Creative Brain Exercises – Aikido

First, sorry I missed a few days.� I was on vacation; I thought I could get a weeks worth of posts done before I left, and of course work expanded to fit more than the time I had.� Thanks for your patience.

Creative Brain Exercises – Aikido

Aikido is many things.� It is, as many know, a martial art.� Individual practice is also a method for brain development.� I have always been attracted to Aikido because of the counter-intuitive philosophy it entails.

Zen in Motion

Sometimes called ‘Zen in Motion,’ this form of exercise thrives on the counterintuitive.� Movements are not always fast, but are always artful.� Consider these four tenets of the sport and how they may assist your brain in thinking creatively -

• Keep One Point
  • Keeping one point describes staying centered even while moving, circling, stepping in/stepping out.� It is a practice of focus.
• Relax Completely
  • To relax in Aikido is not to go limp, but to carry with you a dynamic relaxation.� It is the energy of not attracting or avoiding, but of approaching the world with an open mind.
• Keep Weight Underside
  • Keeping a posture where you are constantly balanced; when you are pushed either mentally or physically, you are flexible like willow, and not rigid like oak.� Unless oak is the answer.
• Extend Ki
  • This is being aware of the energy that you put out, as well as knowing where the energy lies in a given situation.

Terry Dobson, an aikido master (which he would have probably never called himself) even titled a book with this description: It’s a Lot Like Dancing: An Aikido Journey

Wax on, Wax off

What does this have to do with exercise and the brain?� Do you remember The Karate Kid?

Everything is not always as it seems.� While Karate and Aikido are certainly different, both are counter-intuitive exercises.� Think of it like this for a moment.� In the beginning of the first Rocky, Sylvester Stallone, the collector is makeing his rounds throwing feints to the air.� In Aikido, the feints would have been pulls.

Everyday Life

A good resrouce for individual solo Aikido exercises is a small book called Aikido in Everyday Life by Koichi Tohei.� It is unfortunately out of print.� Terry Dobson – I mentioned him above — has a book by the same name which also give good examples of Aikido as exercise:

Aikido in Everyday Life: Giving In to Get Your Way Second Edition

Back soon with ways to make walking a creative brain exercise.

Mike

Art by AikiDude