Relax Completely

By -
In the practice of Kokikai Aikido, one of the four basic principles is Relax Progressively. The idea is to relax as much as possible when responding to an attack, as this allows you not only to respond with more power, but to respond with more flexibility of both mind and body. Beginners can achieve results on their first night of practice when they realize that they are adding unnecessary tension while throwing, but even advanced students find that there are always more ways to relax, more fine muscles that can be released, more mental openness that can be achieved. Hence: relax progressively.

Yet, Maruyama Sensei emphasizes that "relax progressively" does not mean "relax completely." If you relax completely, you can't respond at all!

There are benefits to relaxing completely, just not when you are being attacked! Most people seldom relax fully, even in sleep. Over the long term, this inability to release physical stress can have many negative effects, like irritability, difficulty concentrating and difficulty sleeping, not to mention physical pain. The benefits of relaxation practice include, as you might imagine: better mood, ability to focus, a better night's rest, and a healthier body.

In yoga there's a practice called savasana (pron. sha-VAH-sa-na) and it's done at the end of every class, but it can be done any time. I once heard that Monty Python's John Cleese lay flat on his back on the floor of an auditorium for 10 minutes before giving a speech. Sounds like savasana to me!

Savasana is actually much more than lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling, even though that's what it looks like to an observer. It is usually "guided," especially for beginners. Listening to the vocal cues helps you to bring the attention of the mind to the body, to achieve a depth of relaxation that isn't possible without mind/body coordination. Some guided savasana uses visualization ("Imagine your stomach is a pool of warm liquid, and the warm liquid expands to fill your whole body"), some is more "practical" ("Relax your toes and feet, let the weight of gravity hold you up, now your calves..."). You can use "props" such as a pillow under your knees if your back hurts. There are many "how to's" on the Internet, and guided savasanas galore on YouTube, and I would recommend trying a few of these, finding one you like, if you have never done savasana before.

How long to practice savasana? You can do it for 5, 10, 15 minutes, even longer. I recommend at least five minutes. Some people get very enthusiastic and decide they will get the most benefit out of 15 or 20 minutes. But then they often decide they can't set aside that much time regularly, so they don't do it at all. Therefore I'd recommend somewhere in the middle.


If you try it and you feel better afterward, then maybe you can use it regularly to release stress. If you don't feel better afterward, let's talk.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Make a "Rush" Woven Seat Chair Using Old Jeans (or Fabric Scraps)

By -
Image
I used the technique for weaving a rush chair seat to make a chair seat using old jeans. The antique ladderback chair is just the right height for me to practice my Québécois button accordion. Fabric Choice Although at first I considered using t-shirt strips (also called tarn), I decided to jeans because denim is stronger and not stretchy. I had some old heavy linen fabric that would have done the trick, too, but I didn't have enough for the whole chair with either linen or jeans. I decided not to mix them, at least not for my first chair. I was advised, (correctly!) by other crafters, that all I had to do was out the word out, and I’d get donations. I sent out 4 emails and literally went shopping and there were two pairs of jeans on my doorstep. I had five more pairs by the weekend. (Now I need another chair!) Some Pointers Before I describe the process, here are some pointers. I don't recommend doing this with a stretchy fabric. Therefore, if you use jeans, avo
Read more

Keep One Point

By -
Image
I've been slowly but surely writing of a series posts devoted to each of the  four basic principles of Kokikai Aikido . One of these is Keep One Point to Develop Calmness. We spend about 90 minutes in each aikido class, and most students practice once or twice a week - only a small proportion of the of hours we are awake each week. It may be plenty of time to spend doing a demanding physical exercise, but we need to spend more time working on the underlying principles for them to become second nature in our bodies. Fortunately, all of the basic principles are easily practiced at any time, not just in class. We can easily practice finding and keeping One Point while off the mat, and test the results when we're back on the mat. What Is One Point? One Point is a concept closely related to your center of balance. Centuries ago martial artists discovered that if the mind is focused on keeping this point low, one becomes stronger and harder to move. In Kokikai, we first learn
Read more

Kotsu-Kotsu

By -
Image
Several years ago I visited Japan for the third Kokikai Aikido International Convention. Because of the language barrier I wasn’t able to talk to very many of Maruyama Sensei ’s Japanese students in depth. However, I did spend some time talking to Shuji Ozeki, founder of Kokikai Australia , who speaks English fluently. Ozeki Sensei has practiced Kokikai Aikido for over 25 years. He now lives in Seki, Japan and runs the Ozeki School of Japanese Cuisine .  We immediately slipped into a discussion about the core of Sensei’s teaching, and whether it was different for Japanese or American students. Ozeki Sensei was effusive about the way that Sensei’s teaching has greatly benefited his own life and benefits others by encouraging all human beings to respect one another. with Shuji Ozeki at Kokikai Aikido International Convention Ozeki Sensei explained to me the Japanese phrase, “Ichi go, ichi e.” I had purchased this calligraphy at a temple in Kyoto. I have heard it interpreted in
Read more