Aiki Dojo Message - Momentum
The best Aikidoists master momentum.
In Japanese, one way to say, “momentum” is kiun (氣運). Ki means “energy” and un means “luck.” To many of us, momentum can seem like this ephemeral thing which is like luck because it appears or disappears so easily. In sports, when someone loses momentum because of being hit, it is referred to as atarimake (当たり負け). Thus, we can posit that momentum is about being able to get up after taking a hit.
One of the things we learn in our training is that we must be good at managing the ups and downs. If we fall in love with the ups, then the downs will be devastating.
Most times it seems as if there are more downs than ups. It seems that way because of something called negative bias or the tendency to mainly remember the less savory experiences. Negative bias is an evolutionary survival skill which helped our primitive ancestors avoid danger and thus we tend to remember negative experiences more vividly than positive ones.
Training teaches us gaman (我慢) or “perseverance.” To persevere is to yarinaosu (遣り直す) or “to be able to start over.” Starting over is a mindset where we are able to wipe our minds clean of something. The Buddhist monk Takuan Soho who was an advisor to the prolific Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi gives us a clue as to how to do this when he said, “Sever the edge between before and after.” To per(sever)e, we must cut off any thoughts about before or after. This enables us to be in the moment and not be hampered down by the past or be anxious about the future.
One way we unknowingly learn this in class is with each attack. If the pace of the class is slow, then we have time to think. When this happens, our conscious minds get tangled up thinking about what has happened before or what will happen next. In contrast, if the pace of the class is fast, then there is no time to think, and our minds unconsciously wipe the slate clean so that we can purely just get up and attack. This is a skill that is cultivated with consistent and constant training. The more we train, the more wiping our minds clean becomes a habit and the less we hold on to things.
One thing ukemi teaches us is how to get up quickly. The faster we can get up, the less time we spend on the floor. This becomes a metaphor for life. In life and in Aikido, things will happen and if negative bias controls us, we will only focus on the negative and never get up. This negativity blocks us from getting up and starting again. Aikido training teaches us how to manage momentum but not how to control it. Managing it means that when things are on the high, we ride that wave and do as much as we can. At the same time, when things are down, training teaches us how to wipe our minds clean and start again.
One of the greatest assets an Aikidoist can have is the ability to realize that they are on a low, dust themselves off and start again. Momentum is not so much the ability to seize an opportunity. Momentum is about having the humility and ability to start again.
Today’s goal: If you are down, don’t stay down - just start over.