Aikido is a personal path.  The power that comes forth is a power that originates deep within your being.  The last e-Reflection explored the importance of focussing on this centre, and breathing deeply into this point.  When this awareness is achieved, moving in Tenkan, Irimi, and Tenshin, takes on a more dynamic quality.  Extending your intentions and Ki becomes more pronounced.  Confidence stems from this stability and inner knowingness; allowing the most appropriate responses to emerge, no matter what challenges are faced.

When students share their realisations with me, it is a precious moment.  Aikido is not the throw or pinning your partner down with a lock.  It begins way before that.  Aikido practice takes on a whole different dimension when a student realises this, and the shift transforms and enriches the experience of the technique.  There is no end.  The practitioner continues to polish technique at every moment of life.

Seemingly, as a reinforcement, a most wondrous thing happened over the weekend.  I attended a most enchanting evening of Bach and Brahms performed by world class artistes, which I enjoyed very much.  During the intermission, after being introduced to someone as an Aikido sensei, I was asked what Aikido is.  I did my best to explain it, inviting the person to come to watch and experience a class.  A most energetic and dynamic performance of a Brahms Quartet followed the intermission, and the mastery of the performers made it a most mesmerising experience; listening and responding to each other, and each flurry of notes, with ease.  After the performance, I turned to the person and said we had just witnessed a most perfect example of Aikido in action.  She understood.

Aikido was not the resulting harmonies and notes that flowed from the instruments.  It was the interaction between the musicians that made the beauty of the music flow.  And that is made possible by the perfection that these musicians strive for whenever they practice and polish their technique with their instruments.  What a perfect evening that was.

So continue practising the same little things over and over again, and the big things will take care of themselves.

See you in the Dojo.

In peace and harmony,
Rafael Oei Sensei.
(© Copyright March 2008: Rafael Oei)

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