A bit about me: I am currently in my 9th year of aikido practice. My first four years were spent in a college dojo in the Seidokan style, and since moving to grad school, I've been practicing Kokikai. Both of these are Ki Society styles. I'm on the cusp of my 1st Kyu test (literally - it is next week!).
For a long while, I've contemplated blogging about my experiences in aikido. But why bother?
To me, aikido is not just a social evening activity, a way to get fit, or a confidence boost, though these are all great benefits. Instead, it is an integral part of every day life. Or at least I hope so. In my first dojo, my Sensei advocated thinking about aikido principles. Perhaps because we were liberal arts college students, and therefore quite apt to be verbal and interdisciplinary thinkers, a big part of our tests were relating ideas, principles, and movements to "real life." This emphasis actually helped me to ace a summer job interview, because of my approach to verbal conflict management! In my current dojo, peaceful, day-to-day applications are less emphasized, but still implicit, and still very much in my own mind.
To me, the path of aikido is one that cannot be followed in a purely physical way. To do so would be to miss the entire point of O'Sensei's original path, which integrated the physical, mental, and spiritual. He sought to connect the practitioner to the universe. My own goals are less lofty, but I hope that through writing, I can at least keep myself grounded in and connected to the "now," embracing with confidence every challenge that comes my way.
(P.S. Thanks to Ian who inspired me to a martial arts blog by doing it, and to Sumner, who reminded me that the only way to do something is to start!)
