Let the body learn
Sun 05:17 PST. Posted by staff@riposte.org.
Being busy with something else but still attending aikido classes seems to have changed the way I practice aikido. The first thing I noticed is that, by not thinking too much about how I do things and why I should do them that way, I can use 'feelings' more. By feelings I mean that I rather try to feel what works than try to understand how it works and then do it the logical way, keeping all movements in mind. For example, instead of the 1-2-3 way and imagining each step before doing the technique, I try to trust myself that I can copy what Sensei demonstrates. Then if something does not feel right I try to correct it, or I'm corrected by my training partner or by Sensei. It needs to be noted, too, that by default, I'm not the most precise person when it comes to technique execution. My aim with practicing has never been to be in control all the time (it's enough that I'm a control freak in normal life), but to feel how things work and, generally, have a nice time in a nice and safe environment with similarly nice people. The above might seem contradictory but I arrived at the conclusion that while I'm feeling/harmony-oriented, my previous dojos were control-oriented (although with nice people).
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