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ARTICLES OF INTEREST
THE 'KI' IN AIKIDO
What is Ki ?
Use the Force, Luke….
Ki is “the force” of Aikido. In Japanese culture Ki
is the living energy
that flows through all things. It is the essence of
life. It is everything
and it is nothing. (Don’t you just love those
Yoda-like sayings?) It is
everything because it’s an energy that permeates all
things, living and
inanimate. It is nothing because it has no
substance, no form. It is very
real but it is intangible. It cannot be touched,
only experienced.
Ki as a perceivable life energy:
Have you ever met someone and you were amazed at the
amount of life they
had? I’m not talking about just an over-abundance of
energy. I mean an
almost glowing aura of energy that can only be
described as positive energy
or presence? They were probably the kind of person
that everyone wanted to
be around, not because they were especially
charismatic (though sometimes
they can be) but because you felt alive when you
were around them. They
projected and shared this energy to everyone and
everything they came in
contact with and their supply was boundless. Many
people describe O’Sensei,
the founder of Aikdio, as this type of person. He
was infused with a great
amount of this Ki energy, or more to the point he
had opened himself up to
accept the energy that’s already around us. Ki is
that subtle brilliance or
glow that you just can’t put your finger on when you
meet someone new.
Everything feels right, like it’s just “flowing”.
Ki in metaphysics & religion:
The manifestation of Ki that I just described is
only one facet of how Ki
can be represented in the world around us. This same
energy has been used as
holistic or “mystical” medicine by various cultures
for centuries. The
Taoist religion is based on the much of the concept
of ki, as well as many
other religions. Reiki, a Japanese-based wholistic
healing discipline that
utilizes visualizations and energy work, also uses
the concept of Ki.
Shin-shin-toitsu-do, Japanese yoga developed by
Nakamura Tempu Sensei
(1876-1968), is an oriental form of meditation and
healing that also puts a
great emphasis on Ki. Chi in the Chinese culture is
often likened to Ki as
well. As you can see, several disciplines are all
built around this central
spiritual concept. Ki is life and Ki is energy and
Ki is very real and very
much a part of our world once we become aware of it
and skilled enough to
effectively utilize it.
This may be a bit controversial but it is my opinion
that the “holy spirit”
represented in various forms in many different
religions is also a pure and
often conscious manifestation of Ki. If that is so
then Ki has an especially
close tie to faith or belief. Much of Aikido
practice emphasizes
visualization, which puts the spirit in line with
the physical and, in my
mind at least, backs up this theory.
Ki as sound:
Ki can also manifest itself in the form of sound, or
voice. There is a form
of marital art known as Kiaijitsu which devotes
exclusive study to the kiai
(or spirit shout). Kiai is a focused shout that can
cause various effects on
an opponent depending on the intent of the person
doing the shouting. This
is based on the principle that sound is a form of
energy and can thereby
effect the world around us and others in our world, especially on a
spiritual or psychological level.
Your Kiai should feel energetic and cleansing. It
should not feel strained
or forced. The sound should originate from your
center(hara). You should
feel your abdomen tighten and the air and sound
should explode from your
body with intent and spiritual vigor. Do not shout
solely from your chest.
Ki comes from the center and a kiai comes from Ki
and should thereby
originate from your center. Your throat should
remain open and unobstructed
so that sound and energy can flow easily. Focus and
visualize your kiai
before releasing it, feel the buildup of energy and
then feel it unleashed
from your center as you release it.
It is said that O’sensei’s Kiai was described by
Sensei Roy Seunaka as a
force that “sapped energy from an attacker” or
simply “draining their will
to fight.” Sensei Seunaka’s book also describes film
footage of O’sensei’s
kiai knocking an attacker to the matt with the force
of his shout alone,
Twice in a row no less!
Shihan Tohei sensei’s kiai shout is described as
being more physical and
much lower in tone than O’sensei’s shout. Where
O’sensei’s should would
drain an attacker, Tohei’s would cause an instant
fear reaction. It was
described by Seunaka Sensei as “bowling or blowing
you over.” Perhaps this
difference in effect comes from the intent and the visualization used
to back the shout? This intent change changes the
vibration and thereby the
effect of the energy put out by the kiai.
Another sound manifestation of Ki is the study of
the Kotodama which is an
ancient Shinto doctrine that held that certain
sounds are “sacred” and have
divine origin. This same principle is also present
in other religions as
well. O’sensi was said to be a practitioner to both
the Kiai (spirit shout)
and to the principles of the kotodama.
Ki in Aikido:
This realm gets into a sphere where I am far from an
expert but I will be
more than happy to express what I have learned on
the subject thus far.
The presence of Ki in Aikdio is that perfect
technique where everything
falls into place seamlessly and executing a
technique was almost effortless.
Uke practically threw himself but, in fact, had
little choice in the matter.
It is also that extra “juice” that you have learned
to give a technique when
the extra power comes not from muscle but from
connection of center,
stealing balance and projecting.
Ki can be felt in the connection of centers. When an
Aikido technique steals
an opponent’s balance and connects the opponent’s
center to yours, rendering
him dependent on you for balance you have
effectively connected centers.
When centers connect you are both one force dancing
together. Where you take
your opponent he must follow (going with the flow).
Experienced Aikidoka:
Ki is most prominent in experienced practitioners of
Aikdo. You will notice
the relaxed yet focused concentration (very
meditative-like) mindset of an
experienced aikidoka executing a technique. They are experienced in
letting the energy and momentum of the technique guide them.
This focus and the
power of visualization put Ki into motion and
allows them to channel this
energy and increase the potency of their technique.
How else can a frail
little old Shihan throw people five feet in the air?
It’s mind over matter
or really, more to the point, Ki over mater.
How do you project ki?
Many experienced practitioners of Aikido talk about “projecting ki.”
This is the practice of visualizing a force or stream of
energy coming from you and
the universe around you THROUGH you. This energy is
mentally visualized as
projecting from you into and through your target,
often to infinity. This
visualization will “open the door” for Ki into your
technique.
A good illustration of this concept is the Aikido
“unbendable arm.” This
technique involves holding your arm out from the
body with a slight bend at
the elbow with a semi-relaxed feel. The arm is not
to be rigid but should be
imagined as a stiff, yet bendable and pliable object
that is generally
intent on staying where it is. The visualization
that accompanies this
technique often involves imagining that your center
is the center of the
universe, behind which is a massive flood of water
waiting to rush through
your center with great force and momentum. The water
is allowed to flow
through your center and up your body and project out
your arm as if you were
a water hose with an infinitely forceful jet of
water shooting from your
hand. The water projects out to infinity.
This “water” is the Ki flowing through you. The
effect on your body is such
that your arm may move slightly but the force of the
water flowing through
at great speed keeps your arm from being bend,
though it is slightly
pliable.
This same visualization can be used in many many
aikido techniques to give
your application of the technique a very subtle but
very powerful boost.
When throwing an opponent imagine the well of water
forcing itself out
through you and into the uke being thrown and the
momentum of that energy
transferred to them carrying them the extra
distance. Or, when you must
maintain your balance and become immovable imagine
the water projecting up
into the sky or down into the Earth, thereby rooting
you where you are. Look
at any Aikido technique and figure out how the water
will flow, look at the
way the energy is exchanged and back up that
exchange of energy with a
visualization of your own.
Don't Abuse Ki:
Be very careful with this added power obtained from
directly and consciously
utilizing Ki. The added power in your technique can
cause unnecessary damage
to the opponent. This extra potency should never be
abused. Aikido is
founded on the “loving protection of all things” in
the words of our
founder, O’sensei.
- Rev. James Sangster
President
Liquid Computers
Houston, TX
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