deep listening into kimusubi

Whilst practicing this evening I realised that the “receptive mode of conscioussness” discussed in my last post really boils down to deep listening - feeling the stick or partner with full attention.

I was delighted to notice how deep listening became energetic bonding (ki-musubi).

The task of motion then simply became moving so that I could “hear” more.

We extended this to partner work with stick. I was surprised and delighted that we were able to freeform out of this work with the stick between us.

deautomatization and the freeform aikido experience

I would like to pick up on one of the points that Caroline Redl raised in her letter to us “Caroline Redl on Freeform Aikido - a letter” -”I find that your free forms prevents from getting into a routine”.

This is an issue that has been raised by others - “as if something got disorganized inside me” (Else Hartmann-Johnsen)

For me the disruption of habitual ways of being - thinking, feeling, doing is central to freeform practice. To me this relates to what Arthur Deikman refers to as deautomatization.

Deautomitization is an undoing of psychic structure permitting the experience of increased detail and sensation at the price of requiring more attention. With such attention, it is possible that deautomatization may permit the awareness of new dimensions of the total stimulus array—a process of “perceptual expansion.”

… Deautomatization is here conceived as permitting the adult to attain a new, fresh perception of the world by freeing him from a stereotyped organization built up over the years and by allowing adult synthetic functions access to fresh materials.

… The general process of deautomatization would seem of great potential usefulness whenever it is desired to break free from an old pattern in order to achieve a new experience of the same stimulus or to open a perceptual avenue to stimuli never experienced before.

Char Davies has usefully precis of this

This dehabituating of perception tends to occur as a result of certain psychological conditions, such as when the participant’s attention is intensified and is directed toward sensory pathways; when there is an absence of controlled, analytic thought; and when the participant’s attitude is one of receptivity to stimuli rather than defensiveness or suspicion.

Davies goes on to paraphrase Deikman that the undoing of habitual perceptions allows for the experience of alternative sensibilities that includes

an intense sense of “realness,” as when inner stimuli become more real than objects

transcendence of time and space

unusual modes of perception

feelings of undifferentiated unity or merging (e.g.; a breakdown of distinctions between things and/or the self and the world)

ineffability or verbal indescribability

a profound sense of joy or euphoria

a paradoxical sense of being in and out of the body

Many of these fit with the descriptions of Morihei Ueshibas experiences in Aikido.

It was the promise of such a breakdown of habitual perceptions and the heightening of these sensibilities that attracted me to aikido. They are now the motivating factor behind the development of freeform aikido practice.

This deautomatization demands that we shift to what Deikman refers to as the “receptive mode of Consioussness”. This is where our intent changes from one of manipulation of the environment to “taking in” and appreciating.

The receptive mode presupposes the deautomatization of the intellectual states, which is tantamount to letting things occur rather than make them to occur. This is also called “passive volition”. 1

This is expressed in our practice by the sense of breathing in our sensation, the inhibition of an emphasis on doing with our hands, by using the whole of our body’s, allowing breath and balance to move us.

1. Arthur J. Deikman, Bimodal consciousness, in Archives of general psychiatry, 25(1971), December, p. 481-489, and R. Ornstein, The nature of human consciousness. A book of readings, Freeman and Company, San Francisco, 1973

Caroline Redl on Freeform Aikido - a letter

Dear Peri, Dear all,

Even though it is already a few weeks ago, that I visited your dojo, the pleasure of having had the chance to experience your freeform aikido still stays with me.

Again, thank you all for your very warm welcome!

And finally, here are some lines from me for your page.

What was it like for me to experience Freeform Aikido?

My aikido is based on the forms of Christian Tessier and I’m studying for quite some time with Jan Nevelius and Jorma Lyly from Stockholm, whenever they are in Berlin.

There are many parallels to the approach, which is also focused very much on the awareness and deep contact with your partner and really accepting and taking on the energy / the attack from your partner.

So, it was a fascinating experience to practise your Freeform aikido and to find so many links.

I found that freeform made me very aware and gave me a deep contact with my partner and the group.

Freeform aikido is like flowing in contact with the partner.

The timing and speed of our movements came naturally through the contact. Any change of speed was a mutual decision, a result of constant communication.

Also, I find that your free forms prevents from getting into a routine. As every aikidoka might know, and has experienced throughout countless repetitions of aikido forms, there is a danger of drifting off.

Freeforming is like acting in the unknown. I have to be in touch with my partner, because I don’t know what is coming next.

I have to be aware and yet I can give myself fully into the movement the same time. I very much appreciated that.

I also liked how you included legs, arms and the entire body in the freeforming. That made it a very three-dimensional.

And getting out of strict rules frees the movement and gets the head out of the way.

I think Freeform Aikido is a valuable contribution to everybody’s training, regardless what school of aikido I’m coming from.

I experienced Freeform aikido also as joyous, playful and great fun. It enriches my aikido practice and also my personal development.

To me it’s a very pure and refreshing free form of the spirit of Aikido.

Now having written so many words about my experience and my thoughts and knowing that aikido should be practised and not written about, I hope to share more freeforming lessons with you all. And wish you all the best for your dojo, many students, and new discoveries in movement for freeform aikido.

Thank you!

Hope to see you all soon!

from Berlin

Caroline

Splicing the felt, and the intended

Gathering up and connecting the reciprocal yield between stick and player, I felt the integrative relationship between the sticks tip and my feet.

I wanted to splice this with a more overt outward focus, and linking intention.

sweet surrender

As we discussed the evenings practice I said that something had shifted half way through. Carl said that he experienced a sense of surrender, at which point the practice began to flow more.

I pondered this and pictured both the surrender to the waves and the extension through myself when I have ever body surfed in the sea.

I remembered John Ferris suggestion of “yield” with its dual sense of non-resistance and giving forth - of profitability!

dialogue with a stick

Today we practiced with a stick.

The play evolves out of a feed back loop between the stick and I.

The stick, when held freely, responds to my slightest movement.

I, in turn, attempt to attune to the sticks momentum and align my movement with it. I am again seeking to find and sustain energetic bonding or ki-musubi.

The stick and I are mutually influencing. The practice dries up, or stutters if I try to master or overtly direct the stick.

For me, the discipline is to be open to the stick. This again is an example of how freeform practice is emergent from the “between”.

Here are some comments and observations that Carl Griffiths made on his practice.

• The “prestige” or trade secret is listening to, and following the stick.
• To stay in contact with the stick I need to loose my attachments.
• …this challenges me to steady, continuous listening - and when I do this, I feel liberated from my inhibitions!

Again, thank you Carl!

Looking like “beginners”- Naive art and faith

www.find-art.info/littledog

After practice today we discussed the observation that has been made, that Freeform practitioners look like “beginners”.

I said I really liked that.

Carl said that there was something in our practice that was like Naive Art.

I really liked that.

I said I like the way our practices seem to come out of nothing.

Carl said he liked the way he leaves these practices with nothing, except faith.

I really liked that too.

Thank You Carl