Inner Dojo

Last night, we said good-bye to two Aikido instructors at the dojo. They are off on an adventure and hopefully we will get to train together in the future. What they left me with was a wonderful gift. Curiosity.

What I am curious about is rhythm and Aikido. After class last night I realized I was watching sensei demonstrate techniques and seeing the techniques. What I wasn't seeing was the whole interaction between the partners.

Let me back up for context. In 2012 I decided to learn Argentine Tango. When learning tango I stared by learning foundation techniques. There is no choreography so what I learned was how to transition from one technique to another and keep improvising as long as the music was playing.

At some point I stared becoming aware of the music. Not right away either. I needed lots of time to learn how to physically move. Eventually, though, my brain could start to pay attention to the music.

The other thing which happened was I could start to see new techniques as part of a whole when they were being demonstrated. Which made learning new techniques easier as I gained experience. Some of what was going on was getting foundational skills into body memory. I do think there was more to it.

And I suspect I am running into a similar situation with Aikido. Often, when getting ready to practice a technique I am at a complete loss. No idea what we are doing. A very familiar feeling from tango.

In those situations I suspect I am not seeing the technique I am practicing as part of a bigger picture. Then when facing my training partner all context is gone and my mind blanks.

Now, throw in something we were practicing last night. Beats. Rhythm. Common to both tango and Aikido, I haven't been putting any attention to them.

The expansion and condensing of partners in relationship to each other. It is a dance. Not tango. But the ideas are very much alike. As a lead in tango I learned to be very sensitive to my partner. In a way, I followed my follow while leading us as a couple.

What would happen if I started seeing and learning Aikido as a dance or through dancers eyes?

Watching sensei demonstrate a technique would shift from seeing a technique to watching a dance unfold.

How?

• Noticing the rhythm of the partners, bodies and breath.
• How they approach each other.
• How the dance is initiated both in physical form and rhythm.
• How the technique evolves out of the initiation of the dance.
• Looking for the principles of Aikido which are always present and important to embody.
• Feeling the beats and awareness of the partner from the first bow. Before any training movement has happened.

Looking at that list I don't think I am communicating the holistic nature of what is transpiring. I experience such with tango though and that has me inspired to work towards finding a similar approach with Aikido.

The next question is when and where to explore Aikido as dance? At best we train three nights a week, an hour and a half per night. For what I am exploring I need more time.

Welcome to my Inner Dojo!

Here at Mystic Lambda Dojo we have the honor of hosting all the sensei through out history. Some you may know of others have come from the shrouds of time long past.

All are present to teach you Aikido in the comfort of your own Mind.

Before you leave this blog for saner territory consider high level athletes use of mental rehearsal. Or the use of the Council of Advisors other high performance individuals assemble to have discussions with in their Minds.

Your imagination is a powerful tool!

What if you could construct an Inner Dojo for yourself? A place you can practice your art. Hone your skills when the physical dojo is closed and you have no training partner.

This is exactly what I have started building for myself.

Until this afternoon though the building process had been going slow. What changed was realizing I needed to start including those elements above. Feeling the rhythm. Seeing the whole interaction. Experiencing texture of the mat.

As the scene unfolded in my imagination my actions and the actions of my training partner became more realistic. I could find with my inner training partner the lines and spiral movements while practicing what sensei were teaching last night in the physical dojo.

The clarity was surprising because until today my inner dojo was a rather dream-like place with dream logic. Now though looks like we are ready for some inner Aikido to complement physical training!