• Aikido and ki principles are learned through the body, not thinking or talking. 
• The best way to teach is to keep one point, then share that experience and feeling with another.

• Examiners must keep one point precisely and just touch. No pushing. No result in mind. Be aware and responsible for your mind.
• If the examiner's concept is to push or show the other where they are wrong, that's not it. 
• When testing, connect as though the other person is sick and asking for help. The intent is to support.
• How do you show your partner when they are making an error? 
• Mimic them. Ask, "What do you feel?"
• Then, show the correct way, so they feel the difference. 
• Then, ask them to correct the error, and ki test. Ask them, "Is this easier?"
• Then, ask them, "Can you show your earlier way?" Test. Ask "Is it easy?" No.
• Leave them with a clear difference in feeling. 

• Curtis Sensei offered three points: Look at your partner's face. Feel with your body. Show, by moving with your partner.
• It's not the feeling of, "How do I push my partner?" but "How do I take care of you?"
• We can practice connecting and feeling shifts in the body or attention by touching our partner on the shoulder with a soft hand. 
• As they tense different parts of their body, we can feel where ki gets stuck, and share what we feel. 
• This is how we become familiar with what tension in different areas feels like.

• Show first to inspire others, then invite them to try it also.
• Teach from what you know. Shaner Sensei broke down components of a back roll into simple, progressive steps that allowed each kid to master a back roll by the end of the class.
• Set clear expectations by example.
• Let learning be fun and joyful!

Yet my teachers and my experience demonstrate that Aikido is something far greater and more powerful.

I began training relatively recently, compared to many others in this art. Over just a few years, I have noticed radical, positive shifts in my daily life as a result of this training. And, the majority of those shifts occurred not from one intense practice on the mat, but from incorporation of these principles drop by drop into my daily life.

For instance:

• When I slip on ice: Do I feel when I start to lose balance? Is my default to tense up, or to relax and move to regain my center?
• When I am working at my desk: Do I frequently end the workday with a tension headache? Or, do I notice when I slump, and take a moment to feel my center and let my spine support my head? 
• When I have a disagreement with my spouse, parent, or coworker: Do I fight to be heard and feel justified in my actions? Or, do I recognize that they are reacting to something they perceive? Can I respond with curiosity, naming the need I hear, and asking if I have heard them well?

All of this is Aikido. Mind leads body. And, a stable, relaxed body can support a stable, free mind.

Our new offering is based in this philosophy: Your life can be your training ground. 

• We will teach the four basic principles that underpin aikido techniques. These principles are easily learned, whatever your fitness level. If you can walk up the stairs, you can participate.
• We will offer clear, specific exercises that you can apply day to day between classes. As you practice the principles in your daily life, you'll begin to notice greater awareness and ease of movement.
• And, we'll meet twice a week for four weeks. This enables you to reinforce the new practices in your mind and muscle memory and feel progress quickly. It's similar to learning a new language or motor skill: repetition helps.

Ki Tests are not founded on the idea of testing for strength or weakness. The most important factor in Ki Testing is to accurately inform the person of the state of his or her mind. Thus the person performing Ki Tests must truly understand and exhibit oneness of mind and body from the outset, and then perform the test correctly.

During the weekend of November 9-11, four of our yudansha traveled to Greenville, SC to participate in an intensive seminar with our Eastern Ki Federation Chief Instructor, David Shaner Sensei. During this weekend, Shaner Sensei shared how Tohei Sensei developed his clear, logical pedagogy for ki testing, from the early tests to the current ranks of shokyu, chukyu, and jokyu. The primary emphasis was how to assess a student’s stability of mind through ki testing, to help them see this, too.

Aikido is founded on the principle and study of mind-body oneness. Mind leads body. Though we cannot read another’s mind, we can see a person’s physical posture and attitude (姿勢, “shisei”). We can notice their nonverbal cues to understand what is occupying their mind. This is not mystical! It’s simply common sense. And, as instructors, it is our responsibility to be a clear mirror for our students and friends, so they can practice well and deepen their experience and understanding.

However, to see clearly, we must be practicing ourselves. We show up in a calm, relaxed way, without an agenda or intention. We relax our vision and calmly see our partner as part of the whole picture (集中”shuchu”), rather than boring into them with an intense, tunnel vision gaze (執着 “shuchaku”). We give them our full, relaxed attention, to notice little changes. And, we interact in a way that does not disturb our friends or draw their mind, that allows them to see themselves more clearly.

All of this is available if we come with an attitude of supporting, “sasaeru” (支える). We can let go of our desires to be right, to judge, to fix, and simply show up with calmness, love, and care for our friends. We can notice their reactions and feel what they are feeling. We can choose to move with them, and be present to support them. And when we see misalignment, hesitation, or tension, we can move gently and confidently to help our partner see this, too.

These insights were clearest when practicing giving and receiving the kyu-rank ki tests. However, Shaner Sensei also demonstrated that this approach is directly applicable to the other disciplines of Shinshin Toitsudo - our hitori waza exercises, arts, and taigi - as well as our lives outside the dojo. I look forward to continuing to practice these principles with friends in the dojo, and in my work and relationships.