How can I relax while I am so pumped up?

Hey all, thanks so far for all the great advice.

Question, kind of a funny one, but
How can I relax during training when I am so pumped up and excited about learning new things each class?

Anyone else have this problem?
Experienced or not

Return to center !

Andy, I get this way too!

Getting your center back is what you do, but it can be really tough for some when you get excited.

The best I can think of is to live in the present moment. Look around you and tell yourself what you see. "I see blue mats, people, dirty windows, a clock " etc. Be specific.

Then remind yourself that you are now, "The technique is cool, but here I am, we're on the next lesson. I need to experience this new technique, so I'll listen now. Nothing I did a minute ago is having an effect in this moment, nor can anything in the future affect me now."

Stuff like that helps me stay focused. Keep it very simple, though, no extensive conversations with yourself.

*Phil

It's hard, but just hang in there.

It's like a relationship. At first, it's infatuation. Only when that wears off do you know if you really love them.

Same, same with aikido. At first it's infatuation. It's the greatest, it seems invincible, etc.

Eventually, you'll fall out of infatuation. That's when you find out if you really love aikido. Your infatuation and raw enthusiasm will mellow into dedication and love-despite-the-warts...or...you'll quit and find something else.

Sometimes, I think, people need other experiences before they can appreciate a certain person or a certain art. I certainly wouldn't have appreciated aikido if I hadn't trained in p/k arts, boxing and wrestling earlier in life.

Regards,

Slow down, breath, and pay attenion. You will actually progress faster. You'll get it. It tends to come with training.

I have to agree with what the others posted above, however...

Relaxation is good. Dead relaxation isn't.

Returning to center (great advice) works super well. Hara Hara Hara (one point).

At this point in your training, how about focusing your excitment in order to drive you harder?

I don't think being pumped up and excited is a problem per se? Why not turn your feelings and words into possitive actions and meanings (rather than 'problems')

I don't see anything wrong in the way you feel. After 19 years in the MA, I still get pumped, have ephipanies, and learn everyday.

Capre diem..go for it...ya never know!?!

cheers

Ari

I'd say that it's good to remember that relaxation is a continuum. You are never either relaxed or "unrelaxed." You are always somewhere in between. So, it makes more sense to think of 'relaxing a little bit more than I am right now,' instead of trying to 'be relaxed.'

I recommend asking yourself the following questions. If you remember them (or any of your own that you come up with), you can make a little mantra out of it and go through it before each technique or while you are sitting and watching the teacher demonstrate:

Could I comfortably let my shoulders hang a little lower from my neck?

Am I holding my arms -- and particularly my hands -- up above the their natural height?

Can I put settle more weight into my feet? Are my feet firmly contacting the floor?

Can I relax my eyes a little, take in more of the whole scene I'm looking at and stare less?

Can I let my jaw hang a little more loosely from my skull?

Is my posture upright? Can I let my body weight hang off of my spine a little bit more?

Could I slow my breathing down a little bit?

Go into the street destroy everthing, break wrists, elbows, shoulders and even necks.....

Then reflect on what you've done when men in white coats turn up to take you away...

Seriously tho, I find setting in seiza and focusing on how much my knee's hurt stops my aggressive tendancies.

Chris Gee (Kensai) wrote: Go into the street destroy everthing, break wrists, elbows, shoulders and even necks..... Then reflect on what you've done when men in white coats turn up to take you away..

It won't be men in white coats coming to take you away, they're more likely to be wearing blue coats!

hi all, i was just thinking of what sensei says to us occasionally; "keep your eyes at 180 degrees soft vision", to me this is to look out and around with awareness. and another thing, if i train in the evening,which i do, i dont drink that cup of espresso prior to class anymore, if i do, i have that heated heady buzz and intent of a drill sergeant with a case of the ass!. i have found that when i am more quiet internally, i can sense so much more of what is going on around me. in aikido class there is so very much info to pick up on if you are aware of it. does anyone know what i mean? sometimes your quiet presence speaks louder than if you were screaming. knowhatimean?

Well, I feel better reading this thread. Being so new to this neat aikido thing, I wonder how much of how I feel is 'standard for everyone' and how much is 'specific to me.'

I was so 'pumped' after the first class, I couldn't sleep. I've gotten re-centered some (the soreness certainly helped pull my feet back to terra firma!) but I'm still smiling.

Indeed, aikido is the most fun I've had in five years...

Thanks all,

Can someone please explain the meaning of "return to center"? I am new, so no laughing.

Hi !

I'll try to make it short -

your center - also called one point - is not

a point that can be found scientifically,

it is a point in the middle of your body below the navel (hara) where you emanate from,when you focus on putting your mind mind there as the base of yor being you become centered,

most people are centered when they are relaxed,and to relax is the way to stay centered,easier said than done when you are

training the fighting arts,but none the less

the key element to being powerful over longer periods.

There are benefits beside the fighting ones,

your temper will be more in control,

you'll be a better cardriver !

You will be healthier - your bloodstream becomes better and many other things.

Try to have someone lift you with and without centering,

those who master it can not be lifted !

Phew ! I hope I gave you an idea.

yours - Chr.B.

Hi again !

I'll ellaborate a little,

your original body was one cell,

by keeping a center/one point all your cells

will cowork as one (that one).

Before your nervous system was established

there was still connected activity right ?

So when all cells are one your energy can move freely and strongly throughout your body.

An example is the unbendable arm,

by keeping centered and extending your arm

in a relaxed way - pointing at something at the end of the universe - focused , your cells become like steel by unification,and though completely relaxed your arm can not be bent.

Wow! That was great, Christian. What insight. There is a similar phenomenon that appears in mystical Christian theology. I'm not trying to convert anyone, I just noticed the connection.

I'm also going to print out your description, Christian. Good food for pondering!