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Old 01-08-2011, 06:00 AM   #3
Mark Freeman
Dojo: Dartington
Location: Devon
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,220
United Kingdom
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Re: Kokyu: The Ai of Aikido.

Quote:
Graham Christian wrote: View Post
For those of you who have trained with exceptional teachers and experienced the so called unbelievable aspects of it then I hope this may help you understand what they did or where they were coming from.
Hi Graham,

I feel very fortunate to have trained with an exeptional teacher and it is the unbelievable aspects of the art that have fascinated me the most. They are still the reason I strive to understand what is happening when it happens, thereby being in some position to pass on what I have gained to others.

Quote:
When you look at entering in Aikido then you are talking about entering anothers space. Thus you enter with your space, you also keep center, and you join with their space, it is an action of sharing space. In fact if you enter in order to be with then you will notice there is no against in Aikido, there is no fight, there is only joining and when you move to be with you are thus entering the field of harmony and the other person has no one to fight.
I like this passage, as this aspect for me is at the heart of all the exercises/techniques, call them what you will, the actual exterior forms shihonage, ikkyo etc are only vehicles to attain the desired state of joining/harmony/aiki with the other.

Acceptance of what the other has to give is the way to harmonising with them, not just in a martial context but in life in general. Acceptance of self, likewise, is a step in the right direction to harmony with self.

Good post, thanks,

regards,

Mark

Success is having what you want. Happiness is wanting what you have.
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