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Old 11-17-2011, 04:59 AM   #66
Tim Ruijs
 
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Dojo: Makato/Netherlands
Location: Netherlands - Leusden
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 463
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Re: "stance of heaven (and earth)" and IS

Quote:
Lee Salzman wrote: View Post
Now, I only speak for myself, because mental linkages are funny things, and this particular mental linkage I am trying to decondition myself out of slowly, but... If I strive to move as little as possible, a very very nasty thing happens, my body fixates in space. This fixation, when delved deeper, is really tension in certain areas of my body that my mind is interpretation as that thought of "keeping [insert something here] here".

A good example is, if I try to push myself away from the floor only, my hips actually "hold back", there is subconscious tension generated in my hip flexors. If I think of push the floor away only, my cervical spine and thoracic spine fixate, again, more subconscious tension. If I try to do both, while keeping my "center" in space, my lumbar spine fixates. The worst worst worst thing is if I fixate my head in space, this kills everything. If I stop investing in the outcome of any one thing staying in place, maybe the floor moves, maybe I move, I just stop caring, then suddenly, my movement is now unresisted, I spring into upwards extension. But the key there is that, that making the body "not care" is actually localized directional relaxation, the body not fighting its own action, and gradually I am trying to work into just associating pushing up with all those localized quirks of how my mind-body coordinates. Those subconscious mental linkages to my body I unwittingly built up in my first 30 years of life, time to kill those sacred cows. It is a process. Think how we might apply this to trying to move another human being. Investment in outcomes, aggression.

But this quirkiness also works in reverse, you can act on imaginary targets quite intensely, without moving at all, by purposely engendering that fixation, and then you can work on suddenly removing the target, and then a funny sort of thing happens...
Interesting. I see what you mean. When I say do not move, I am sure you will understand, it does not mean I become entirely rigid like a stone statue. Perhaps displacement of the body in relation to the ground... basically reduce the number of actual footsteps....
I see many Aikidoka's first move their body and then (try to) unbalance aite. Again with move I mean footsteps.

I really like your take on "body fighting its own action". This has our attention in practise. Example: Why do you step back when you push? Uhm, I do know. Then stop doing that! Happens quite frequently.

In a real fight:
* If you make a bad decision, you die.
* If you don't decide anything, you die.
Aikido teaches you how to decide.
www.aikido-makato.nl
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