Simple insight is insight as well

My aikido training has taught me some simple things...nothing spectacular but still.

1) When the door is stuck pulling (or pushing) is much more productive than squeezing the handle harder

2) Look where you are going

The most profound insight is always the simpliest.
Look where you are going.
Pay attention to what you are doing.

Here are a few of mine....

Everything your mother taught you about sitting, standing, walking, and falling is wrong. Learn the right way, and then go share that with her before she's old enough to break a hip.

Never trust your bladder. No matter how empty it says it is, it will change its mind within the first 10 minutes of practice, especially if you are female and wearing a hakama.

Tiger Balm should not come into contact with any mucus membrane. Ever.

never slide on a bad tatami if you care about your fingers!!

If I'm trying too hard to execute a technique, I'm doing it wrong.

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Tiger Balm should not come into contact with any mucus membrane. Ever.

I would have thought THAT went without saying... YIKES!

Best,
Ron

Ron Tisdale wrote: [ I would have thought THAT went without saying... YIKES!

Maybe I should have phrased it - If you have recently applied Tiger Balm to yourself or another person, use caution: this is one of the few times in life when it pays to wash your hands both before and after going to the bathroom!

Fortunately it wears off...after a couple of hours. Husband then proceeded to pull yet another muscle laughing at me squirming the whole time.

Those DARN husbands! Always enjoying someone ELSE'S misery!

Best,
Ron

Erik Jurrien Menzel wrote: 1) When the door is stuck pulling (or pushing) is much more productive than squeezing the handle harder

Ha ha, I could have used that trying to learn yonkajo on Tuesday.

Mine: To avoid collisions sometimes you slow down, other times you speed up.

Accept what is and move on....
Mary

An old standby; for a sore back, put some tiger balm in your eye. You will forget all about your back.

In gassho

Mark

Improvisation is amusing, repetition is inspiring.

Lori Snidow wrote: Maybe I should have phrased it - If you have recently applied Tiger Balm to yourself or another person, use caution: this is one of the few times in life when it pays to wash your hands both before and after going to the bathroom!

lol. BTDT. when i was going through a really bad bout with my low back i was using a very hot dit da jow (traditional healing herbal formula) which i poured generously on a plaster wrapped to my low back, which then proceeded to run down the crack of my @$$.

you can guess the rest.

Erik Jurrien Menzel wrote: My aikido training has taught me some simple things...nothing spectacular but still. 1) When the door is stuck pulling (or pushing) is much more productive than squeezing the handle harder 2) Look where you are going

if it is really stuck...then finding another way out might work better...or finding a chair or sledgehammer will work...or maybe the door is simply locked and someone that has the key needs to come and unlock it for you. Sometimes all it takes to open the door is to ring the bell or knock lightly too!

but yeah, over all I agree, squeezing harder and wrenching your body in contortions has NEVER worked for me! lol!

Never assume anything is going to happen the way you think it will.
Teaching at times can be an occupational hazard.
Never think you understand it, there is always room for more ignorance.
Humility is a virtue, backing it up is priceless.

Erik Jurrien Menzel wrote: My aikido training has taught me some simple things...nothing spectacular but still. 1) When the door is stuck pulling (or pushing) is much more productive than squeezing the handle harder 2) Look where you are going

Never ever accept the way everybody else does it as the only way.

Instead of pushing or pulling the door, try pulling the door up, down, sliding it sideways or find another door.

Davd