I have written this article because both Peter and Martin have asked me to clarify the connection between Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of Aikido, and Aikido Yuishinkai. I worry that people from overseas, who have grown up in a different culture, with different customs, may not fully understand the meaning of “true Aikido,” which the […]
What Profits A Man, if he gains the whole world – yet loose his own soul… There has been a big push recently on social media in Aikido circles, with many experts (some are, many are not) in the field asked to comment on various topics. One item in particular peaked my interest, specifically speaking […]
True Intent Having the mind and will focused on a specific purpose. This is body, mind and spirit as one. In relation to budo, true intent focuses the spirit through the body, incorporating our will free from our mental attachment, true intent becomes the physical expression of mushin or no mind, in action it is the […]
“the way is born, when the base is firm” The sword forms the basis of Aikido techniques, and it’s spirit. The founder said “in empty hand practice, you should move as if holding a sword, in sword practice you should move as if you are not holding one.” Aikido is the realisation of the hidden […]
“If you continue this basic practice, you will attain some wonderful power. Before you attain it, it is something wonderful, but after you attain it, it is nothing special.” Zen poem. Study of the shinkage ryu documents reveals that “moon on the water principle” applies to more than just the movement of the front foot, […]
The Formula To Understanding Aikido’s spirit is a simple one. Train. The founder said to train daily. What does it mean then, to train? Let’s look at the clues. Tanren, to forge or temper. This is the process through which metal undergoes a transformation through being put through extreme differences in heat and cold, as well […]
The Seven Mysteries are some of the inner workings of Aikido. They have their origins in Nature and seem to be limitless in their depth. The more you train in them, the more there is to learn. They are endless mysteries. They can be seen in the animal world. When you watch a nature program […]
I wonder sometimes where the art of Aikido veered of the path the founder set for it. Truth is traditional Japanese arts cannot be studied in a western way, they weren’t designed to be, and were never intended to be. Knowledge and wisdom come from two different places. My focus in teaching this year is […]
Tanren – use the body to elevate the spirit The following passage is from a lecture given by Yamaoka Tesshu to his students. In it he tries to explain the process of Shugyo. There are three methods the carpenter adopts when using his plane. They are rough planing, medium planing and finish planing. To practice […]
Some aikido teachers talk a lot about non- violence, but fail to understand this truth. A pacifist is not really a pacifist if he is unable to make a choice between violence and non- violence. A true pacifist is able to kill or maim in the blink of an eye, but at the moment of […]