What about *your* aikido?

[Adam]

A question to the membership... so what style of aikido do *you* practice and what do you think is the defining characteristic(s) of your style, if any?

I realize most of you out there practice shin-shin-toitsu aikido. However, we might all have a different view about what defines our style.

For instance: Do other styles place an emphasize on what is relative and what is absolute?

thanks,
Adam

[vvolfgang]

Now that I've had my first taste of Aikido (fully congizant that I've only barely scratched the surface of this art) I have a boat-load of questions.

One of which, to jump on Adam's original thread, how would you describe/compare/contrast Shin-Shin Toitsu Aikido to others? (in your own words please, and no cut-n-pasting from stlki.org web page!)  

What would you consider absolute and what would you consider to be relative?

Jason
"someone pass the Tiger Balm..."

[Adam]

What would you consider absolute and what would you consider to be relative?

Well, when I referred to relative/absolute, I was pulling from this ki saying (Shokushu) by Tohei, sensei (pardon the copy-paste)   :

• THE PRINCIPLE OF NON-DISSENSION
  
  There is no conflict in the absolute Universe, but there is conflict in the relative world.
  
  If we unify our mind and body, become one with the Universe, and practice its principles, others will follow us gladly.
  
  Do not say that this is a world where we must struggle to live each day. The true way to success is exactly one and the same as the principle of non-dissension, and that is the way to peace.
  

I am very intrigued by the first sentence. You can keep it simple in meaning, or define the heck out of it. Okay, I just deleted a bit of blather, just now, that was my attempt at putting meaning to this. I'll let someone else with a bit more skill in this area do that. I'll just say that this is something I feel that weaves its way through my training and daily life ... and is a defining characteristic of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido.

[Selkie]

My aikido is a dance.   I used to be a dancer and still have a lot of cohesion to my movements.  There's a lot of grace in aikido that fits perfectly with me; when I do a waza, it comes out looking very fluid and dancelike.   I don't know many dance styles that can send someone hurtling across the room, though.... ^_~

As for how the different aikido styles compare, I might be able to answer that in the near future.  I started out with a dojo that taught shin-shin toitsu aikido and I loved it, but I had great difficulty learning from the chief sensei.  I was getting terrible migraines from trying to concentrate so hard and I had to leave the practice.  This broke my heart, as I knew that I could learn from some of the junior sensei, but it was the senior sensei who taught all of the adult classes.   However, I am signed up for a 7-week course with another dojo, that teaches a different style of aikido.  I won't learn Tohei-sama's advancements in ki disciplines (good thing I already know the ki oneness rhythm exercises...) but if I can learn from the new sensei, then at least I can resume aikido.  It may not be exactly the same, but at least I have the shin-shin toitsu principles that I can take with me.

Is mise le meas
-==- Selkie