Aikido and Balance

What is balance? The result of balance is stability but many within and without Aikido do not fully understand what balance is.

There is a concept in Aikido which is mind and body co-ordination. This is also to do with balance but first we must know that mind and body are always co-ordinated. The problem is 'which mind?' and the missing data is balance.

An angry mind is an imbalanced mind.

Then there is intention. A lot of emphasis is placed nowadays on intention. Yet an intention to control, an intention to harm, an intention to take anothers' centre or balance is not a balanced intention.

We see in life those who support something good and worthwhile yet are extreme. We see animal rights activists who may act very violently. Imbalance. They are thus unbalanced. When you get angry or protesty or any negative way you are suffering from an imbalance. You are at that point unbalanced.

You may feel very loving and yet lack inner peace and thus lack balance. Aikido is about developing balance. From balance comes true energy.

There is another concept in Aikido called Kuzushi. Taking someones balance, taking their centre. Where this idea comes from I don't know for it is not Aikido and is of itself an unbalanced intention.

Aikido is about giving back that which is missing. It is about restoring the attackers lost centre not taking advantage of it. Why would I take someones balance when balance is what they need?

So in Aikido it must be recognized that the attacker and the attacking mind is already an unbalanced mind, lacks true centre and is asking for restoration.

There is a problem in this world and in your world and it can be understood from the view of balance.

I say to you now that I know what you need and indeed what you want and this applies to everyone. We may search and search for happiness and contentment but without knowing what we search for we will never find it.

A little powerful word. ENOUGH. Enough gives balance.

When the body is hungry you feed it. Too much and it is not happy and too little it is not happy.

Poor people may have not enough and yet rich people may have more than enough and so both feel unhappy, like something is missing and thus they crave more yet this is self defeating. Too much is just as unbalanced as too little.

 The greedy mind, the jealouse mind, the angry mind, the controlling mind, the manipulating mind, the dominating mind etc. are all unbalanced. Thus they lack something.

 Restoration is a devine action. Aikido.

Aikido is non violence.

Aikido is the art of non violence. The power of non violence. The dynamic way of peace.

Peace itself is a real thing, an energy. You cannot fight for it, you cannot force it, in fact you cannot defeat it for it itself is power also.

Peace moves mountains. But can you hold it? It is held by faith and faith is you.

Non violence. Aikido follows a principle of non resistance and this leads to a world of non. A simple but powerful word.....NON. Thus within Aikido we enter the realm of neutral for neutral is the axis of the universe. All things turn around an axis and the axis is thus always neutral.

So principles extant and in operation in Aikido include non aggression, non disturbance, non control, non opposition, non dominance, etc. The divinity of non. The divinity of budo.

Peace moves mountains. Goodness moves the universe. G.

Eight Directions of Aikido

http://youtu.be/U_6RCG_HEnY

In Aikido there is much to learn from the viewpoint of energy and geometry. The paths, natural paths of energy.

Aikido deals with motion and energy thus ut has nothing to do with fighting, the true art of 'fighting' without fighting. So we nust learn the techniques, yes, but only in order so that we can transcend them and Be Aikido. In doing so we find the view of 'opponent' changes for all we see is a motion in alignment with anothers motion and a joining with and fun. Yet it takes great discipline to learn and reach such a level.

Once techniques are known and comfortable then the paths of motion within Aikido become more apparent. It is quite funny to see and and really realize that no matter how you are attacked or held there are always Eight Directions you can go.

Thus you cannot really be trapped except by your own mind.

Now, if we look at this on a plane so to speak and geometrically then we find there are Eight paths, from north, north east, east, south east, south, south west, west and north west. If you move north then you are moving straight unto the attacker. There is more to these paths than reach the eye.

 
When talking about straight paths of motion, paths you can walk along, natural energy paths of non resistance, then we find they are always there waiting to be seen. This is to do with motion, this is to do with lower body movement from hips to legs and feet and has nothing to do with upper body and arms. A different discipline. In the end the upper and lower become one but for many they never find the true art art of motion in harmonious movement, oblivious to the natyral pathways waiting to be found.

     Seek and you will find. Harmony is waiting. Peace.G.