body, it's using your brain. And being in your body - as your teacher is encouraging you to be - might be possible without thinking about being in your body...

Niall
An interesting point about the paradox, Niall. But the paradoxical situation isn't a problem, it's just one way of doing things.

I agree, on the training, muscle-memory side of things it's possible to just act, without the mind interfering or thinking about what's going on in your body. And it's possible to act more effectively when the right responses have been "programmed in" through training. The work we do in class isn't about analyzing, it's about being, and doing.

And you're right, that analyzing what's going on in the body requires the involvement of the mind. But the mind becomes the observer, noticing what's going on, rather than the director, trying to control it. That's where I found the value - in being able to watch and listen to my body, to here what it was telling me (in my life off the mat), rather than ordering it around.

Linda Eskin - Facebook | My Aikido blog: Grab My Wrist

"Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train." - Morihei Ueshiba
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