Your Face is Pressed Against the Mat

by Vincent John, 5th Kyu

Your face is pressed against the mat. This serves to relieve the pressure derived from whoever is stretching your right arm up towards your spine, firmly into your back. At first nothing is felt. Not a shred of discomfort. You quietly think to yourself, “Is this the correct technique? Am I situated wrong? Should I alter my position or shift my weight?” You lay there considering these frivolous notions, neglecting to observe a rapid pulsation and heat stemming from your body. 

As in all matters, the body can sense trouble before the mind.

In an instant swirling and surging, what you callously thought wouldn’t happen, does. Pain. Wet hot, sticky pain. Being lost in your surroundings, the mind you were so dependent on forgets to tap the mat. Provoking your sparring partner to add a little more pressure, I.e. pain, to the moment.

Finally, you tap and are released. You stand up, brush yourself off, say thank you, and do it again. Now on your left arm.

A quick Google search on Aikido will bring you this:

Way of Adapting the Spirit. That is Aikido. Fluidly adapting movement for a better outcome. Which useful during an actual attack against an aggressor of bigger stature.

But is it not the teachings of Aikido to avoid fighting at all cost? A teacher of my mine once said, “If you allowed the fight to happen you have already lost.” I am paraphrasing, but that is the basic jest. Which is unquestionably true. If someone comes up to you out of the blue, calls you a demeaning name, the genuine best defense for that is, smile, nod, and walk away.

So why train?

Why put your body through being pulled and prodded. Why be bruised and exhausted upon entering your home after an extra rigorous class? Why waste your free time for something that will lead to nothing?Instead, could not each Aikido class be a thirty-minute discussion on how to diffuse violent bullies through peaceful negotiation?

The answer to that is no. Not because some would-be-attacker is a capable fighter easily dealing out hordes of anguish. Sure that is part of it. Every individual should be prepared with the basic knowledge on defending himself or herself.

But the true reason for training in hot weather, or cold, with bruises and none existent personal time, is not for the cardio. It is for the mind. Yeah remember that overtly confident element of cognition I spoke of earlier? And how I thought either my partner or I got the technique wrong before the pain hit?

Well, in a sense I did get the technique wrong.

The mind tells us what it needs. When it calls for it, and whom it requires it from. Never ceasing, never wavering. Neither in our sleep nor in reflection.

Most of all the mind tells us our approach is correct. That there is no other perspective. We are all destined to one point perspectives since humans do not share the connected consciousness as Ants. Obviously thank goodness for that. But, the tricky part is how does one bend to the will of someone else without breaking.

Do not believe me? Then try this fun little game!

I do not want you to picture pink elephants dancing in a disco. Seriously stop!

I told you stop! Stop thinking about it.

So what were you just thinking about? Y eah...

I challenged you to stop thinking of cute pink elephants and try as you might, it was tough wasn’t it?

You tell me no, my mind will somehow discover a yes. Which if you are human, and I have a suspicion that you are, 95% of the time that is excellent news. It is how as a species we built towers and flown planes and sailed to the moon.

But there is a certain mischievous 5% that when occurs no mind in human existence can find a yes. Where the only answer is no.

One day it will attack you; and I do not mean physically. Metaphorically, you will be cornered against a wall. Surrounded. Got. No where to flee.

It is in those moments when A Way of Adapting the Spirit comes into fruition. The fluid nature of being able to bend but not break.

It is the inner balance, a core strength that comes through preparation for the mental fight. That in truth, has already made you victorious.

Training is not for the purpose of the physical fight, but to anticipate the fight within.