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Old 12-31-2003, 02:29 PM   #5
Rich Stephens
Location: California
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 28
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One of the most imporant thing I have learned from Aikido is to be relaxed, to be calm. I remember an interview with Tohei-sensei where he said that O-sensei was the most relaxed person he had ever met and that that was where his "power" came from. Many have said the same thing about Tohei-sensei himself.

Learning to relax and be calm is beneficial to not only our physical movements but to our philosophical or spiritual activity. The kind of approach and attitude that Aikido seems to produce seems to make one able to be deeper in their spiritualness (or whatever we may call it).

Oddly enough, I've found that surfing produces a very similar sort of calmness. I've been surfing for 20 years (Aikido helped my surfing a lot by the way) and I have often met people on my travels and in business and so on that I could tell right away were surfers. Usually these people would be at least 40 years old, and it was just obvious from the way they carried themselves that they were long time surfers. They just project a certain aura of calm strength. All that time in the ocean has taught them to "blend" with the power of mother nature in order to surf well, or often even to simply survive.

So I guess if I have any spirtitual path it is simply to seek that calm, reflective (as opposed to reactive) strength.
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