Everyday Reminders

So, what sort of things are you reminding yourself often on the mat during your everyday training these days?

-- Jun

keep breathing (still holding my breath quite often after 5 years of aikido)
responding 'naturally' as uke: not surrendering when my (first) attack has failed

dont kill the beginner who keeps correcting me....

Blend Blend Blend!!!!
Center Center Center!!!

Target, distance, and timing.... Cut, Cut, Cut...

Don't pull, don't push....use KI. That's my mantra.

Knees, bend 'em, then bend 'em some more.

Are my hands and feet pointed in the same direction as my center...

Hips; down
Hips; down
find hips and down in a technique, and it works much more smoothly
Oh, and don't stare at your hands or uke
And keep your head up...

"hips guides the feet, head guides the hands", center, breathing, extension.

After passing my 1st kyu...just have fun and take it easy to protect my shoulder I recently injured while preparing for 1st kyu.

I find myself trying to remember to stop reminding myself of things...

empty mind! empty heart!

dont rush, just relax and things will work.

Approach this practice with new eyes.

practice/train like there's no tomorrow. i might not wake up the next day.

Well I like to put things in their proper perspective, so when facing an uke off the mat (as well as on the mat) I tend to focus on the wave/particle theory of light, how light is effected by black holes (and visa-versa), that black holes are spinning, compressing and expanding at the speed of light, along with the all important cosmic pulse of the universe and how things are effected by the echo it creates. However if I had to sum it up into words that I could pass along, I would say these few are pretty good:

"I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together. See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly. I'm crying"



.

Usually I just feel bouncy like tigger and there isn´t much space in my head for anything apart from "gosh, this is SO MUCH FUN!!!!"

If I give my endorphines a break for a sec then I try to remind myself to relax and feel uke.

Stella Fuentes wrote: practice/train like there's no tomorrow. i might not wake up the next day.

so true...

give everything, feel, train honestly, there is nothing but now

William Sullivan wrote: so true... give everything, feel, train honestly, there is nothing but now

Or as once heard in a movie: "We have but this moment [snap with fingers] to do good or bad with."

Let....

enter

Relax, breath, and enjoy myself.

keep showing up

Bend your damn knees.
Keep your hand in front of your damn center.