Glacial

For over a week, I have been explaining the concept of still point and dualities in Aikido movements.  Through practicing various techniques, I try to help student understand and experience how such dualities phenomenon can manifest itself in many different forms. 

Suddenly, people move in super slow-mo on the mat.  Everything is falling apart . . .   

"You are people, not glaciers.  Without flow, it is actually very difficult to do the form of the techniques.  You are making things exceedingly hard for yourself.  Please move normally." I plea.

This morning, a student texted me with his Aikido questions.  Miss Know-It-All is in session again . . .  

S:  I read this today: "Aikido itself can be a form of moving meditation. Awareness in motion.  We learn to feel what's happening -- our feet contacting the ground, the pressure that our partner's wrist puts on the palm of our grabbing hand, our alignment (or misalignment) as we move ourselves, our partners or a weight around us."

How do I do this without becoming "glacial"? I feel like I need to slow down enough to feel these things

Me:  "When in doubt, slow down" is what we often recommend. But "slower" is a relative term.  Slower doesn't mean you have to be glacial.  Don't be an extremist.

Think about watching a movie: there are so many elements in a movie in every shot.  So how do we watch a movie?  Do we examine ever single frame individually?  We only do frame by frame when forensic scientists check out cctv footage, or during sports events to find out if someone steps out of bounds.  That's not how we watch and experience a movie.

Know what?  You make me feel like turning this question into a blog post once again.

S:  Please

Me:  Does my analogy make sense though?

S:  This is very helpful.  So the trick is finding the speed between forensic detectives and full speed ahead that allows me to be mindful

Me:  Not exactly

S:  LOL . . .  okay

Me:  If you need to, every once in a while, you may play the movie slow to catch the gist of it.  Kinda like learning to play the guitar.  You slow down enough so you can clarify the chords.  But you always try to play as fast as your skill level allows.  Playing note by note is not music

I am so glad I am full of analogies

S:  😄 I get it though . . .  nor is speed the goal, because some pieces/ techniques require a different rhythm.  Right?

And part of that is feeling uke?

Me:  Everybody is practicing, uke and nage.  Everybody should try to feel everything all the time

S:  I know that's the goal.  But when I try to feel everything all the time, I get lost

Me:  Don't try, just do.

As I said, you artificially slow the technique down to atoms, you kill the flow altogether.  Without flow, it's hard to do the technique.  Flow and form are like Yin and Yang to a technique.  Can't have one but not the other.  

S:  Maybe Im just slow . . . or too in my head . . .  but that's really hard for me

Me:  You live life the way it is.  Time does not stop for you.  So you live life at life's speed.  You don't get 100% all the time, but that's ok.  That's why we review, we reflect and learn from our experiences hoping that we do better next time

Don't make yourself so special.  It's true for everybody

Remember:  You are unique, just like everybody else

S:  LOL . . . but, but, but, but . . . you mean I'm not the center of the universe?

Me:  In your world, maybe.  That's the concept in Aikido.  But even then, right now, you are not.  Not even in your world.

When you say I want to slow down to feel everything, that apparent patience is itself an extreme impatience.  You want everything and want it now.

S:  Sigh

Me:  We have, theoretically, an infinite number of repetitions to try.  You go over it again and again, like the many frames in a movie.  Eventually you will get the ones you missed.  Watch a movie at 100% speed.

S:  I think we've hit the limit of what my brain can handle.  I'll see what happens tonight

Me:  Gaku Homma Sensei wrote a book.  At the very beginning, he recounts a conversation he had with a beginner who laments how he fails to memorize techniques from classes.  Homma Sensei says, it's like riding a commuter train.  You ride it enough times, without trying to memorize, you will eventually remember all the sceneries along the way.  This is not a once in a life time Euro train ride.  Even if it is, there is no way you keep your eyes wide open for hours on end.  Just relax, sit back and enjoy the ride.  Keep practicing and you will eventually get it.

S:  I like that

Me:  Get a ticket and hop on the train tonight