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[aikido] Once more, with feeling
After not having gone at all the past two weeks, and having gone but sporadically before that, I expected today to be a lot more painful than it was. Considerably tiring and sweaty, check; painful, not so much. I exhibited some incompetence but not immoderate amounts, so that was okay. None of the techniques were particularly demanding, but they were coming from an opening I had problems getting my head around, so I certainly wasn't bored. However, the primary point I came away with was a philosophical one shared by the first person I was working with: (yet a different) John, a black belt, who this week is celebrating his 25th anniversary of aikido practice.
Quoth he (in paraphrase): it is well enough to be "nice" in class, to be accomodating of the other party, but don't make the mistake of being tentative, of over-adapting your motions to the point where it's a detriment to yourself. You are the Queen of the Universe, and whatever you do is fine; adjust the world and the energies around you to suit your position.
I saw what he was getting at. The purest form of it is, I think, the sort of supreme confidence that exudes from the best practitioners (and not only in aikido, I'm guessing). They're centered, they know exactly what's going on, they are ready to handle whatever comes their way--but in a relaxed state, not like someone who's tensed for trouble. (And boy howdy do I want to have that aura when I grow up.) And in fact, when I stopped my hamster-wheel mental chain of "OMG black belt be real careful I wonder if I'm doing this right eek eek eek" and overlaid it with "I know damn well how to do shomenuchi ikkyo, by God, and it's like THIS", the difference was palpable.
Quoth he (in paraphrase): it is well enough to be "nice" in class, to be accomodating of the other party, but don't make the mistake of being tentative, of over-adapting your motions to the point where it's a detriment to yourself. You are the Queen of the Universe, and whatever you do is fine; adjust the world and the energies around you to suit your position.
I saw what he was getting at. The purest form of it is, I think, the sort of supreme confidence that exudes from the best practitioners (and not only in aikido, I'm guessing). They're centered, they know exactly what's going on, they are ready to handle whatever comes their way--but in a relaxed state, not like someone who's tensed for trouble. (And boy howdy do I want to have that aura when I grow up.) And in fact, when I stopped my hamster-wheel mental chain of "OMG black belt be real careful I wonder if I'm doing this right eek eek eek" and overlaid it with "I know damn well how to do shomenuchi ikkyo, by God, and it's like THIS", the difference was palpable.