Aikido Techniques – Ki Extension: The Power Comes from the Center
In a galaxy far, far away Star Wars introduced us to the concept of the Force, which Obi Wan Kenobi described as an invisible energy field that flows through all living beings. Many Aikido practitioners receive training in Ki development because it is believed that a similar force, called Ki, flows through us in the same way and is the source of power, which originates from the Center or One-point. Key (no pun intended) to understanding this concept includes: The Unbendable Arm and Breathing to generate mental relaxation.
The Unbendable Arm – Among the first questions asked by new Aikido students is “what is this force and how do we know when we have it”? Many have heard the story of an individual generating the strength to free a loved-one trapped underneath a heavy object. We imagine the power of Ki as an untapped reservoir akin to the mass of an iceberg, which lies under the surface of the ocean. One of the first ki training exercises is Orenaite also known as the unbendable arm. Ki flows through the healthy body continuously and can be redirected to focus power in a specific location and direction. To help our students visualize this concept, we ask them to extend one arm straight and to imagine directing an imaginary stream of water from our center, through our head and out the arm in a powerful stream focused on putting our water. What we find is that this relaxed arm can be held straight much more powerfully than trying to consciously hold it straight with muscle power. This imaginary water is our visualization of the flowing ki energy.
Breathing to Generate Mental Relaxation – The key to ki (no pun intended) development is to learn that real power and movement comes from a relaxed mind, which creates a relaxed body. If the mind and body are unified, ki flows in an unrestricted manner. The catch is in unifying the mind and body. The more extraneous thoughts we have, the more clouded our mind becomes, and the less likely it will be for our mind to achieve a relaxed state. In order to retrain ourselves to unify mind and body, we must train our body to “obey” our mind. This is achieved first by training your mind to be calm and relaxed. Aikido practitioners often use a technique called Misogi breathing to focus our efforts breathing. In this exercise, the students sit upright with good posture while imagining that we draw breath into our nose, through our mind and fill our center (one-point) as if it were an infinitely large reservoir. Our exhalation retraces the path from our center through our mind and out of our mouth in an “ahhhh” sound. During inhalation we imagine our one-point as expanding to an infinitely large size, and contracting to an infinitesimally small size during exhalation. It is through this process that we can train our mind to focus on this activity and begin to relax as extraneous thoughts fade away. An ultimate test of this mind-body control is to perform misogi breathing immediately after a strenuous workout. It takes a substantial amount of mental focus to relax and achieve full inhalation and exhalation without gasping. It is through this process that your mind can achieve control of your body and relax even in the face of the randori (multiple attackers). The relaxed mind sees clearly in the same way that a lake clearly reflects a mountain in the distance clearly.
When one observes someone who has internalized the principles of Aikido, he see an individual whose movements are relaxed and flowing. The mind that is calm relaxes the body and permits weight to naturally settle on the underside and allows the center to become the solid focal point of the technique. This relaxed mind “sees” everything from the potential threats to openings or opportunities. Finally, the relaxed mind and body are unified, which permits optimal, unrestricted ki flow and resultant power it generates.
Like the Force of Star Wars, Ki energy can be neither seen nor touched. It flows through our bodies and is the massive part of the iceberg, which lies just below the surface. Energy originates in and flows from the one-point or center. Instructional tools such as the unbendable arm can help illustrate this invisible source of energy and techniques such as Misogi breathing can help the student relax the mind to permit maximum flow of Ki energy.
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Tagged with: Aikido • aikido techniques • aikijutsu • akido • akido techniques • bjj • Jiu Jitsu • Judo • jujitsu • martial arts • MMA • self defense • sports
Filed under: Aikido
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