I studied at an Aikikai Aikido Dojo for 18 months but was never told what to think or how to develop Ki. I did the %26quot;jumbi taiso%26quot; rowing and the seat extension stuff to no effect.
Please explain how to extend Ki. I no longer study but am curious to see if I can get a response from someone who Knows.|||These answers are all so interesting and common, but don%26#039;t give you what your really looking for. No zen answers today by me. Ki (chi, jivat, pnuema, ruach, the Force) is the life force. Biology can not measure it empirically or define it. Yet, we all know it exists, we%26#039;re alive duh! It is everywhere and connected to all things, but only things that can store it can subject it to the duality of an inner space thereby creating Kokyu (Breath, neshemah, prana). This allows for animation of that thing thus bringing together matter %26amp; spirit...where then soul (tamashii) then exists (I+you=we).
The classical undo %26amp; taiso that are practiced originate from Shinto ritual, and are still practiced today at Shinto jinja. They are rigid and confined by the culture of their origin. They do work, but other forms work better. What really works best is what works for you. Everyone is an individual and their centers of being (Head (shin), Heart (kokoro), Belly (hara)) are variously utilized. Once it is determined your own nature then %26quot;exercises%26quot; can be applied to best grow and flow your Ki into a particular matrix that works best for you and what you are doing. By varying the exercises you can optimize yourself to perform certain tasks here on the prime material plane.
However to get you on the path substantially I recommend spreading your stance a bit, bend your knees, feel the ground under your feet, check your body %26amp; release tension, own the space around you, breath deeply into the ground and your body, set your intention to do something, take everything you just calibrated, and do your intention. You do that sincerely and with passion then Ki will begin to fill (yuki (like yudansha)) you and your manifestation. Beyond this a true master teacher would need to get to know you to help more. Or wait for a book by me later that gives many exercises to choose %26amp; experiment with. No, don%26#039;t ask, its not done yet.|||Ki is not something you develop within two years or twenty, and it is different for each person. This is what I believe. Many aiki techniques that use ki take years to perfect. It is only through diligent practice and a clear mind (in other words, leaving your troubles at the door) that you can begin to make progress. The rest, I think, is just an issue of patience and a good eye. Aiki has really taught me to learn in a different way- by watching others, you pick up subtleties you wouldn%26#039;t be able to figure out by your own. Ki for me is less about power than it is a manifestation of a skilled movement.|||I hope that in my attempt I do not confuse you even more. In my way of thinking Ki is Energy, the Force that governs and runs all things. It is Nature herself (but that%26#039;s just me) It is a real and true energy that links everything to everything else. For me, this is the foundation of how to tap into and share this energy. Sit, stand, lay against a tree or the grass, relax and feel the world around you. Relize that you are not apart from it but apart of it. When you relize this you open yourself to the flow of Ki. Devleoping Ki is , in my view, differant for everyone. Don%26#039;t think about it as something that has instructions and each and every one of us can just follow step one, step two and so on. I get asked how I do this or how I do that and in all honesty I, sometimes, can not give a good answer. I just can. I do not ask myself why I can do I just know that I can do, for me that is enough. They say I did what you did and it dosen%26#039;t work for me. I tell them then we need to find a way that will work for you, and my way isn%26#039;t it.
Try to feel the flow of energies surrounding you. Be one with it not outside it. Imagine moving this energy around you. Treat it like a semi-solid / plyable watery substance. Move it were you want it. Don%26#039;t control it but blend with it. It is not about controling this energy as much as working with it.
Anyway, I hope I haven%26#039;t totaly confused you. For me that is how I am able to do it.|||There%26#039;s a lot of controversy within Aikido concerning what exactly is Ki and how you extend it.
Personally, I subscribe to the more realistic understanding of Ki: that it%26#039;s not some magick force or supernatural power. Rather, think of it as bioelectric energy (which all living things generate %26amp; emit). I wouldn%26#039;t go so far as to call it %26quot;the Force%26quot; or %26quot;soul%26quot; or %26quot;consciousness%26quot;...but more like %26quot;energy%26quot; that all living things produce. It%26#039;s hard to describe, but we all emit energy fields...boundry layers, and you can perceive another thing entering or disrupting your personal boundry layer (beyond the mere sense of touch). Within your boundry layer, you are in control: this is where your sense of balance, fine motor control, perception, self-control, etc. lies and where in Aikido lies its secret. By consciously exanding your boundry layer beyond just a few inches from your skin, that%26#039;s what %26quot;extending Ki%26quot; is.
Think of Ki extension as imagining an unbreakable circle around you that is approximately your own arm span in diameter. Within this circle, you maintain your balance and control. It%26#039;s the conscious act of unifying mind %26amp; body to the point where your sense of physical self-awareness fills this entire circle. It%26#039;s your %26quot;protective bubble.%26quot; That way, your sense of balance %26amp; control is greatly increased in that your awareness is not limited to your body, but to a radius of approximately 6-10 feet around you.
Hope this helps.|||the ki-aikido branch of aikido focuses primarily on the development and use of ki. From day one, students are introduced to maintaining one point, relaxing, and extending ki.
There are several ways to help extend your ki. One is to relax completely. Another is to keep weight underside (as if your outstreched arm is resting on a table). Focusing in the forward direction and keeping/ focusing on one point %26quot;(two fingers below navel) is also important.
Basically, each person can do one of the above-mentioned and have the rest naturally achieved. Some can keep one point and extend, some have to focus forward, etc. Find which one works for you.
Many of these can be achieved through mental imaging techniques which include visualizing light, water, or wind shooting from your finger tips or body in the forward direction. You never extend ki behind you in aikido.
Other than this, you just practice and have another person in ki-aikido test the strength/ stability of your ki. This will improve your familiarity with extension and then it will become second nature.
There are many more detailed explanations about how to extend ki on the Ki society website (organization for ki-aikido). I don%26#039;t know it off the top of my head, but you could easily find it on google.|||This is the best way I have heard it described in all the years I%26#039;ve been training.
Think of it like water. You breathe in, compressing the water, and when you exhale you %26quot;extend%26quot; the water out.
It takes a lot of practice. Sometimes you really tap into it and you can feel it very strongly, other times not as much.
Regardless of how long you practice, we are all still students in the end.
Edit:
I highly recommend this book.
Beyond the Known: The Ultimate Goal of the Martial Arts by Tri Thong Dang.
Here%26#039;s a link: http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Known-Ultim...
Train well.|||ki works in circles
if your really attuned it works in a sphere
if you are super attuned you will see that it doesnt work in circles or as a sphere its more like magnatism which seems to be circular or in a sphere but really isnt (this is way to hard to explain at this point)
start with circles then move on to spheres then if you are lucky you will see the third thing the thing that i cant really explain i hope that didnt confuse you
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment