Last night I arrived, dressed out, and set-up the mats for class. Normally when I am early, I practice with the bokken or jo. I started going through nage's role in the first four kumitachi bokken katas. I also practiced shikkyo (knee-walking) bokken yokemen cuts both forwards and backwards. I ended the half-hour of solo bokken kata practice with a ten-minute zenshin meditation practice sitting in sezei. My mind still wanders but this practice is centering oneself while maintain awareness all around. This practice is different from my usually private meditation practice at home as the social context of practicing Aikido in the center of an active gym means I am surrounded by moving humans. I need to be more aware and project stillness while being prepared to move at any moment, an awareness that requires other people.
I had left my cell-phone at home, so when I returned, Mike had left a message. I called back and we scheduled an Aikido class today from 5:15 to 6:15 at Escalante Fitness Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment