Follow The Energy: Writing Aikido

When my friend Lynn asked how I incorporate the principles of Aikido into my writing practice

, I was surprised and dumbfounded-surprised by the delightful question and dumbfounded because I've been practicing Aikido for fifteen years and teaching and writing about Aikido almost as long, but I'd never considered how my Aikido and writing practices might be connected.

Aikido-translated as The Way of Blending with Energy-is a Japanese martial art developed by Morihei Ueshiba in the early 20th century. Ueshiba died in 1969. Aikidoists call him O'Sensei or Great Teacher. A master of many martial arts, O'Sensei believed these arts could serve a higher purpose, and over time he created Aikido as a way to reconcile and, as he said, "to make human beings one family."

Aikido employs no blocks or counterpunches. The goal: to disarm without harming. The method: blending and redirecting. The student of Aikido learns to "catch" the attack energy, to blend with it and redirect it to a safe conclusion. In order to blend, we move off the line of attack; we get out of the way. We step back, slide sideways, or move into an opening created by the attack, then contain the attacker with a pin or throw.

Consequently, the person delivering the attack usually ends up on the floor. And learning to fall safely becomes a key skill and indispensable option-another way to catch or receive energy. Aikido represents a new way to engage, to blend with whatever comes, and to transform resistance into connection.

You may already see the link between Aikido and writing. Like Aikido, writing is both an art and a practice. When I practice either with intention and regularity, technique improves and eventually becomes invisible.

Like Aikido, when I'm writing well, I'm in a flow state. I acknowledge and blend with all that is going on in mind, body and spirit. When I feel stuck, for example, I ask: Why is this hard? What am I resisting? Or, What am I really trying to say here? I pay attention to what wants to emerge, and I connect with the stuck energy until it begins to flow.

In both Aikido and writing, the goal is alignment. Instead of pushing back on an idea or forcing it, I listen to where it wants to go. Instead of seeking the perfect word, phrase, or preposition, I let words flow, even if ungrammatical or nonsensical, in order to let the energy of the moment, the thought, flow freely. I get out of the way. Later I look and see what I've got. Sometimes it's useless, and sometimes I don't change a thing. But the "letting it flow" part is really fun. Catching the energy.

These are not new ideas. But the physical sensation of using energy on the mat helps me to find it off the mat. O'Sensei said: "Always practice the Art of Peace in a vibrant and joyful manner." When writing feels hard, I remember and return to the joy-a practice that works in Aikido and in writing.

by: Judy Ringer

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