Exercise as Meditation

There were no aikido classes at the dojo this week. I found other things to do to take the place of the exercise but they couldn't quite fill the space that the meditative aspect of aikido does. It may seem counterintuitive that a martial art can be meditation but, for me, it is a way of relaxing the body and bringing the mind to stillness.

Class begins with everyone lining up in seiza, with Sensei at the rightmost position. We sit, some close their eyes, each one doing their own form of centering or meditation. This is the time to put away all other things in life and focus on the here and now, on aikido. Sensei then advances a few feet facing the picture of O'Sensei. We all bow once, place our hands together and clap two times, then bow again. Sensei then turns around and we bow to each other, saying "Onegaishimasu." Please do me this favor.

For one hour, nothing else matters in the world except aikido. No kids, no work, no cell phones, no computers. There is little small talk because small talk can make you sloppy and sloppiness leads to injury. It's not like running where talking is a great way to make the miles fly by. I need to concentrate on the technique because if I don't, I can't be a good partner, nor can I try to replicate the move. When I am nage, I need to concentrate on doing the move so that it is effective and doesn't hurt my partner. When I am uke, I need to concentrate on taking the fall so that I don't get hurt and on giving my partner the right amount of momentum or resistance. My body needs to be relaxed because when it is, the technique flows more smoothly and the falls have less of an impact. My mind needs to be still because I need to focus.

Class ends with more ritual bowing and the words "Domo arigato gozaimashita." Thank you very much. I walk out of the dojo and am back in the real world again where there are too few hours in a day for all the things that I want and need to do. But for two hours a week, time stands almost still.