“Do not fail to learn from the pure voice of an ever-flowing mountain stream splashing over the rocks.”
O’Sensei – The Art of Peace
Do not try to control anything or anyone except yourself. Like the water in the mountain stream, when you come to a troublesome situation or against a formidable opponent, your goal should be to blend, redirect or go around it. The water can not move the rocks, but it can go over and around them and over time wear them down.
Training in Aikido helps you learn how to blend, redirect or go around obstacles. It is not easy because many of those obstacles are mental. We have preconceived ideas to overcome. We have past experiences that haunt us and create doubt, hesitation or the false belief that strength is might. These things prevent us from achieving our true potential. Therein lies the challenge and the reason we train – to better ourselves.
To better yourself is a life journey, but one step at a time and you will get there.
Good luck on your journey.
Teresa Mastison Sensei
What is an aiki taiso? An aiki taiso is an exercise that you do by yourself that is directly related to Aikido techniques. We do aiki taiso for several reasons and I think it’s important that you know why.
First, the motions involved in doing the aiki taiso makes the Aikido techniques a little easier because you know how your body is supposed to move when doing that technique. Second, when you are practicing the aiki taiso correctly and in the right frame of mind, you are practicing extending your energy throughout your entire body. This makes your ki flow and you and your uke (partner) will feel the difference.
I present you a challenge. Practice your aiki taiso at home. Even if it’s just one aiki taiso that you remember, practice that one with a focused mind slowly and with intensity. This means that you think about the movement as you do it, slowly and methodically. Picture your ki (energy) flowing through your body as you do the exercise and feel the difference.
I say this is a challenge, because you have to make yourself think while you do the aiki taiso. You can make your body go through the motions, but to gain the benefits you have to engage your mind. This is not easy. It takes real focus and you have to decide to do it. That’s why it’s a challenge. I can’t make you do it, but if you want to improve you should make yourself do it.
The two aiki taiso that we do most often in the kids’ classes are udefuri chayoko undo, the spinning exercise and tenkan undo, the handshake exercise. Practice these slowly like in slow motion thinking about your ki flowing through your arms, legs and body. I visualize my ki as water so when I do these water is spraying out of my hands as I go through the motions. What does your ki look like? Imagine it flowing throughout your body as you do the exercise. Your muscles will naturally contract when you do aiki taiso this way and your muscles will tire a bit, but eventually you will do it naturally and you won’t muscles won‘t be as involved.
I hope you take the challenge. Practice a different aiki taiso each day. You only need to practice a few minutes at a time especially if you are focused and do them slowly. If you need to see other aiki taiso besides the ones I mentioned above I’d be happy to show you. All you have to do is ask.
I wish you well as you challenge yourself!
Teresa Mastison Sensei
We are now taking orders for the new Aikido of Phoenix t-shirts. The shirts will be steel blue in color with the Aikido of Phoenix logo in white on the front and a dynamic Aikido image on the back, also in white They will be made out of a 50/50 cotton/poly blend material and cost will be $15. We will have kids and adult sizes.
Click here to order yours!!
Aikido of Phoenix’s website has been updated to allow Mesa students to register with the city of Mesa through our website. We have included a link that will take you directly to the page you need in order to start the registration process. Once at this page you will need to login to the WebTrac system and proceed with registration. We hope this makes the registration process a little easier.
Chandler and South Chandler students will have this same opportunity beginning in June when students will be able to register for classes online and we link it through our website.
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