Aikido in Daily Life: December 2017

We come to our dojo to train so that we’re better able to apply the principles of aikido in our daily lives.

In the practice of most martial disciplines, practitioners work to develop the ability to absorb information from our environment more effectively. In our Aikido training we frequently talk about using “Martial Vision” or 360 degree vision. This takes a lot of work to develop but ultimately this skill begins to grow. Usually, this process starts with actual vision – the seeing with your eyes part. As this skill grows, other senses start to become included, we begin to hear, smell, feel, and maybe eventually even taste more of our environment. This provides more opportunities to appreciate our natural world, our friends, our families, and the other things that mean a great deal to us.

As we enter a season of holidays focused on family, friends, food, light, and peace, it’s a great time to turn our martial vision toward these things and be present with them. Take some time to care for ourselves and be the people we want to be all year long.