Aikido and communication

One of the fundamental elements of Life is communication. From the one-celled amoeba through to the rainforest systems of the Amazon, life depends on communication. What is this, what does it mean and how do we honour Aikido through communication?

At a cellular level communication is as simple/complex as the movement of RNA from DNA into the mitochondria signalling the start of protein production. In the rain forest system, multi-level interactions of tides, rainfall patterns and climate impact on animal life cycles. These concepts then lend us a working definition that communication is anything that an organism does that sets up the potential for a feedback system i.e. invites a response. So taking it down the next step, anything that happens or doesn’t happen is a form of communication.

Leaving aside forests and plankton, if we look at humans, our communication comes on many levels. The physical gestures, postures, tone of voice, facial expressions, language choice, style of clothes and hair cut are the beginning of communication with the other. That this physical dimension is a springboard of expression also for our emotions, thoughts and higher energy connections takes the complexity of communication to the nth degrees. What does this mean?

If we take this into the arena of Aikido and apply it, we then can say that anything we do in Aikido is communication. How our day was comes across in the way we greet fellow aikidoka, how we throw them, how we receive them in our irmi nage embrace. A fundamental of Aikido is the meaning of its name – The Way of Harmony. To harmonise the communication going on between two beings needs to meet - a sensing that happens at the observational level “ that person is coming at me”, through the “I feel they are near enough now for me to move” and on to ”here is the time for the technique”. Obviously this moves from a beginner’s stop-start internal and sometimes external processing through to the yondan’s seemingly split-second moves and responses.

Our beliefs around the Art of Aikido are communicated by the way in which we practice, learn and teach it. If we believe in Aikido as an extension of our persona or ego state then that is how we will communicate in our practice of it, with the attendant power struggles, emotional stances and expectations of validation of self. If we see it as a physical regime, then we will communicate that we are here for a workout, that other stuff is a bit airy-fairy, and our partner’s bodies may suffer in our not listening to their other communications. Choosing to embrace Aikido as a spiritual practice we invite a whole other set of communications into play, which are more around energy flow, and being present at a level that is vibrationally energetic in nature.

There is a current Metaphysical theory that the next level of human evolution will not take place within the laboratories of science, rather within the human organism, and our beings will become available more openly at a higher vibrational level, and that our daily lives will be shaped by intention. A world shaped by how we believe it needs to be. A world built ( hopefully ) on good intentions.

How then do we honour the Art of Aikido in our communication? How then do we walk this path of harmony? I believe, we communicate that through our intention. Our respect for our uke shows in how committed we are in giving them a true attack, our feedback on how it felt for us, our thoughts on different hand positions that might help. As a teacher, our willingness to learn from our students and peers, to hold the negating response within, and allow the learning for ourselves, and the group as a whole. To remove the stance that: what we are teaching is the only, and allows the other, and also allows the possibility of the unknown.

Awareness of our communication can mean consciously bringing into Aikido ways of resolving communication so that it mutually resonates. I have looked at this using words and concepts that represent the 9 core pillars of Aikido:

1.SHIHO (universality) – for me this means moving with whatever comes up, in a free and open manner.
2. IRIMI (entering and blending) – to enter and be present for all communication that is offered, in absence of fear, and learning from them. To see from the other’s place of being.
3. KAITEN (opening and turning) – looking for opportunities in communication to move to another level of connection.
4. KOKYU (breath power and good timing) – sometimes our ego drives us to want to say our bit of communication now! When we allow the slow deep breath and the waiting for the right gap –energetically – we get the deepening of connection and understanding which otherwise would not have been available.
5. OSAE (self control and control of a situation) – in a community timely interventions can limit the damage individuals bring into the system, and assist in maintaining the group balance, and support the learning curve and growth of an individual.
6. USHIRO-WAZA (dealing with the unknown) – Any day, in any way, someone will want to let you know the unexpected. Expect it and remain calm.
7. TENCHI (standing firmly between heaven and earth) – We live in the physical realm, and we practice an art, which encourages us to work at increasingly higher levels of energy awareness. How do we maintain a balance and communicate that this is our aim? Stand firm and manifest our intention.
8. AIKI-KEN AND AIKI-JO (the sword of resolution and the staff of intuition) – To become available in different ways of connection we need to be resolute and not fall back onto our fear driven patterns of safe communication. Then we need the intuition to relax and truly hear all the unspoken words.
9. UKEMI (7 times down and 8 times up) –change is always tough, it is important to keep persevering, and to keep the focus on our intention.

Communication is all around us all the time. Using it intentionally and with the aim of walking the path of harmony requires us to be conscious of our fears, inhibitions and general negatory vortices, and to accept that it is the same for others. To open and allow, and to always forgive, on entering any situation, accepting that in the other’s mind they are doing what they believe to be right. To move through our self-constructed limitations and believe anything is possible. These are the ways in which I believe we honour the Art of Aikido through our communication – that it is possible to be creating peace through our actions, thoughts and intentions.