Think before we react.....

In Aikido training sometime we will say about, connection, reaction, focus, eye contact, ukemi etc, all these small repeating details that we always train is not just for the dojo only. Many always say Aikido in your daily life, which I've been trying to do and always remind my students to do. Sometime is not easy but I hope we can always keep that in mind.

An uke attacks but always try to maintain balance and contact, nage blends always connecting, extending etc. When we talk or do things, we must try to maintain this kind of relationship and ideals, sometime we are uke, sometime we are nage, sometime we need to be empty and just stay.

Aikido sometime involve a lot of thinking not just on technique but ideals of life. Quote from O-sensei

"One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train." Morihei Ueshiba

Many reasons were involved when we chose someone to help out in the dojo, it doesn't mean that someone who is teaching must be very good in technique, maybe their characters are much better, maybe they are more friendly when they are teaching others, maybe they don't select which type of group or ages to teach. But those that always use to help out was less and less assign of helping also have reasons involve, maybe is time for the younger generation to train up, maybe your character and attitude changes.

We must remember we are not the best as we are learning always, if we have a mind thinking we are the best, harmony in dojo will be loss. Don't always use quote that "this Sensei say this, this Sensei do that" when classes are carrying out by other Instructors or leaders and your are in a viewer position, that shows no respect to the dojo, your friends and your teacher decision. Remember uke and nage relationship? Students that watch beside the class should only seat and look instead of walking into the mat, talking in front of the teacher for the day about what we feel is right or wrong, even if the teacher was a lower grade then you, much younger then you, or is you junior.

Mount Fuji is for everyone but if we keep picking fault about the ways and ideals people are doing and teaching in the class, we are putting barrier along the road for climbing up the mountain for both our junior and ourselves.

Hope we always will remember, when is the role of uke, the role of nage, the role of emptiness, changing of this 3 roles always in things we do and training, may everyone find our own harmony and peace in life :)