While teaching an aikido class a number of years ago, I made the statement that aikido “slows down time.” I got more than a few skeptical looks from the students attending that day. But who could blame them—what an outrageous statement!
I sincerely believe that it’s true. I am talking about the perception of time, the ability to be very, very present in THIS moment in time. Aikido - martial arts - isn’t the only practice that creates this sensation. Any time we are COMPLETELY absorbed in an activity, time slows down for us. We, in essence, step outside time. I have had this experience working on a creative project, writing, drawing, working on a design. The sensation is one of being very focused, but very aware of everything going on around us. Time slows down.
What makes this happen is the total absorption. When we bring everything we are — our entire person —to something, we are creating something really special. You process information quickly, see what is happening as though it were in slow motion. Some call this the Zone. Has it happened to you? Is it even possible in an age where we are constantly distracted by e-mail that can find us anywhere, phone calls, and thinking about the e-mails that can find us anywhere.
The martial arts can teach powerful skills to combat the constant distractions of electronics and being busy, busy, busy. For one thing, you can’t check a smart phone when someone is throwing to the mat or you need to block a strike from a rattan stick, or keep your balance against a partner trying to unbalance you. Those things have a way of focusing the mind very quickly.
The very process of martial arts practice also gives us a break from the distractions. We put on a uniform, or collect a piece of equipment. We come to a special place: a dojo. The dojo is “the place of the way.” For a brief while, we separate ourselves from what has come before, and what will come after. We practice movements, and work with a partner. We set ourselves apart for just a little while. During these practices we are exploring some very basic concepts: focus, practice, mastery.
Elite athletes know these concepts well. They also know that they are not easy to attain. Football players, figure skaters, runners. For every fleeting moment in the sun, there are hours, days, years of practice with team mates, practice alone, lessons with coaches.
Obtaining mastery is simple, but certainly not easy. The first step toward these vital concepts that allow us to be present is very simple: show up. Show up for class, show up for the workout, show up for the practice. The hardest part of an exercise plan is putting on your shoes. Then we do it again. And again.
Once we are there, we practice. We keep practicing. Sometimes we may know we are getting better, but most of the time, we just have to get out of the chair go to our practice and do it. Then do it again. It’s a lifelong journey.
Author George Leonard, an acknowledged Aikido master, wrote a small book entitled Mastery. In the introduction he writes:
“If there is any sure route to success and fulfillment in life, it is to be found in the long term, essentially goalless process of mastery/ This is true, it appears, in personal as well as professional life, in economics as well as ice skating, in medicine as well as martial arts.”
The great thing about the process is that every once in a while, we have that moment where it seems that “time stands still.” It’s a glimpse of what it might be like to be present. It’s a gift, and the pursuit of mastery in an art of our choosing can lead us to more magic moments.
I sincerely believe that it’s true. I am talking about the perception of time, the ability to be very, very present in THIS moment in time. Aikido - martial arts - isn’t the only practice that creates this sensation. Any time we are COMPLETELY absorbed in an activity, time slows down for us. We, in essence, step outside time. I have had this experience working on a creative project, writing, drawing, working on a design. The sensation is one of being very focused, but very aware of everything going on around us. Time slows down.
What makes this happen is the total absorption. When we bring everything we are — our entire person —to something, we are creating something really special. You process information quickly, see what is happening as though it were in slow motion. Some call this the Zone. Has it happened to you? Is it even possible in an age where we are constantly distracted by e-mail that can find us anywhere, phone calls, and thinking about the e-mails that can find us anywhere.
The martial arts can teach powerful skills to combat the constant distractions of electronics and being busy, busy, busy. For one thing, you can’t check a smart phone when someone is throwing to the mat or you need to block a strike from a rattan stick, or keep your balance against a partner trying to unbalance you. Those things have a way of focusing the mind very quickly.
The very process of martial arts practice also gives us a break from the distractions. We put on a uniform, or collect a piece of equipment. We come to a special place: a dojo. The dojo is “the place of the way.” For a brief while, we separate ourselves from what has come before, and what will come after. We practice movements, and work with a partner. We set ourselves apart for just a little while. During these practices we are exploring some very basic concepts: focus, practice, mastery.
Elite athletes know these concepts well. They also know that they are not easy to attain. Football players, figure skaters, runners. For every fleeting moment in the sun, there are hours, days, years of practice with team mates, practice alone, lessons with coaches.
Obtaining mastery is simple, but certainly not easy. The first step toward these vital concepts that allow us to be present is very simple: show up. Show up for class, show up for the workout, show up for the practice. The hardest part of an exercise plan is putting on your shoes. Then we do it again. And again.
Once we are there, we practice. We keep practicing. Sometimes we may know we are getting better, but most of the time, we just have to get out of the chair go to our practice and do it. Then do it again. It’s a lifelong journey.
Author George Leonard, an acknowledged Aikido master, wrote a small book entitled Mastery. In the introduction he writes:
“If there is any sure route to success and fulfillment in life, it is to be found in the long term, essentially goalless process of mastery/ This is true, it appears, in personal as well as professional life, in economics as well as ice skating, in medicine as well as martial arts.”
The great thing about the process is that every once in a while, we have that moment where it seems that “time stands still.” It’s a glimpse of what it might be like to be present. It’s a gift, and the pursuit of mastery in an art of our choosing can lead us to more magic moments.
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