Key Concepts

Budo

The path or way of martial arts. Literally, do means way and bu means neutralizing aggression. We practice Budo as a means of turning a pattern of conflict into a pattern of harmony. This is the highest level of Aikido. O Sensei referred to Budo as the Path of Martial Valor, the Way of a Warrior, meaning a way of life dedicated to peace and enlightened action. The term Budo is used in both the general sense of Japanese martial tradition and the more specific manifestation of the Founder's Aiki Budo, which eventually led to the formulation of Aikido. O Sensei also said, "A mind to serve for the peace of all human beings in the world is needed in Aikido, and not the mind of one who wishes to be strong and practices only to fell an opponent. There are neither opponents nor enemies for true Budo. Therefore, to compete in techniques, winning and losing, it is not true Budo. True Budo knows no defeat. 'Never defeated' means never fighting." O Sensei said that "when the situation arises, armed with the sword of harmony and acting according to the principles of Heaven and Earth, one can continuously slash through falsehood and evil, clearing a path leading to a beautiful and pristine world."

Hanmi

When you're facing an opponent, it's best to assume a triangular stance on a straight line of attack. Your feet form an angle of about 60 degrees. Literally, han is half and mi is body. O Sensei said the body should be triangular, and the mind circular. The triangle represents the generation of energy and is the most stable physical posture. Practice standing in hanmi for a few minutes at regular intervals to get used to it. It should feel natural and advantageous for you, and not like some style constraint that the instructor imposed on you. Ai hanmi (harmonious hanmi) occurs when each partner has the same foot forward. If my partner and I both have our left feet forward, we're in ai hanmi. Gyaku hanmi (opposite hanmi) occurs when partners have different feet forward. If I have my right foot forward and my partner has his left foot forward, we're in gyaku hanmi. O Sensei said a good stance and posture reflect a proper state of mind. The key to good technique is to keep your body properly aligned and centered. If you are centered, you can move freely. When in hanmi, do not stare into the eyes of your opponent, and do not fix your gaze on his sword. You do not want to lock yourself in as a target.You do not want the attacker to intimidate you and gain control of the transaction. Do not focus on your opponent at all. Doing so will draw you away from your center. Take a softer view, focusing on the vertical and horizontal axis of your opponent and moving your center reciprocally to the movement of his center. In daily communications, you can interrelate with anyone at any time using these general principles (see Aiki Communications), taking a softer view without fixating unnecessarily on gazes, gestures, issues and words. The Founder said that the essence of technique is to bring your opponent completely into your sphere. Then you can stand just where you like, in a safe and unassailable position. When an opponent comes forward, move in and greet him. If he wants to pull back, send him on his way. Fill yourself with ki and face your opponent with a flexible Aiki posture. O Sensei said the exact stance depends upon time, place and terrain. A good stance sends a non verbal message. It reflects a proper frame of mind (see the section of Aiki Communications). Sending a strong non verbal message is a key element in self defense. It is not likely that a person sending such a message will be chosen as a target. Predators look for signs of weakness, not strength. The 60-degree angle between the two feet is the most stable posture. During practice, pay attention to your partner's stance and relative distance, or ma ai. Work on developing a hanmi that has no flaws or openings. From a strictly martial point of view, if you do have such flaws or openings, you've already lost. If you're standing on irregular ground, which is often the case when practicing outdoors, harmonize with that ground, and feel as if you're emanating from it like the trees around you. When you harmonize with your environment, it will be your ally.

Hara

An Aikidoist moves from the hara. It is your center of gravity, located in the lower abdomen, your source of initial reflex, and your source of power. When reacting to the movements of your partner in either hand-to-hand (Taijutsu) or weapons practice, you assume a general view, relating to his center and not his eyes, hands or weapon. Your partner can not go anywhere until his center moves. You focus primarily on his center, and when it moves your intial reflex is to move your own center. After that, almost simultaneously, you move the feet, and then the hands. It's looks as if it's happening all at once, but the initial reflex is in the center, the hara. If you're feeling fear or agitation, take it to your center and deal with it there. Relate to the other person from center to center, from hara to hara. That is the musubi connection (see separate heading). Your attacker is already off balance, both physically and mentally, because he is motivated by his ego and moving from his upper body. If you remain centered, you will control the balance. You will control the interraction that takes place. You will blend with the movement of the attacker, controlling the center. This very likely will result in the attacker losing his balance and falling to the ground, or mat. This is why we practice rolling and falling in Aikido, because when we are the uke, the attacker, we are giving up our balance for the sake of the practice. The hara is the center of life energy, both physical and spiritual. The term often is used as a synonym for "guts" or courage. It is considered by the Japanese to be the motivation for all movement. To develop hara is also to develop guts. It is the meeting place for the power of the earth and the power of the heavens. We learn about energy extension by focusing on the hara. It is the point of origin from which your energy extends outward. When you're holding a sword, it extends outward from your hara. The sword represents your spirit extending outward. Your ki, the fundamental energy that you share with the Universe, is generated from the hara. When you feel that your hara is relaxed and steady, you can expand it to become your whole body. The Way of Hara brings calmness, stability, power and flexibility. It also is referred to as the tanden, located two inches below the navel. According to Haruo Yamaoka in his book, Meditation Gut Enlightenment (see reading list), one method of locating it is to let all the air out of your lungs by exhaling or yelling. The point of pain deep in the hara is the tanden. When we inhale, we draw the air down to our hara. When we exhale, we push the last bit of air out with our hara. An easy way of locating the tanden is to bend over from the waist. The tanden is located at the bend. O Sensei said if you are centered, you can move freely. The physical center is your belly. It is said that if your mind is set there as well, you are assured of victory in any endeavor.

Ki

When we practice at Bryan Park, we draw the energy of the Universe from the ground, the trees and the air. When we do third suburi with the sword, we lift the sword above our heads in a vertical position, straight above our vertical axis. We inhale air down to our hara, imagining the energy of the Universe being drawn down through the sword. Then we strike, exhaling from our hara and extending the energy out through the sword. We use trees for targets and shoot our energy at them like laser beams. We can imagine the trees being enveloped in light. Practicing outdoors, we draw our energy from nature itself, the world of ki. It's an important concept in Chinese and Japanese philosophy. Ki, or chi, as the Chinese call it, has been described as the life force that is in us and all around us, the consciousness of nature. It is, literally, the central focus of our training in Aikido. Ki has been described as spirit and energy, the life breath, the power we practice to cultivate and define. When we talk about extension, groundedness, hara, kokyu and other terms, it is all about the way in which we use our ki. Development of ki begins by your trying to find out what it is. You will need to use your imagination and sensitivity. Then watch and listen to your instructors. Each one will offer you different ideas and approaches to discovering ki. No two instructors are the same in their approach to ki. Each of O Sensei's best students developed differently. No two Aikidoists are the same. Ki is the fundamental energy of the Universe, but we each have our own style of manifesting it. Part of the freedom of Aikido is being yourself as you draw in and emanate ki. Although we each have our own style, one thing is certain: ki is the result of our mind, body and spirit being congruent. It is not merely physical strength or athletic ability. That can be an illusion that many fall prey to. It is not simply mental desire. It is not just your intuition. It is your skill in combining all of yourself into a common action, into a unified being. It is said that O Sensei, using his ki sensitivity, could instantaneously discern the direction of an opponent's attack and neutralize it. Through Aikido training, the ki of a person can be drawn in increasing amounts from the universe. In practice, ki is directed before body movement takes place, roughly translated as spirit, energy, mind or intention. The character with which it is written represents the vapors rising from cooked rice. It came to mean invisible movement or unseen force or spirit. O Sensei recommended letting ki power develop naturally through regular Aikido training.

Kokyu

Breath power. The coordination of ki flow with breathing. Literally, breath or respiration. The power of breath rising from the center, manifesting itself through the body as a movement of the arm in which the blade edge of the hand is rotated with extended out in a certain way. This sort of movement is a key principle in Aikido, and we use the trees to practice it in Bryan Park, pushing our tegatana, or sword hands against the trunks, feeling the energy move up from the ground and through our center. Interestingly, the word Kokyu also has the meaning of "the secret" or "the knack", and also "timing". Both Kokyu and Musubi express Aikido's spiraling motions. Kokyu is breathing, life force, renewal. The motion in Aikido that symbolizes kokyu is the in-and-out rhythm of our breathing, and the breathing of the Universe. The entire Universe is breathing. High tide marks the peak of the cosmic inhalation, and low tide means that the cosmic exhalation is complete. It is the extension outward of the life force, Ki. It is at the root of all Aikido techniques, and its incorporation into your movement is the beginning of understanding O Sensei's teaching. It is the basis of Aikido that teaches us that we are all from the same source. (See Musubi).

Kotodama

From the Kotodama religion. The science of "sound spirit." O Sensei said in his book, Budo, that kotodama are the pure sounds that crystallize as vibrations of various concentrations which are then perceived as sound, color and form. Every principle and technique has a kotodama, a sacred vibration that contains its essence. If one understands the significance of the kotodama, one can grasp its function (i.e., water) and merge with its spirit (i.e., fire). Every one-syllable sound has its own spiritual vibration. Su is located at the center, two inches below the navel. It is stabilized on the ground, pressed on the earth. Oh is further up in the area of the stomach. Ah is in the heart and lungs. Ay is in the throat, and the feeling is of Ki coming out through the throat from the lungs. Ee is at the top of the head. At this point, your energy flows back to your grounded center. There is one breath with each exhalation, in equal proportion. For O Sensei, kotodama was the substance and sustenance of Aikido. The point, Su, of creation, is none other than our own spiritual and physical center located in the area around the navel. He called it "gold cauldron" where the "blood boils" and where kotodama spirals forth. One should always be centered there during practice. The seed syllable, SU, spirals forth into U-U-U-YU-MU. SU is the point in the center of the circle representing the Fire-Father-Yang principle, while the outer perimeter of the circle contains the other sounds, Oh, Ah, Ay, Ee, and represents the Water-Mother-Yin principle. We can practice doing sword strikes using any of these sounds and then trying the kiai again afterward. The objective is to do the kiai from Su, Oh, Ah, Ay, Ee.

Misogi

It means getting the poison out of your system. Standing under a cold waterfall, rolling on the mat, dripping sweat and breathing deeply during running suburi. It purifies the mind, body and spirit. Cleaning the body is one kind of Misogi, as well as fasting and proper diet. There is a Misogi of the environment, keeping it in good order. It is a ritual of positive change and renewal. O Sensei practiced all of these forms but concluded that Aikido itself is all-inclusive Misogi. He said, "Misogi wa keiko desu." Aikido practice is Misogi. "The essence of Aikido is to cleanse yourself of maliciousness, to get in tune with your environment and to clear your path of all obstacles and barriers." Aikido is "a cleansing of the body and soul, a radiant state of unadorned purity, an accomplishment of true harmony, a vibrant state of grace."

Musubi

Connecting your center with your partner's center. This connection represents the true line of attack. This connection must be established before beginning any technique. Without it, the technique is flawed. Looking up through the trees at Bryan Park, we see Jupiter and Venus glowing brightly in the Southwestern sky. We can visualize a straight line connecting their centers. It reminds us of the musubi connection between the centers of the attacker and defender during training. There is a musubi connection between the Jupiter, Venus, and Earth, and there's a similar connection between the two planets and each of us. Our centers are connected to the centers of Jupiter and Venus. Our centers are connected to the centers of everything. It is the tying together of ki, the energy of the Universe, connecting the centers of everything. It is the process of unification. Opposites come together and make a whole, a newness. It is when the movements of uke, the attacker, and nage, the defender, become one, that they become a spiral. It is the dissolution of conflict, the harmony nage teaches to uke. The Founder said musubi and kokyu are the secrets of Aikido. They are the harmony and wisdom in the motion. They teach gentleness and love, emanating from the center. We pay close attention to the musubi connection in our daily practice. Musubi transcends the distinction between self and others and leads to the wholeness of Aiki, the harmonious force that reconciles and calms. With every repetition of every technique, establish the musubi connection with your partner. Without proper alignment of your hanmi on a true line of attack in accordance with the musubi connection, linking your center with that of your partner, your practice will not be effective. With correct repetitive training, you will send the correct message to your subconscious, resulting in correct reflexes when you move. Your movements will be free-flowing and fundamentally correct at the same time. This is a primary goal of Aikido training.

Takemusu

Moving freely beyond the usual step-by-step control of the mind. O Sensei called it the "valorous procreative force of harmony, fully integrated, life generating, totally free and capable of unlimited transformation." It is the Aikido techniques that happen spontaneously after many years of basic practice. The Aikido that springs forth without preconception or intellectual thought. Take means martial art and musu means birth or production. Also referred to as Enlightened Aikido. "Aikido has a form, and does not have a form," O Sensei said. "Aiki is a life which has a form and still flows with change; it expresses itself by changing itself. A form without a form is a word and a poem that expresses the universe limitlessly." Aikido training is a process of becoming free. Takemusu is freedom.

Thrownness

Thrownness - The condition of having been thrown. The feeling that we've been thrown into the random circumstances of life without having been asked. The condition of the attacker, or nage, of being thrown in Aikido. The condition of experiencing a throw. Katsuki Sekida discusses this term in his book, Zen Training, Methods and Philosophy, and, in turn, refers us to Martin Heidegger's use of the word in Being and Time. We've been brought into being, into our "there", but not of our own accord. Sekida explains that this state of being, "from itself has sprung. A simple thing! But in order to realize it, one has once to meet pure existance in the depths of absolute samadhi." When we take a fall in Aikido, we are not passive victims tolerating suffering and inconvenience. We are present in the moment, blending with the technique. We are not losing but rather are in a state of being present, being there in the moment. The reality emanates from us; we are not the victims of it.

Zanshin

Maintaining concentration before, after and during a technique. Continuity, remaining aware and prepared for the next attack. It means concern for your partner after the technique is completed and to keep a good martial attitude of alertness. This means watching your partner instead of adjusting your clothes or hair. Be aware of your little habits that separate you from the connection you just developed with your partner. Eye contact, Ki extension, centeredness, all combine to help you develop Zanshin. Without Zanshin, your Aikido becomes sloppy and careless and you could even get hurt. Keep your hair cut so that you do not have to adjust it between repetitions of techniques., or keep it in place with a head band. Adjusting hair can become a style conceit that disrupts your concentration. Do not turn your back on your partner. Do not leave any openings in your physical stance or concentration that would enable your partner to attack and defeat you. When you are practicing weapons, maintain your connection with your partner and do not let your weapon or your concentration drop unnecessarily. Zanshin is critically important in weapons training, because the risk of injury rises exponentially with the loss of concentration. Zanshin is important when training outdoors, because, in order to maintain your personal safety, you want to know what is going on around you at all times. You are accountable for what is happening 360 degrees around you.

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