Aikido İs A Dance
Close your eyes for a moment … Listen to the sound of the rhythm coming out of the feet of tens of people moving in a certain cycle … Feel the energy transformation and interactions between each other. Do you feel that they are in contact with each other with an invisible bond, that they act in harmony with each other? Now open your eyes … You are not in a dance hall, but in an aikido dojo …
Aikido is actually an endless dance of two bodies and two souls on the tatami … The basic thought in dance; is to unravel the body and mind. When you free your mind, the body accompanies the techniques in harmony. If your brain is busy with something else, it already becomes unable to dominate the body. The clearer your mind is, the more accurate and compatible with your actions are.
This martial art is so harmonious with the nature of human; When the body is trained, it fits you well. It looks just like a garment sewn on you. That is why anyone who has been dealing with this martial art for a long time seems to be doing their “own aikido”. The human body is in an extraordinary creation. Everything unnatural disrupts our nature and causes discomfort. If you are doing it right, your breath will recover, your body will relax, and doing the same thing over and over will not cause any fatigue. Therefore, while training, it is necessary to understand the signals of the body.
Aikido can be an opposition to itself or a form of self-reshaping. Unfortunately, it contains evil as well as good. It contains individuality, power, passion, love, unity, joy, sharing, tolerance, that is, a lot of life. We all desire to live in a happy world. It is an effort of modern-day people to find themselves, who do not leave room for differences and elections, are captured in big cities, and are at the speed of life. Great if you could find it.
Some people’s communication way is aikido. Dojo is only a sweating place for some; after the workout, he takes his shower and returns to his home. For some it is a stress relief method; leaving all the facts of life out of the dojo is a form of rehabilitation. For some, friendship is a companionship; not only does he practice but he also reinforces his bonds outside. For some, the dojo is a war zone; in addition to trying to prove himself, he actually destroys himself while he is training in the thoughts of “I am the strongest”.
For some, it is a way of life. It manages to stand up to difficulties, to control his anger with the breath, to be more tolerant, devoted, and sharing, thanks to aikido. It enables you to take a journey towards its essence, and open the way of communication with yourself, as well as to communicate properly with other individuals in the dojo.
Aikido is definitely not the way to destroy the opponent. Because everyone is equal. Conflict does not occur in the spirit of brotherhood and there is no winner or loser. So the person you work with is not your competitor. The absence of competition in this martial art also supports this. The individual, who has not finished his war in himself and has an account that has not been given with himself, unfortunately cannot find what he is looking for in aikido. Because egos must be left out. The real question is to know what we are looking for. When you get on the mattresses, ambitions, leadership wars, hatred, and even anger must be forgotten.
The best way to recognize and understand this martial art is to make and live it. The fact that it seems meaningless for the outside viewer is because the trainer in the dojo does not feel the energy conversion. Techniques that almost sound like magic are actually the essence of art. The techniques should carry a certain elegance as well as a solid and dynamic level. It is ingenious to be able to make it by including elegance without losing the basic elements. As a female aikidoka, I try to blend elegance as well as the warrior stance. I hope I can make it.
Maybe you may be interested!
