{"id":2628,"date":"2020-10-06T20:33:32","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T00:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/?p=2628"},"modified":"2020-10-10T23:55:05","modified_gmt":"2020-10-11T03:55:05","slug":"cultivating-an-aikido-body-part-2-connectedness-and-wholeness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/?p=2628","title":{"rendered":"Cultivating An Aikido Body, Part 2: Connectedness and Wholeness"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"fb-root\"><\/div>\n\n<p> <strong>Darrell Bluhm, Founder and Chief Instructor,&nbsp;<\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.siskiyouaikikai.org\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Siskiyou Aikikai<\/strong><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"113\" src=\"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Poem-1024x113.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2633\" srcset=\"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Poem-1024x113.png 1024w, https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Poem-300x33.png 300w, https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Poem-768x85.png 768w, https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Poem-1536x169.png 1536w, https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Poem-2048x226.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The discovery and development of a dynamic center naturally leads to greater core ability, which includes core stability, mobility and reversibility. It also leads to a stronger connection of the various parts of ourselves to each other: upper body to lower body, front to back, left to right.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In his classes, Chiba Sensei often followed the exercise for discovering the center, (found in <a href=\"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/?p=2616\">Cultivating an Aikido Body, Part 1<\/a>) by what he called a\u00a0\u201cseesaw\u201d\u00a0exercise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/crt1jW4XNTw?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The exercise involves sitting on the mat,\nmaintaining a strong extension through both legs with ankles and toes pulled\ntoward one\u2019s center, spine extended, with the head balanced on top. In this\nposition the legs are lifted, center engaged, so that the upper body and lower\nbody are held in a V-shape, and one rocks backward and forward without allowing\nthe feet to return to the mat. This exercise is easily integrated into the\nbasic practice of backward ukemi.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ukemi as a whole plays a central role in the\nforging of an Aikido body. The practice of ukemi, receiving and neutralizing\nthe energy generated by nage (and by gravity) while falling and recovering is\ndone repeatedly in our practice. Chiba Sensei often likened this aspect of\ntraining to the act of beating and folding iron in the traditional construction\nof a Japanese sword. No matter how well the blade is shaped, sharpened and\npolished, the smith will not produce a quality blade without first going\nthrough this initial stage of the process. The&nbsp;\u201cbeating and\nfolding\u201d&nbsp;that is promoted through the repeated enactment of basic forms,\nikkyo, nikkyo, irimi nage, shihonage, etc., is the primary means by which we\nunify our bodies. This unification process, in my understanding, should be well\nunderway by the level of third kyu, and completed by first kyu.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We do not abandon this process as we advance in\nour art and as we age. As martial artists, we necessarily make a sustained\ncommitment to physical training. In my experience, if the forging process is\nnot well established in the early stage of training, the physical expression of\none\u2019s art becomes arrested and tends to break down with age. The development of\none\u2019s intellectual, ethical and spiritual understanding can, of course,\ncontinue to grow, but to maintain and refine the physical aspect of our art\nrequires a commitment to the life of the body. This requires adjusting and\nadapting how we train to the changes living brings. It is much easier to do if\nwe lay down a solid foundation early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finding and working with our center both\nconnects ourself to ourself, but also deepens our connection to the lived-world\nin which we exist. In Part 1 of this article, under the section\ntitled&nbsp;\u201cCenteredness\u201d, I introduced the concept of the&nbsp;\u201cfield of\npromoted action,\u201d&nbsp;which refers to the learned ways that we habitually eat,\nwalk, sit, stand, dance, defecate, and otherwise use our bodies in the culture\ninto which we were born. The experienced world, which we each inhabit, is even more\ncomplex and varied than&nbsp;\u201cthe field of promoted action,\u201d&nbsp;as it extends\nbeyond physical movement to all aspects of our subjective experience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, within that great expanse of\nvariability there is a common foundation, the earth itself, what Chiba Sensei\ncalled our Big Mother. There are primordial ways that being creatures of the\nearth support and nourish us, whether we are conscious of them or not.\nDeepening our awareness of our connection to Big Mother can enrich our Aikido\npractice in countless ways. We are connected to the earth and to the atmosphere\nsurrounding her through our feet, our breath, our hands&nbsp;and our organs of\nperception, eyes, ears, tongue, nose, skin and proprioception.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our feet provide the understanding for our\naction in the world. Adapted to the demands of this task, our feet are complex\nand wondrous instruments that dynamically connect us to the earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Each foot is comprised of twenty-six bones,\nthirty-three joints, numerous ligaments binding the bones, accessory bands and\nsheets of connective tissue and all the tendons attaching the twenty intrinsic\nmuscles (originating from the bones of the foot itself) and dozen extrinsic\nmuscles (originating from the bones of the leg above). The organization of\nthese bones, joints, connective tissue and muscles in association with blood\nvessels, nerves and sensory organs (for pressure, pain, movement and position)\nallows the foot to mediate between the terrain of the ground below and the\ndistribution of body weight and mass above. In accomplishing this role as\nmediator of above and below the foot acts as a sensory organ as well as an\norgan of support and mobility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Living in a culture that imprisons feet in\nshoes from an early age, and within an environment that provides mostly even,\ntwo dimensional surfaces to move over, denies our feet the opportunity to\ndevelop the sensitivity, flexibility and strength that running, walking,\nclimbing over varied natural surfaces provides. Martial practice offers\nantidotes to the dullness our feet acquire through our modern lifestyle. If you\nwatch Chiba Sensei\u2019s warmups you will see a variety of actions that work the\ntoes, feet and ankles. Moving on our knees in shikko also works to enliven our\nfeet. When enlivened feet act in accord with a conscious dynamic center, our\nability to meet the fundamental demands of our practice &#8212; to manage distance,\nto transmit force from the ground through the whole of ourselves, etc. &#8212; is\ngreatly improved.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chiba Sensei often began his classes, especially morning classes, with a series of breathing exercises derived from Tempu Nakamura, known as the Father of Japanese Yoga. One exercise that Sensei frequently taught, independent from the series, connects breath to the feet, center, spine and vision via our imagination. The exercise is done standing, feet close together, spine extended, eyes focused on the ground six to ten feet in front of oneself. Beginning with the inhale, one begins to float upward onto the balls and toes of the feet, ideally maintaining the weight over the balls of the first and second toes, while one breathes in through the nose and imagines drawing the breath into one\u2019s center through the soles of the feet. At the top, maintaining balance, one engages the tanden and begins to exhale and lower the heels to the ground with the image of strongly breathing out through the heels. At the end of the movement down, one tries to empty the lungs of air through the mouth, audibly, with a strong contraction of the expiatory muscles. The exercise was usually done three times. Sensei encouraged us to use our imagination to develop a more conscious connection to our feet, breath and center and to explore our ability to experience our weight creatively, learning to intentionally become light or heavy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EMaHApQWcho?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Another breath exercise (kokyu soren), one that often followed that described above, also involves the use of the imagination, this time linking the breath, center, spine, feet and hands. After jumping both feet out into a wide stance, one inhales extending the fingers and arms upward overhead, rising up on the toes and balls of the feet at the end of the inhalation and extending the fingertips and arms up and forward, then exhaling, lowering the arms and whole body to the starting point. The instruction, given by Sensei, was to imagine breathing in through fingertips, arms, down the spine to the tanden, then breathing out through spine, arms and hands, extending our consciousness as far as we could imagine (\u201cto the furthest ends of the universe.\u201d) Both inhale and exhale are to be done quietly, through the nose, with an emphasis on relaxation. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"525\" height=\"296\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4gPHhxcRLio?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This exercise is reflected in the basic kokyu\nexercise done in hanmi. Hands are raised overhead, thumb leading the motion up\nwith the inhale, weight shifting forward, and then cut out and down with the\nexhale, little finger leading, fingers strongly extended and consciousness\nextending out from the center, while shifting weight onto the back leg. The\nsame image is applied to all basic cuts with the sword, or strikes with the jo.\nI can still hear Sensei say,&nbsp;\u201cDon\u2019t contract your muscles, extend your\nconsciousness!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our feet connect us to the ground, and within\nthe martial context, they function optimally when in the service of our center.\nOur hands connect us to others. The human hand is the most sensitive and\nsophisticated manipulative instrument in the known universe. While our lower\nbody moves us through the world, our upper body brings the world to us. When we\ncontact each other in Aikido, as uke and as nage, our hands, be it through\ngrabbing, striking or controlling, should connect us, center to center. An oral\ninstruction I received from Sensei was,&nbsp;\u201cWhen your students\u2019&nbsp;handwork\nis weak, help them strengthen their center. If they need to strengthen their\ncenter, work with clarifying their hand work.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having established vital connections to the\nground through our feet, to the air through our breath, to our partners and our\ntools via our hands, we also must connect to the world at large by means of our\norgans of perception, most of which reside in our head. To function as a whole\nbeing engaged in the world, every action we make involves orientation, using\nour vision, hearing, smell and possibly taste to direct our attention and or\naction appropriately. In developing ourselves as martial artists, we seek to\ncultivate&nbsp;\u201cTen direction eyes\u201d&nbsp;&#8212; that is, an awareness in all\ndirections and the ability to move in any direction without hesitation or\npreparation. This requires a well-organized posture, in which the head sits\nbalanced on the spine, free to move easily, supported below by our feet and\ncenter, using our senses to guide the complex actions of daily living and the\nwonderfully varied forms of Aikido. The unification of the body that arises\nthrough an awakened center, connecting all parts into a cohesive whole, exists\nin collaboration with a fully embodied and awakened mind.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wholeness of being allows for wholeness of\naction. As Chiba Sensei wrote,&nbsp;\u201c\u2026&nbsp;(It) activates (an) essential life\nforce manifesting as strong physical liveliness and culminates in the\nreification of the psychospiritual virtues such as humility, receptivity,\nmodesty, etc. that are necessary to the process of raising (ones) art to its\nhighest level.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Darrell Bluhm, Founder and Chief Instructor,&nbsp;Siskiyou Aikikai The discovery and development of a dynamic center naturally leads to greater core ability, which includes core stability, mobility and reversibility. It also leads to a stronger connection of the various parts of ourselves to each other: upper body to lower body, front to back, left to right.&nbsp; &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/?p=2628\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Cultivating An Aikido Body, Part 2: Connectedness and Wholeness&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2RSKg-Go","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2628"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2636,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628\/revisions\/2636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biran.birankai.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}