The "Ki" to Success

Greetings everyone.  It was a wonderful class tonight at the dojo.  Perfect temperature and some good Aikido took place at Shobu.  Now that the orchestra season is over I can come to the Tuesday night classes and Sensei examines ki and how it is used in Ai-KI-do. 

I must say, if you think that it is hard to articulate Aikido technics in words, this material is next to impossible to write about. The biggest challenge in writing about ki is my lack of knowledge of this aspect of Aikido and the fact that it really is a feeling and how do you express a feeling?  It is like trying to explain what Beethoven’s 5^th symphony sounds like to someone who cannot hear sound.  So much is lost in translation.

Some elements that I took away from tonight’s class is the importance to connect to uke’s ki meridians and in doing so unbalances uke.  This is an element that is extremely useful in performing kokyu nage (breath throws) technics. 

To me, ki is not so much about physical applications of Aikido as much as the importance of the mind although mudras (hand positions that shapes the direction of ki) are very important.  Sensei talked about how ki is like a beam that is similar to pole of energy that goes through our spine. What came clear to me towards the end of class is the need to extend that ki deep into the ground and far beyond my head at the same time.  The ki curves around like a wave coming under and over uke to connect to uke’s ki and then we can unbalance uke. 

This aspect is similar to orchestral conducting in the sense that when I am on the podium I am trying to influence not only the people near me in the strings but also the woodwinds and brass who are maybe 20 feet away.  So my gestures, body, hands, eyes, and most importantly my mind must connect with them to influence them and assist them to play better. 

The technic that we primarily examined to explore ki elements were yokomen uchi (strike to the side of the head) kokyu nage, kata tori (single hand shoulder grab) kokyu nage and finished the class with katate tori (single hand grab) tenkan ho (turning).  Ki is an essential element for getting to the root of what Aikido is about.  There is the martial component to Aikido that I love to examine but Sensei is trying to get us below the surface, beyond the physicalization (Tipton-ese word) of Aikido.  The physical side is easy to see, (nikyo, sankyo, irimi nage, etc) and that is important but what about what we cannot see.  We can’t see oxygen but it is very important to us to survive even more important than food and water and yet it is invisible and all around us much like ki.  We need to tap into that unlimited source of energy that extends far beyond our physical body.  It truly can be the “Ki to our Success” if we can find it and harness it. 

It was great fun, explorative, imaginative, frustrating, rewarding all rolled up into one.   I always welcome your comments and thoughts.  Have a great week AND BOLDLY GO WHERE NO ONE HAS GONE BEFORE (I finally got to see Star Trek  movie last weekend.  It was soooo good!)

The Maestro