The link to the original article is here: (mbp-japan.com)
What I have learned from Practice
I joined Muden Juku in 2003. At first, I attended a training in Sapporo City, Japan with my husband. He had just started practice aiki-jujutsu and could not speak Japanese, so I accompanied him to practice to help with translation. At that time, I knew nothing about budo (traditional Japanese martial practice) and I had no interest in ‘jujutsu”. However, I saw many women and children practicing at this club. I was a little surprised at this, as I had an image of jujutsu as being an violent art that was mostly practiced by men and used harsh joint locks and painful techniques. However, the practice I saw was nothing like this. After just observing for a couple of months, some of the members of the club said to me that the practice was enjoyable and it was more fun to practice than to just sit there and watch! I thus decided to join the Muden Juku. After practicing for a while, I stopped practice due to pregnancy and child-rearing, but I returned to practice again after a couple of years. Even though I had taken a long break from practice, when I started again, it felt like no time had passed, and my body remembered everything that I had previously practiced.
I have a personal rule that I follow. If I begin a new activity, even if I lose interest, I keep doing it for at least three years before I consider quitting. However, I never considered quitting practice of aikijujutsu. I was encouraged by the words of my teacher, Iida Sensei, who said that “Just turning up for practice is a type of shugyo (ascetic practice)”. It sounds straightforward and simple just to go to practice but in reality, over a long period of time, it is not so simple. Sometimes I was very tired after work and I felt that I did not want to go to practice that day, but then I remember Iida Sensei’s words and that motivated me to go to training. And whenever I train, I always enjoy it. My head feels clearer, my body feels lighter and I generally feel great.
Iida sensei also said that “Muden Juku practice is a type of Ritsu-Zen (Standing meditation)”. My understanding of this is that, in order to stand correctly, you must learn to stand naturally. This means that you should not try to think too much about how to stand, rather, you should just do it. In other words, the basic practice of aikijujutsu is like the shugyo training method mentioned in disciplines such as Zen. However, our practice in Muden juku is not extreme or fanatical type of “misogi” (Spiritual purification). It is a quite gentle and relaxing practice which also helps me get rid of stress. Another attractive aspect of practice for me is getting to meet a lot of different men and women of different ages and backgrounds. I found most people who practice aiki jujutsu very friendly and eager to share what they know.
However, even though I enjoyed the practice, I didn’t understand the feeling of ‘aiki’ (the core principle of the art) for a long time. We practice according to set forms, a method which is called “kata geiko” in Japanese. In the beginning, when I started practice, I couldn’t understand this method. I thought that when practicing basic paired techniques, the attacker was just pretending to feel aiki techniques when they were on the receiving end of throws from a beginner like myself. I couldn’t understand what I had done. However, one day one of the senior practitioners said to me that people react differently because everyone has a different feeling about aiki. I shouldn’t worry too much about understanding the feeling of aiki at first, because I would gradually some to understand it. This was a source of relief and from then on I just focused on enjoying practice. I gradually came to understand that aiki is a real phenomenon, but it cannot be seen. Only the person receiving Aiki can feel it. So I wondered: How can I develop aiki? How can I develop my feeling in order to understand aiki? How can I change my body to an ‘Aiki’ body?
Sometimes, I think “Ah now I understand aiki” and “Aha! This is it! This is the feeling I was searching for!” Other times, I feel like I am still a beginner, but looking back on my initial practice, I think that doing practice with many different people including children really helped me in changing my body into an ‘Aiki’ body. I have realized that there is no shortcut to this.
Iida Sensei trained in the Kodokai organization for 35 years before establishing the Muden Juku in 2001. He decided to teach the “aiki no jutsu” techniques from the beginning. Traditionally when learning the art of Daito Ryu, you would first learn “jujutsu” techniques (hard techniques that attack the joints of the opponent). Then you would be introduced to “Aiki jujutsu” techniques (techniques that use a small movement of ‘aiki’ to momentarially unbalance the opponent before throwing them or locking their joints with ju jutsu techniques). After training like this for more than 20 years you would finally learn ‘aiki’ techniques. In that sense, we who train in Muden Juku are all taking a ‘short cut’ in our training by learning the aiki techniques of the art from day one. However, if you want to achieve the true techniques of aiki, there is no secret or magic set of solo exercises that will get you there. You need to follow the method of Kata geiko- form training. This is the basic method to follow to learn any of our Japanese traditions.
You need to carefully observe your sensei and follow the process of “nazoru” (tracing/copying the outline of the form) again and again and in order to do this, you have to get rid of your ego. You have to develop the ability to listen and to trust your sensei and yourself, to leave conceptual and logical thinking aside and use your body to learn instead. This method is difficult in one way, but on the other hand, anyone can learn by faithfully following this process. Another facet of learning Daito Ryu Aiki jujutsu that amazed me was discovering how deeply people understood the workings of the human body so long ago, before modern medical knowledge. For example, anatomically sensitive points (known as “tsubo” in Japanese) can be effectively manipulated using aiki jujutsu techniques. There are also methods for developing the inner muscles of the body through the practice of aiki, including the methods for cultivating the tendons and ligaments, which are tissues that are usually difficult to strengthen through modern gym training. Additionally, the practice of budo is not just about learning many techniques. Through regular practice, I have discovered that I can develop my powers of concentration, my will power and perseverance. Problems that you face in training call on your ingenuity and creativity and regular practice of aiki also develops your awareness of body and mind.
I am currently considering the focus of my training over the next decade. Naturally, I wish to continue my personal development of aiki. More importantly, however, is my wish to spread this wonderful art all over the world so that people of any nationality, gender or age can enjoy its practice.
You can get lots of information about aiki from social media, but you can never learn aiki from an online source. Aiki can only be developed by human- to-human contact. It takes time to develop and can be seen as an “Intangible Cultural Property”. This approach to training also cultivates a respectable attitude which serves as the foundation for the ethos of Budo (Traditional Japanese Martial training) which can be expressed through the following phrases:
“Martial Training is a path through which you work on yourself. It is not for hurting others”, and “True strength does not lie in defeating others. It comes from defeating your own weaknesses.”
I would like to truly understand this attitude through training and to keep up a practice that enriches my life in many ways. Finally, I would be happy if, through this mission, I can inspire others and thus help pass “Aiki” on to the next generation.
Megumi O’Brien Bourke