Welcome to TheAikidoJourney.com! If you live in Melbourne, Australia, please check out our class timetables and information and we can arrange an experiential class for you. If you are further away, read our articles, watch the videos and be sure to come back soon.You will find many resources to help introduce you to and deepen your practice and enjoyment of Aikido. We will also give you practices and principles for applying Ki and Aikido to revolutionise your life!
My hope is for you to ‘pinch’ this story and not only for you to be influenced by it, but to share it with as many people as you like. Stories are one of the best ways to illustrate philosophies and profound truths and stay with us for much longer! The hero of our story was inspired by one of the great classics of Aikido stories, which is recognised below. That story in turn was no doubt inspired by the wisdom of the founding masters of Aikido, the way of Harmony. Happy reading.
Written by Michael Geisner, based on an oral rendition of his story by ‘Michele’
(N.B. ‘Michele’ is the Italian version of ‘Michael’. Pronounced ‘ Mih-keh-leh’)
About 50 years of age, Michele is a man of average height and build with a pleasant, gentle Italian face and calm, well-mannered demeanour. His regular, neat haircut with grey at his temples befits his occupation in the public service and one could imagine that he cuts a respectable, non-threatening figure dressed in his white collar worker clothes; someone next to whom one could sit on the train and feel perfectly at ease.
At the time this story took place, Michele had been practising Ki Aikido twice a week for about three months.
Michele travels to work in Melbourne’s CBD on the Sunshine line, a train line passing through some rather unsavory centres known for their violence, gangs and assorted troubles. On this particular morning, Michele had managed to secure a seat for himself for the half hour or so remaining to his destination.
After a number of stops, a man stepped on to the train, pushed his way through the other passengers crowded in the doorway and corridor until he found a freer space where he could lean on the dangling handles. He ended up standing in front of Michele.
“Hey, mate. Give us your seat, will ya?’, the fellow said down to Michele, in a voice tinged with hardness, leaning forward for emphasis.
Michele looked up, taken aback at this unexpected,harshly-worded request. The man appeared to be much younger, in his mid thirties, and looked perfectly fit. Why, merely having a rude tone and a threatening glint in the eye are not legitimate reasons to make anyone surrender their hard-won seat. It’s just common sense and this man had the audacity to try to intimidate another! He was obviously not right in the head. Drugs? Mental illness? Anger management issues? Michele could not discern anything, but this guy’s tone and body language showed that he was for real.
Michele paused momentarily, weighing up the options. Fight the guy or tell him to get lost? It seemed so absurd to have to go that far over a seat on the train. Bow down to the threat of this lout and cowardly relinquish the seat and be embarrassed in front of all these onlookers?
No. Michele knew that there was a third way, a way of responding beyond these limited notions of manly honour. In an instant he recalled a famous true story of how an eager Aikido black belt learnt the true power underlying his art when faced with a violent drunk on a train in Tokyo. (“A Kind Word Turneth Away Wrath” by Terry Dobson.)
Inspired by the message of this story, Michele confidently rose from the seat. He looked his aggressor in the face and smiled broadly.
‘By all means, have my seat,’ he gestured for the man to sit.
The younger man looked at Michele, stunned. Was this old fellow being sarcastic? No signs of it, the guy was genuinely giving him his seat.
‘Th-thank you!’ the younger man said, sitting down slowly, still in disbelief at the confident generosity shown him.
Now Michele stood in front of the man, smiling to himself that now it was he who was actually in the superior martial position if anything should happen. The trip continued like this for a short while, when the seated man spoke up.
‘Hey man, thank you for your seat. Where you heading?”
“Oh, I’ m off to work in the city. You?’
“I’m off to Footscray. Know how many more stops that is?” said the man.
“It’s the next one, I think.” said Michele, matter-of-factly.
“Ohhh…” The man thought for a moment and then reached out his hand. “My name’s Steve.”
“I’m Michael,” replied Michele, shaking the man’s hand.
Michele and Steve shared a few minutes of friendly chit-chat until the train stopped at Footscray station.
“Thanks again for the seat, Michael.” said Steve, getting off the train. Michele smiled back and resumed his seat.
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This story from Michele epitomises the spirit of Aikido and everyone in the dojo was so impressed when he told it to us.
There is honour beyond the polar opposites afforded us by the usual righteous chivalric code. You either defend your things with all your strength or you may choose to sacrifice for those you view weaker than yourself. There is an expectation that insults against you will be met with either aggression or servility, depending on your level of self esteem or even the supposedly antiquated notion of manly honour.
Yet we need not be the products of our knee jerk reactions to situations. We can choose to meet challenges and threats with a spirit that encompasses and embraces both physical and psychological attacks and even shows a firm compassion for the attacker; for one who chooses to threaten another unprovoked is ultimately harming themselves far more. They are the ones who must live with the knowledge that they acted out of selfishness or small mindedness and weakness.
The Aikido warrior way is to choose the best way to restore harmony, depending on the situation. Blending, doing nothing, deception, strategic withdrawal are valid options. Sometimes even these may result in the attacker being hurt, but this is their own doing. If their level of violent intent is high and they slip and stab themselves or they expose themselves as liars or manipulators then it is their own doing.
Yet there is a world of difference in intentionally harming another with more force than necessary or letting oneself be hurt. Neither of these are aceptable or appropriate in the majority of cases, although fighting back may be a legitimate response in dire circumstances.
Often the best way is to seek empathy with the other, be willing to go beyond your own ego and take the chance to find out more about another – there is usually a lot more to them than we will ever know.
Michele used Aikido philosophy to resolve this conflict, to transform the outcome. Instead of fight or flight, he chose to act positively, beyond doubt and beyond his small sense of self. Who knows, but this experience may have even transformed Steve or the others looking on in the carriage.
Paradigm shifts like this are very powerful, precisely because they are available to all of us in our everyday lives.
Powerful technique comes through years of striving. Ki or universal energy comes through years of learning how to be natural and learning how to accomplish without striving. But the primal power of bakachikara, while residing in all of us, only arises in those who have truly mastered Ki and can act without limiting thought.
The following is a true account of bakachikara (literally ‘foolpower’) in action. I can vouch for its authenticity, as it was something that happened to me, and I share it with you in all humility, so that you might glean some insight into how I accomplished it. However, you will need to practise bakachikara for yourself if you want to truly appreciate its power. Note: I take no responsibility for the results you achieve.
Here is my tale:
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Sharing that old, ramshackle house in the south of Tokyo with five other gaijin was a golden era in my life. We were a bunch of typical twenty-something ex-pats come to Japan back at the beginning of the nineties. Everyone worked one or two jobs; teaching English, working in bars, doing the odd photo shoot – these attracted good rates and, if one were happy to put up with shoddy housing, one could use the money for carefree fun and adventure.
However, my primary reason for living in Japan was to train in Aikido under my hero, Master Koichi Tohei, founder of Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido and author of “Aikido in Daily Life” (now “Ki in Daily Life”). I had found this book hidden in the depths of the Australian National Library a year before and it had taken my Aikido practice from a fledgling hobby to a sacred passion.
Tohei Sensei’s dojo was in Ushigome, in Shinjuku ward, one of the bustling mega-centres of Tokyo and three times a week I would attend early morning classes, which began at 6:30. In order to get there in time, I would need to arise at 5, ride two, sometimes three trains for about an hour and then run from the station.
Since I arrived home late at night after teaching, I didn’t get my ideal hours of sleep and so the first five minutes of Aikido days were spent in a half-sleeping state.
However, Tohei’s book advised that young people should wake up thoroughly with a practice known as misogi, leading me to douse myself religiously with buckets of cold water upon awakening. Sure enough, misogi invigorates both mind and body, not just through the sudden, inescapable icy drenching, but through the sheer act of consciously preparing to torture oneself after a snug sleep in a futon.
This particular morning began with the usual persistent pii-pii-pii of the alarm, and I fumbled in the dark for the clock button. My actions were still heavy and dull and there was an impulse to crawl back into the sleepy snugness of my futon. No. There was not a minute to waste and I went through the carefully timed, habitual motions that would guarantee I would be just in time for the train.
In the soft, serene glow of dawn I stripped and wrapped a towel about my waist.
Not entirely coordinated yet, I shambled out of my room, sliding the rattly, glass door slowly, so as not to wake Rachel and Elizabeth in the other ground floor rooms.
5:01 and I picked my way through the living room. There were the familiar dim outlines of the monster TV box and old sofa suite in slight disarray from the night before.
“Duck your head,” I reminded myself as I went through the door to the kitchen, an older part of the house, built in a previous era, when the Japanese had been a much shorter race.
The ceiling here was only about 5 and a half foot high. We taller gaijin had to stoop and were always complaining of crooks in our necks.
Beyond the kitchen stretched a long, narrow hallway where we often stood, waiting while our food cooked, as the ceiling there returned to normal height and offered vertical relief.
At the end of the dim hallway lay our tiny, shared bathroom – the site for my morning ritual.
Pausing at the beginning of the hallway, I imagined energy streaking outwards from my Center in a sphere that grew bigger, bigger, BIGGER! My mind grew deeply calm and my natural inclination to skip the misogi was replaced by a conscious, solid determination to face whatever might come.
Totally relaxed, I then strode with a warrior’s purpose through the gloom towards the bathroom.
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Unfortunately, on that day, I forgot something very important about the hallway.
About halfway down it, there was an enigmatic 2”x2” wooden strut spanning across the hallway at the height of the kitchen ceiling. In other words, just above my brow line.
The house shook with a biblical boom, as I, having completely forgotten about this structural peculiarity, strode fully into the strut with my forehead. But, instead of being knocked out with a gashed brow, the force of my unified stride tore the strut out of the two walls and after flying a short distance, it clattered to the wooden floor.
Surprised by the sudden boom I stood still, wondering what had happened. The swift crack to my forehead made me instinctively rub my brow. Then I noticed the strut lying before me. Realising what I had just done, I couldn’t believe that there was no blood or even pain. I seriously began to suspect that I must have actually already (seemlessly) crossed over to the other side.
I stooped down and picked up the veritable club, and saw it had been anchored in the walls with a pair of nails protruding three inches either end!
I just stood there in amazed disbelief, strut in my hand. I heard various bedroom doors being flung open and seconds later, all of my housemates poured into the hallway in their undies and pyjamas. They saw the strut in my hand and asked me how and why the hell I knocked it out. Someone thought that the noise had been a tremor!
I mumbled something in surreal reply, still incredulous myself. I think that in the dawn’s half-light, none of us could quite comprehend that the well-known killer strut had been dislodged by a 65 kg young man’s forehead while bumbling to the shower. In any case, it was too odd for contemplation at that hour, so they all shrugged and went back to their bedrooms, although Rachel and Elizabeth looked me over first to see if I were truly okay.
What did I do then? I had that cold shower and ran extra fast to the station to make up lost time!
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It just goes to show that most attacks really do occur in the home. Furthermore, to survive a vicious, sudden assault, it is paramount to be unified in mind and body at all times, because you may not even have a chance to use techniques.
If you too, would like to learn how to disable architecture with your bare head and feel no pain, then you may be interested in learning how to unify mind and body with Geisner Sensei. Moreover, you may prefer to learn the more delicate art of “ukemi” or how to receive attacks without injury., which Sensei has been working on since this incident.
If you do not live within range of his Melbourne dojo, please stay in contact with him at “Suburban Sensei” or “Aikido Melbourne” on Facebook.
One day in the early nineties, Tohei Sensei gave us a demonstration of how to throw attackers with Ki.
First, he looked at all of us students in the dojo.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Of course, you’re Tohei Sensei!”
“Do you know my rank? Do you know how long I have trained?”
We probably all thought of the answers, but we didn’t say them out loud, sensing that Tohei Sensei was up to something. He stared at us, with a subtle twinkle in his eye, but he was not letting on.
He grunted like a samurai, “Hai, my Ki is very strong, you know!”
There was a pause and he scanned our faces.
“I want two people to help me. I will throw them with Ki.”
David, my lumberjack-like Canadian training buddy nudged me. “C’mon let’s go out!” he said.
Although we were both in our early twenties, I guessed that David was about 6’5″ and probably 100 kgs or more, whereas I was a lightly built 5’10″. And although we were both enthusiastic newcomers to the art, we had slightly different approaches. I was relatively well-versed in the philosophy behind Ki and was an avid fan of Tohei Sensei’s teachings. David, however, was interested, but was still a little skeptical. This was hardly surprising as he towered over everyone else and could rely on his youth and phenomenal physical power. He needed firm proof that this ‘Ki’ thing was for real.
We both arose and went out in front of the class to demonstrate. We both bowed respectfully to Tohei Sensei, who stood a couple of metres away, facing us. His eyes were mostly on David, probably because of his physical presence, but perhaps he wanted to demonstrate on someone who was so obviously stronger than he.
“Please attack me here.” He pointed to his forehead and gestured that he wanted David to deliver a vertical chop or shomen-uchi.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Sure,” replied David calmly, standing focussed. He then raised his great hand above his head and began to charge at Tohei, who was eyeing him.
“HAH!” cried Tohei, thrusting both hands out toward his attacker, as if throwing a ball of energy at him. He then began doing many mystical movements with his arms and making strange noises. (If you’ve ever watched ‘Dragonball Z’, or played ‘Streetfighter’, you know what I mean.)
David stood rooted to the spot, hand still raised in the air, with a shocked look on his face.Everyone gasped. We had never seen anything like this before!
Tohei dropped his hands and looked at David. “Hmmph! I said to attack me, but you just stand there!” he said in mock contempt.
There was a moment of silence and then David shook his head as if waking up. “Oh, right! I thought…” The class erupted into laughter and clapping when they realised, with David, that Tohei had been setting us up all along, that it hadn’t been some mysterious supernatural Force that had kept the big Canadian at bay, but a strong, psychological suggestion that something amazing was going to happen.
David blushed.
Tohei cut through the laughter. “Now cut me!”
David gathered himself and then thundered towards the old man and swung his hand down with great force, not holding back this time.Tohei stood there, serenely, until the last moment, where he deftly shifted to the side, and with his outstretched index finger, cut down on top of David’s rapidly descending fist.
David went sprawling forward and fell in a great clatter on his chest to the mat. It was as if he had just tried to strike a ghost. Tohei held him there for a second with his finger, then allowed David to get up and dust himself off.
He was uninjured, but this time truly awestruck. David looked at Tohei’s smiling face, laughed and looked admiringly at him again.Tohei gave him a friendly slap on the back and invited us both to sit down.
I’m not sure why Tohei had wanted two attackers, because I never got to attack him. I think that throwing David had been more than enough to prove his point!
There are other stories of Tohei demonstrating exactly what he means by ‘Ki.’ There are many interpretations of what it is. Although we would all love to be able to ‘use the Force’ like a Jedi and hurl bad guys around with the power of our wills alone, this is not what we learn in Ki Aikido. Yes, amazing things do happen when you unify mind and body and these effects are astounding when applied to Aikido techniques.
The best way to sort out fact from fiction is to learn through experience. On the way you will need an open mind, eager to delve beneath the surface and learn new things, but you will also need a healthy amount of critical thinking, like David did. Test things out and see their effects for yourself. A great way to verify if it works is through Ki testing.
On Thursday, March 31, we had our first grading for 2011. A big congratulations to all participants – your new ranks are a formal recognition of your dedication and progress. Thanks to the various families who came along to give their support.
On the whole, I was pleased with the level of skill and spirit shown by all participants. Hopefully they also felt that they did well – we put in a lot of rehearsal for this event. I also hope that you came away with a feeling that “Oh, I could have done better in that area..” This shows that you are not completely satisfied with your performance and are eager to do it better! Indeed, these techniques and Ki tests are still in the gradings even into the high ranks of black belt – except they are done on a totally different level with rhythm, grace and much deeper unity.
We will be having four gradings this year: at the end of each quarter. So, the next grading will be held at the end of June. Not everyone who passed this time will be ready by then – the demands for each new belt are greater each time and it takes intensity, frequency and sheer number of hours of training to be ready. If you would like to advance through the ranks quicker, then you might want to increase these from your current level. The results of the grading are as follows:
10th Kyu Yellow Belt
Oscar
9th Kyu Orange Belt
Odin
Wyatt
Philip
Ruben
Lachie
Jakob
8th Kyu Green Belt
Lockie
4th Kyu
Mike
Mark
This footage, taken towards the end of Osensei’s life, shows just how much it had evolved over the many decades. It has obviously reached a stage of complete mastery of timing, distance, unification of mind and body and the utter ability to lead others’ Ki. Of course, the philosophy of love and protection is evident in that the attacker is not injured at all. This is the goal that we strive for in Ki Aikido. I believe that what we are practising is a further, yet natural evolution of what Osensei intended. At the same time, I think that we must also be grateful for the inspiration and dedication of Osensei and seek to carry on the great work that he did. Although Ki Aikido is different from Osensei’s Aikido, if we make sure that it conforms to the principles and ideals that he had for his art, then we can say that we practise a true form of his art.
I started out by doing toitsu no in or “The Seal of Unification”. This is one of the mudra or a hand posture, which are associated with Mikkyo Buddhism. You do not need to be a Buddhist or religious at all to benefit from this hand posture, just as you do not need to have any religious beliefs to gain benefits from yoga positions.
When done properly, this is a great tool for immediately and deeply unifying mind and body – especially for beginners, who may not know how to do Ki breathing or Ki meditation. It is important to think positive, healthy thoughts while doing this seal.
The second part of my misogi practice was kokyu ho or “Ki breathing”. The state of our mind is reflected in the quality of our breathing. By calming the breath, we calm our mind and vice versa. Thus, instead of becoming distracted by the brisk air around us and worrying about how cold it is, we focus on deep, full breaths. When our mind is in this state, there is no shivering.
Usually, these two practices are done in the comfort of our homes or the dojo, but I wanted to try some “old school” discipline and do them without a top on in the snow in a setting of natural beauty. I have heard stories of Osensei and his students practising this way and indeed, Tohei Sensei and Shin Shin Toitsu students do cold water misogi on New Year’s day in Japan, where they crack the ice off the top of a dedicated lake and enter the freezing water up to their chests.
I did not do it formally when over in Japan, but I have done it in icy rivers (see photo gallery) and in the crystal clear rainforest water of Mossman Gorge in Far North Queensland at dawn, one summer’s morning before my black belt exam. (What?! That can’t be cold, surely.) Oh yes, it is. Those waters flow down from the high, pristine mountains under the deep shade of the rainforest canopy. Without unifying mind and body, it is cold enough to take your breath away!
All this may sound like self inflicted torture, but on the contrary, it is a superb way to bring our mind into the Present and be in the body. The uninitiated will seek to brace themselves against the cold and tense up. Done properly however, we learn to totally relax under the adverse conditions and to truly extend Ki. (What else can you do? Haha.)
When we finish misogi, we actually feel invigorated, extremely calm and powerful.
I would like to take some of my students to the snow in the future for a holiday and to show them more of these practices.
One of the great things about Ki Aikido (in particular) is this attitude of light-heartedness. Tohei Sensei’s dojo in Tokyo was always very lively and full of good humour. The instructors all had great senses of comic timing and would often have the class laughing. The most serious people were the beginners!
Have a look in some of the martial arts magazines in the newsagents and you will notice there is a stark contrast between this Aikido approach and that of many martial arts which pursue a fighting spirit. To be tough does not mean that you need to also be hard and grim. In fact, to be successful in all areas of life (not just in the dojo or the ring) you are often required to handle paradox and chaotic situations. Blending with people on a personal level is impossible when you have a fighting mind.
A master under whom I trained in Tokyo once told a story of a young martial arts champion he knew. The tough young man was proud of his fighting prowess and his formidable presence. “No-one dares to even face me.” he declared. Sensei liked the boy, but noticed the hard glint in his eyes. “You have very hard eyes,” he said. “I bet you can crush your opponents with your stare alone.” “Yes, I can.” replied the champ. “I make them scared of me even before we fight.” Sensei drew near and looked gently at his young friend’s eyes. When the boy turned his head to look the Aikido master in the face, his mind moved. Instead of finding fear or anger there, he found a deep warmth and concern. Sensei put his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “And how many friends have you made with those hard eyes?” The boy fell silent as his usual defences melted before the older man. He hung his head and tears welled up as he began to realise the true cost of his “indomitable glare”.
Humour and being buoyant and flexible is the mark of the Ki Aikido warrior. Instead of a menacing stare and rigid stance, we spiral with great energy with smiles on our faces and laughter in our hearts. The result: our partners follow us gladly and we are able to truly practise the ideal of Love and Protection for all of creation.
Life is serious enough – if we are to truly carry our loads, we had better have the wisdom and courage to meet our challenges with the spirit of a mild spring breeze.
- Michael Geisner, September 27, 2007
“One does not need buildings, money, power or status to practise Aikido. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.”Too often in life we wait for the circumstances to be just right before we do something. However, the golden time for which we are hoping often fails to appear.
In terms of our Aikido training, we may be sick, busy, sore, grumpy, disillusioned, out of shape or even struggling to make ends meet. These are exactly the times when we must train! Difficult life circumstances are just like someone gripping your wrist with strength – you can give in and let them control you or you can struggle against them using your own limited strength, where you will probably soon become exhausted and succumb to the next attacker.
Ki Aikido presents us with a third alternative. And that is to relax completely, become aware of all the options available to us and then to move in a calm, decisive manner in accordance with Universal principles.
It is best to extend Ki and make natural efforts to pass through the obstacles that are put in front of us. Through using what we learn in the dojo in the trials of daily life, our Ki becomes stronger and we achieve more self mastery. Heaven is right where we are standing. Wherever you are reading this message, you are in the great dojo of Life. Extend Ki and lead with confidence!
- Michael Geisner, October 2, 2007
“Day after dayJust what exactly did Osensei mean when he said ‘train your heart out?’ From my experience with high level masters, it means to me an intensity in the moment. That intensity can be very smooth and flowing, or it can appear ferocious and unstoppable. This dynamic quality comes forth from a deeply unified state.
Practising with a good instructor, seniors and juniors in the dojo is extremely important. If we train every day, or several times a week at least, we will soon develop the proper habits that will enable us to become great Aikidoka. We should also aim to practise by ourselves, in our own time. Sometimes we find it difficult to practise techniques due to limited time or free space. However, in Ki Aikido we learn how to unify mind and body in daily life and to use Ki and have a Plus mind. This can be practised at full intensity no matter where you are or what you are doing. We need to be very disciplined with our state and to be continually conscious of deepening our level of unification.
Progress in Aikido does not totally rely on number of years trained or hours devoted to technical expertise. If you practise a technique a thousand times a day without focussing on what you are doing, then the only benefit is likely to be muscular conditioning. However, you will be far better off if you concentrate your whole being and perform the move even once. Of course, it would make for exceptionally strong training if we did those thousand repetitions while totally unified! This is the way that Tohei Sensei trained and recommends to us.
I once read a story from old Japan about a man of letters, a scholar. It went something like this..
One day, as he was hurrying through the crowded streets, a scholar accidentally bumped into and knocked over an arrogant samurai warrior. The warrior, who felt he had lost face, then challenged the scholar to a duel at dawn the next morning. Being also of a gentlemanly class, the scholar was honour bound to accept the challenge.
However, the scholar was petrified about the very likely outcome of the duel. He knew the deadly efficiency of a razor sharp katana, especially in the hands of a samurai warrior. For some consolation, he visited a wise monk to find out what he should do.
‘Tonight you must utterly prepare yourself for your certain death tomorrow. Then, when you face your adversary, hold your sword with all your spirit and then, with your one and final stroke, resolve to take him with you.’
The scholar did as he was instructed and spent the night deep in prayer and meditation, thoroughly preparing his spirit for death. When the sun rose on the scene of the duel, the scholar took up his sword, serenely unsheathed it and thrust it out before him. Nothing disturbed his mind as he gazed over its tip at the samurai opposite. Today they both would die.
However, the scholar did not die that day for the duel was called off. The samurai, seeing his own death in the scholar’s calm, intent eyes and sensing no opportunities to strike without being struck in return, decided that it just might be better to overlook the slight injustice done this time round.
Here we can see that it is often a matter of mind and the calm intensity of extending Ki that can make the difference. Then the enlightened techniques of Aikido are given their true power and progress in polishing ourselves is all the more effective.
- Michael Geisner, October 8, 2007
“Just as the number One can never be reduced to Zero, once we act or speak, our action or speech is never completely erased. An old Oriental saying tells us, “Sow good, and the harvest will be good. Sow evil and reap evil.” We must understand that everything we do comes back to ourselves. Therefore before wishing for our own happiness and welfare and that of our children, we must do good in secret. To do good in secret means to act without seeking attention and praise, to act without any hope of reward. This is called Intoku. Among the various ways of performing Intoku, to walk the way of the Universe and to lead others along this way is best.”