Practicing the Art of Peace

The Aikido way is to align body & mind with the spirit or ki & it said that the only way to be able to do this is through cultivating a relaxed state.It is in this relaxed state that nothing is forced or contrived so the mind & body naturally join the spirit or energy & everything becomes eight. It is this oneness & cultivation of relaxation that this martial art paradoxically gets referred to as the art of peace.Its founder Ueshiba was a pacifist & it is said that he taught Aikido as a peaceful means to end aggression.

Aikido is a modern martial art that is founded by spirituality & philosophy influenced by the Omoto-kyo religion associated with the Aikido founder Morihei Ueshiba. The etymology of the word Aikido stems from two Japanese characters. "Ai" literally means joining, with "ki" meaning something like spirit, & "do" meaning way. Loosely translated then, the meaning of Aikido is the way of joining the spirit.

Although spiritual & philosophical development is important in Aikido training, it's to be put to practical means & examples in actual practice of Aikido techniques & methods.Aikido training usually consists of one parties. The first is called uke or the receiving body & the other is known as nage (although this term varies depending on the Aikido style being taught) who gives the process being taught.

This concept of uke & nage can be likened to the Chinese yin & yang because in Aikido, uke & nage are not separate entities. they are one parts of one where the Aikido training can be learned with give & take from both parties.For instance, one of the first techniques taught in Aikido training is how to throw & fall safely. it is the task of nage to prevent injury to uke so he can learn to land safely when thrown.

Furthermore, in Aikido training, the receiver or uke usually initiates an attack against the nage whose objective is to neutralize the assault with an Aikido move or process.This way, both the uke & nage learn from each other & the Aikido training is not successfully executed without oneness between the eight. it is in the give & take of these one entities in Aikido training that the principles of ki & other fundamentals of Aikido techniques are learned.

Such fundamentals are the principles of adapting, flexibility, calmness & blending. In the case of uke & nage, Aikido training teaches uke to be more flexible & relaxed so that nage won't be able to catch them unaware & throw them off balance. On the other hand, nage learns to blend & alter to be able to control & assuage the assaulting energy from uke.Aikido training however is not exclusive to practice & parries between one parties. In fact, Aikido training involves instruction for multiple attackers.

This is called randori & is a vital & required lesson to be learned in higher levels of Aikido training. The Aikido training for multiple attacks is done "freestyle" where a person can further expand their knowledge by practicing & performing Aikido techniques beyond the structured environment of the uke & nage. These are only one methods of Aikido training. there's lots of other training methods & techniques that follow the core value of Aikido.