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Photo of Hasegawa Sensei, taken by David Michaud

One of the purposes of ritual is to develop personal power, to make yourself strong first, so that you can then go out and help others become strong.

People often confuse ritual with routine, when in fact they are nearly opposite. Routines dull your senses and crush your spirit, whereas when practiced properly rituals can renew your mind and body.

An essential way to discover something new is to visit the same place.

This was known by Confucius (206 BC~220 AD), and immortalized in his proverb,

People who don’t have a personal power ritual often ask, how can you keep doing the same thing, over and over again? But is a game of golf ever the same? Doesn’t the artist see ordinary things with a fresh eye?

Similarly, training in martial arts or calligraphy is never boring, or you are there for the wrong reasons.

To learn more about how to create your own power ritual, read my latest article on DAIJOB.COM called The Power of Ritual.

Maruyama Koretoshi Sensei, Founder of Aikido Yuishinkai

From Method to Mastery

One of the wonderful things about learning Aikido is that it takes you step by step into a world that is beyond steps. Training takes you from the world of technique to the realm of art, from method to mastery.

My teacher Maruyama Koretoshi, founder of the Aikido Yuishinkai, is a Master of this process, and has captured its essence in a way that rewards perseverance and practice. Anyone, regardless of age or experience, can reach a level of mastery if they persist on the path. Genius and talent may give you a head start, but like the hare in Aesop’s fable, it is more often the tortoise that wins the race.

Having trained directly with the founder of Aikido Ueshiba Morihei, Maruyama Sensei’s career in Aikido extends over more than half a century, and at age 72 he is incredibly fit and full of energy. A Japanese proverb says that Perseverance brings Power (keizoku ha chikara nari, 継続は力なり). However, Maruyama Sensei points out that perseverance requires power, and the source of this power is actually training, the mastery of forms which with practice become an integral part of you.

Mastery is a kinesthetic process, learning with your body. Such learning does not abandon you over time. Once you learn how to swim, how to ride a bicycle, or how to speak your native tongue, it sticks with you for a lifetime, even if you are away from it for a while. By contrast, how much do you remember of the subjects you studied in school? Could you still pass the tests now that you once passed years ago to graduate?

Did you see that?

For those who have not experienced the magic of training over time, the martial arts may seem to be more about mystery than mastery.

How is it possible to detect the movements and intentions of an opponent before they actually occur?

How can you successfully subdue a person who is much larger or stronger than you?

How can you keep your center and remain calm when those about you are losing it under pressure?

How can a small turn of the wrist result in such a dynamic throw?

Aikido training may begin with the mechanics of movement, but it quickly progresses from method to magic, as the dynamics become more subtle and sophisticated. The untrained eye may altogether miss  what is happening, because beginners focus on following the obvious rather than attuning to the opportunity.

A real Master of Aikido can do both the mechanics and the magic, and will adjust their teaching in such a way that anyone, starting from any level, can move quickly from where they are to where they can be.

To see Aikido in action, to feel its power, is still magic despite decades of practice. There is certainly more to it than meets the eye, which is why when you see an amazing throw in the dojo, all you can say is, “Wow! Did you see that?”

Power of Ritual

Without practice you will end up with more froth than finish. This applies as much in life as it does in the dojo. In fact whatever you do, even not doing something, is actually practice leading to habits, good or bad. The key is to find the best practices which enable you to leverage the power of ritual to a favorable result.

What happens if you drift along without discipline? You end up becoming a victim of your own bad habits, or as some would say, stewing in your own juices.

Samuel Johnson (1709~1784) remarked brilliantly that, The chains of habit are too weak to be felt, until they are too strong to be broken.

If you want to start now forming good habits that will serve you for a lifetime, I can think of no better place to start than Aikido.

How much of your life do you spend sitting, lying down, or eating, without exercising or using your legs?

Unless you are planning to spend a lot more time that way, think twice about the consequences of a sedentary lifestyle.

Have you considered the now well established connection between positive attitude and health?

Negative thinking can spoil your relationships, ruin your health, and shorten your life.

Some people have learned how to connect the two, using your legs in walking or running, and improving your attitude. Two birds, one stone.

Read more about it in my syndicated article, Getting on Your Feet.

Get off your seat, and on to your feet!

Find freedom in finesse

How good it feels to move. Movement frees us from stress, and we seek freedom in music and physical motion. We love to watch animals in the wild, and pets please us with their constant movement and antics. Walk and run, revel in rhythm, sport, and dance. Free as a bird.

Movement is both a measure of freedom and a celebration of discipline.

But can you relate? For many people movement is more about effort and avoidance than joy and freedom. They would rather ride than walk, be a spectator than a player.

Is this avoidance really from laziness, or could it be due to the discomfort of moving without finesse?

If you tend to avoid movement, you may be finding yourself less flexible, more easily fatigued, and drifting slowing toward a sedentary life. Head down that road too far and you may reach the point of no return. This is not a natural consequence of aging, but rather of the habit of inactivity.

A better solution is to improve the quality of your movement with Nanba, or physical finesse.

Download the quick-guide-to-nanba to find out more about the origins and applications of this approach to movement. Though it is well-rooted in Japanese culture, its contemporary applications range from improving performance in classical music and sports, to enhanced quality of movement in daily life at any age.

It can rejuvenate your body with natural movement in daily life, and can even protect you from harm or injury. If you feel physically awkward, out of alignment, or outflanked by fatigue, it can help you recover freedom in finesse.

There is a series of exercises and applications for this art, but its most ready application is in Nanba Walking. 

We are in the process of forming a Nanba Association to promote awareness and training in Nanba movement, though currently the primary sources of information are still in Japanese.

Regularly I meet with the members of the Shunsokai (Quantum Leap), and we study various aspects of the Entrepreneurs Creative Edge.

One thing which any entrepreneur needs to succeed is Energy, and no amount of motivation will help you if you don’t have a strong physical energy base to work from. Nanba running is a superb way to develop physical finesse, energy and stamina, as well as confidence that you can go the extra mile over and over again.

Although we started the Shusokai group with student members from my Alma Mater (1972~73), Waseda University, it is open to participation by students from other universities, as well as adults who want to participate. We meet each month, there is no charge for participation other than use of facilities when needed, and the momentum we build will be Quantum in Quality!

On 22 November 2008, we held our group training session on Nanba running, and ran a course around and in the park at the Nippon Budokan in Kudanshita in central Tokyo. We had 9 participants, and perfect weather. We met first at the Runners Station, a facility in central Tokyo that serves urban runners by providing  showers and coin lockers, so that you can make running a part of your daily routine, as well as enjoy some of the beautiful parks in Tokyo.

Though most of the participants are not regular runners, and most are also learning Nanba running for the first time, after about 30 minutes of introductory training in how to do Nanba running, we ran just over 5 km (just over 3 miles) in 39 minutes, at a pace of about 7.3 min/km, burning 460 calories. I know this, because I tracked it on my iPod, using the iPod+Nike application, a brilliant collaboration between Apple and Nike that enables you to select running courses with Google maps anywhere in the world, download running music and training programs, set goals, track your performance, and post the results online! Here is a screenshot of today’s run.

It is surprisingly easy and comfortable to run this distance with Nanba running, and you only get better with practice. Because Nanba emphasizes awareness, enjoyment, and internal coordination, it is the opposite of the traditional ”no pain, no gain” philosophy. One of the things that Nanba helps you understand is how your body and environment are always changing, and how much more comfortable it is to ride the changes, rather than oppose them.

In Nanba the arm and leg movements are coordinated in a same side rhythm, so that when you step on the right foot, your right palm matches that movement with a vertical downward motion. This is quite different from the traditional horizontal arm pumping which you see many runners doing.

There are many subtle aspects to the training which are easier to demonstrate in person than to describe in print, but the result is a stressless running style that exercises the whole body and does not strain any particular part. Even people who have not run or exercised in a while are able to run with relative ease, without feeling fatigued or out of breath. It seemed to us that we were running as fast or faster than many of the non-Nanba joggers who were out running in the fine weather, and judging by their faces, certainly a lot more comfortably.

Moreover, Nanba running can be very fast for short sprints. Simply by leaning forward to accelerate, you not only pull way ahead of the others, but experience the effects of a turbo charger on your running legs! You reach your top speed so fast, that you almost want to put the breaks on shortly after you start. Incidentally, this is a technique that can be used in Nanba self-defence, where after you break free you simply break away and remove yourself from danger as fast as possible! A nice survival technique for any number of situations.

Waseda students are planning a 2-day 100 km walk (62 miles) in May 2009, and my students are already keen to do it in Nanba style. After all, this was the standard form of transportation in the Edo Period in Japan, and people both walked and ran distances that are almost unthinkable for modern people accustomed to riding in vehicles and sitting down most of the time.

In our future monthly Shunsokai sessions, we are planning to do more urban orienteering with Nanba walking and running, exploring some of the history and beautiful scenery in Tokyo. We will keep you posted on our Nanba Run at the Creative Edge!

Nanba is the Art of Physical Finesse. I define it as the physical art of being creative in crisis.

There are many ways to practice Nanba, and one of the best is through running, because it is challenging enough to put your body in a mild state of crisis, without putting you in any danger.

What are the benefits of Nanba Running?

• Balance and tone your body with natural running

• Extra energy from improved use of your body

• Free yourself from stress and mental blocks

• Anti-aging effect through better posture and rhythm

Where can you learn and practice Nanba Running?

If you live in Tokyo, there are opportunities each month to learn more about Nanba. You can become a member of the Shunsoukai (瞬想会), through which I meet regularly with students from Waseda and other Universities.

We meet at the Runners Station, which has coin lockers and showers, change to running clothes, and then go to the Nippon Budokan Park.

I conduct training in Nanba running for about 30 minutes, and then as a group we will run a course of about 5 km in length (roughly 40 minutes) around the beautiful Nippon Budokan.

In case of rain, we have an alternative activity planned at the nearby MOMAT Art Museum. In any case, please contact me by e-mail in advance if you want to participate. Participation is free, but you must sign up to register.