Why Practice?
by Paul Gardner

Have you ever seen "Throw Mama from The Train" or "The Last Samurai"? In both movies the star is trying, with great difficulty, to complete the last sentence of a poem or a story. I've been troubled with completing my own sentence. I practice Aikido because…

I practice Aikido for the same reason that I do most things: archery, wilderness survival skills, tracking, hiking, nature crafts, even continue to work in an overly challenging industry with overly challenging owners. These are all opportunities for improvement. I can improve at them and with them. But this is not the only reason that I practice Aikido.

Years ago I took a ski lesson at Bristol Mountain. After the lesson, and a night of skiing I knew that I could improve, with practice, and that improvement alone was a sufficient goal for practice. This felt right as a reason why I continue to practice Aikido. I then understood that improvement can be a goal, a drive that I maintain in Aikido, I can get better, striving for self mastery.

I initially started martial Arts in 1980. I am, yes I admit it, a "Kung Fu" show baby boomer. I wanted to be peaceful, wise and capable of kicking butt. I still do; however kicking butt is less important now. I flew west 10,000 miles, prepared to shave my head and brand my inner forearms. This article, however, is not about my life story, but the reason I started Aikido practice as well as the reason I continue to practice. After 8 years of daily Kung Fu practice I joined a free Aikido seminar at RIT with Jonathan Bannister Sensei. I had already studied the fighting, combat, physical side of the martial arts. I was ready now for the more mental, spiritual side. Jonathan Sensei talked about calming down the mind and upsetting your opponent's mind. I never forgot that simple lesson and I never looked back at Kung Fu. I had found a new path. But this is not the only reason that I practice Aikido.

Why is my reason for continuing to practice important? Why is it important to know why students continue to practice Aikido? We often ask this simple question at the conclusion of 6th kyu tests. I always wonder what these same students may say after their shodan test. We can use this understanding, of their reasons, to set goals. I set goals to direct my own practice and my lesson plans. My goals are likely to be different from others. Teachers should aspire to inspire, understanding of the student's goals and reasons for being there may help.

I have a goal, a personal mission statement. I start each practice with a goal, and sincere intent. Practice, for me, needs to be more than just physical redundancy. Anything worth doing is worth doing better. I try to be aware, to be present. Ki testing (and shaving) are constant reminders for me to be present.

Aikido is a metaphor for life. Soft and flowing motion is easier, resulting in greater success, than violent conflict and opposition. "Everything is Kokyu Dosa". I can find Aikido parallels in every "off-mat" moment, go with the flow, turn tenkan, accept, acknowledge, dissipate, redirect, take and keep posture, keep calm and keep balanced and stay centered. Self defense is a metaphor for defending ourselves against the attacks from within. I practice self defense for self improvement, for self mastery. Mastery of a physical technique represents the mastery of the self. Moving as one with the uke symbolizes oneness with self, others and ultimately the universe. But this is not the only reason that I practice Aikido.

In a profile questionnaire that we sometimes distribute to new students we ask them to rank a series of possible reasons why they may be joining Aikido: self defense, mind/body coordination, meditation, exercise, weapons training or relaxation and calmness. 80% of all respondents put mind/body coordination as the most important reason, with self defense being 3rd or 4th. I know of one particular black belt who joined for exercise and flexibility training. He stays for a much different reason.

Aikido practice can be a mirror for personal/inner frustration, conflict and intimacy issues. It can be a therapy, escape, exercise and social event. Aikido brings order to my inner and outer chaos, through harmony, and by causing catastrophic internal upheaval. But this is not the only reason that I practice Aikido.

In the old days when I was a Psychology student, I would flip through the monthly periodicals looking at the "call for papers". The journals would solicit research projects in specific areas. Qualified researchers would submit their papers for review. If the papers were deemed worthy, if the research was both statistically significant and socially important the papers would be accepted for public presentation and review. I'd like to make the same "call for papers". I want to hear and share, with the Nikyo newsletter readers, why others started Aikido and why they continue to practice. All reasons are worthy and socially important.

I have at times lost the enthusiasm for practice, losing the hope and faith that this way was my way. It is Sensei, senior instructors, peers and students that continue to inspire me to hop back up into the saddle. I have never quit, never actually seriously considered quitting, but I have lost the vigor at times. Camps always help to push a magical button. The humility felt at camps is a powerful reminder of how much room for improvement still exists. Most recently, it was students that pulled me from mediocrity to thrive for technical improvement, self improvement and self mastery, that's why I practice Aikido.

The End

Editor's Note: If you would like to share your thoughts/ideas with other Nikyo Monthly readers on "Why Practice?", please contact Bob Martini at rmartini@rochester.rr.com or Marcella Mosher at sixmts04@hotmail.com.

Baghdad Project Update
by Judy Warner

A few weeks ago I received a call asking if I could help get Cyprus visas for some Turkish and Iraqi aikidoists. Excuse me? It sounded totally preposterous. I knew nothing about visa applications in general or Cyprus in particular. But there was a need. The aikido students whom I had asked support from all of you in funding to attend a Middle East Aikido gathering now needed help. The conference was in Nicosia, Cyprus. Residents of Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon among other countries needed visas to enter Cyprus. This was fine for the Jordanians as there was an embassy in Amman. But there is no Cyprus embassy in Baghdad nor in Ankara Turkey. And Atif, Bashar, Muhamed and Esam had no idea even where to go - Aman, Teihran? The Turkish students, Caner and Selahattin, had to figure out how to get the government of a country that their country was actually occupying part of (North Cyprus) to allow them into the southern part. I agreed to help as I had strong feelings that getting a group of Middle Eastern aikidoists together to practice could only create bonds among them and would be a positive step in a very divisive region.

It was been an eye-and heart-opening venture. Using the internet, email, and middle-of-the-night calls to embassies in Athens and Amman, I was able to help get the ball rolling for both the Turks and the Iraqis. Along the way, I met Ala'a, a Jordanian aikidoist, who signed his emails with the phrase 'When in Doubt…Breathe' and corresponded with Hanna Jiryris, a Kokikai black belt who is the first Palestinian sensei in Israel and was bringing 10 of his students to the Nicosia conference. Slowly a network of good people in Cyprus, Athens, Amman and Turkey all contributed to make what seemed like the impossible come true. As it became clearer that because of everyone's efforts, we would succeed, Ala'a wrote, 'I do like the fact that each person has many hands to clap with for the sake of this event.' Looking back it was a beautiful example of aikido principles applied off the mat.

I am beginning to receive feedback on the actual event and it was all I had hoped. All six Iraqis that wished to attend made it to the conference but not without much effort. When they arrived at the Jordanian border, they were not allowed to cross from Iraq. Not to be thwarted, they drove hours into neighboring Syria and then negotiated entrance from there to catch their flights in Amman. Over 100 aikidoka in all were present at the conference. Afterwards, one Palestinian wrote: "I believe that the seminar achieved its goals, and even went far beyond these goals. You have proved that the training mat is a perfect tool that helps people forget their hate, understand each other, and even love each other. I hope that the seeds of peace that you have planted at this seminar will grow very quickly, so that we will be able to see their positive impacts on our reality."

All of this has reminded me of the value of our art around the world. It is easy, living in this huge country, to lose sight of what exists beyond our borders. I have always known of European and Canadian dojos as well as of course Japanese but now I have a greater appreciation of Aikido's presence in the Middle East and elsewhere. It is heartening to think of all these students of the art practicing tsuki-kotegaeshi, learning rolls, advancing through kyus, and most of all training in one-point. It makes the world seem a little smaller and is a source of hope for a centered future.

Thank you for your support in making this happen.

Black Belt Meeting - Tuesday, May 3 at 8:00 pm
Testing in the Dojo - Thursday, May 5 at 7:00 pm and Friday, May 6 at 7:00 am
Black Belt Forum - Thursday, May 26 at 8:00 pm
Summer Camp - July 14-17, Villa Nova, PA, watch the bulletin board for more details