Aikido is a paradoxical art. Fully grasping Aikido requires you to develop a relatively complex understanding of its technical curriculum, while at the same time having direct access to the universal principles that are the spiritual core of the art. Another way to look at it is, to fully master the art of Aikido you need to “learn Aikido like a pro, create Aikido as an artist.”  

Let’s take the extraordinary artist Pablo Picasso as an example. It is no understatement to say that Picasso revolutionized the art world. He is regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. But as it turns out, the Picasso we know as one of the founders of the “cubist” movement was not always a cubist.

If you look at the early art of Pablo Picasso you may not even recognize his art. Picasso was deeply trained in the classics from a very early age and his early art reflects. Just look below at the chronological overview of his art from when he was a young man, to when he was an old man.

A chronology look at Pablo Picasso’s self-portraits

It is plain to see that the early Picasso was a master of the classical styles of art. And later Picasso was the true ARTIST! It’s no wonder that he is famous for this quote he made in his later years: “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break the rules like an artist.”

“ Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break the rules like an artist —PABLO PICASSO

You can see a very similar progression in the below pics of the founder of Aikido Morihei Ueshiba. In his younger days (see 1936 pic) he shows a much more formalized Aikido that is clearly structured in a classic style. Yet in the later pic from 1966 when he was quite an old man, O Sensei is applying the same “technique” but in a much more free expression of the art.

So to paraphrase Picasso here, we could say “Learn Aikido Like A Pro, So You Can Create Aikido Like An Artist.”

A chronology look at O Sensei’s Aikido

The below video is the 4th in my 4-part Facebook Live series I did on “Aikido And Teaching.” In this video, I addressed this exact topic, namely, what does it mean to “Learn Aikido Like A Pro, So You Can Create Aikido Like An Artist”?

Here are some of the points I cover in this teaching:

• The 3 stages of sword making
• If you break the rules too soon you never become grounded in the school/ style
• If you hold on to the rules too long then you will never freely express an artist
• What is an “Archimedean point”
• The need to break your “fixation points”
• You need to become somebody before you become nobody
• The role of “doing” vs. “being”
• The balance of autonomy & communion

Here is the replay of part 4 in my 4-part series on “Aikido And Teaching”. Enjoy!

Question: How do you experience “The Rules Of Aikido And The Art Of Aikido”? Watch the above video replay then join the conversation by leaving your comments below!

Join Miles Kessler For The “WINTER AIKIDO CAMP”
Tel Aviv, Israel | March 4th – 8th, 2019

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How deep are you? Are you a deep thinker? Do you enjoy deep conversation with others? Are you able to feel deeply into yourself… and into the world around you? Or, do you prefer to stay superficial, like a cork bobbing up and down on the surface of the water? In this blog post I am exploring what it means to be deep… and the fundamental practice where “Mindfulness Deepens.”

What Is Mindfulness?

Jon Kabat-Zinn, who is arguably the father of the modern Mindfulness movement, gives the following definition of Mindfulness; “Mindfulness is paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.” 

“ Mindfulness means paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally. —JON KABAT-ZINN

This upgraded, and pragmatic definition of mindfulness fits very well our modern lives. As modern, and post-modern westerners we tend to be goal oriented achievers, who are forward driven and a tad judgemental (especially about ourselves). It is like we’ve inherited an attitude that keeps us on the surface of things and prevents depth.

Being “on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgemental” is a beautiful way to pay attention. It is also a wonderful antidote to he modern mind that will only take you deeper into the moment.

The classic definition of Mindfulness from Buddhist Psychology (the Abhidhamma) is also pragmatic, but less about attitude, and more of a phenomenological  description: the characteristic of mindfulness is “non-superficiality.”

In other words, Mindfulness sinks. Mindfulness deepens. When ever you are mindful of an experience, your very knowing of that experience will deepen.

In the below Facebook Live replay, I unpack the meaning of Mindfulness and share some practical tips on how to engage the practice of “Mindfulness Deepens.”

Click below and join me going deeper, forever and always deeper, on the path of mindfulness.

Question: What practices do you have to go deeper into the present moment? Watch the above Facebook Live replay and join the conversation by leaving your comments below!

Join The “Meditation Discovery Cycle” Online Practice Community. Click Below And Discover Your Very Own Spiritual Resource.

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The late Austrian psychotherapist and  Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl famously said “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Not only is this brilliant quote profoundly true, but it is also a very powerful description of how mindfulness actually works. I invite you to join me in the below Facebook Live replay as I unpack the profound meaning of the “Mindfulness Between Stimulus & Response”. 

Between Stimulus & Response

How often do you rest in the space between things? Between activities, tasks, talks, feelings, or thoughts. Between stimulus and response. If you’re like me you probably put a lot of energy in doing (not to mention thinking) in your busy life. There is nothing wrong with that as we need to function in life.

But do you give equal time to the space in between? Resting in that space where Viktor Frankl says we find our power to choose, our growth, and our freedom.

In the below replay in my Facebook Live meditation series, I talk about how the development of mindfulness increases your threshold of perception to the point of seeing the subtle unconscious habits that drive your life.

This practice is very simple… but by no means easy. And it is perhaps the most empowering practice you can do.

Click below and join me for a few minutes in that space between stimulus & response!

Question: What is your experience of the space between stimulus and response? Watch the above Facebook Live replay and join the conversation by leaving your comments below!

Join The “Meditation Discovery Cycle” Online Practice Community. Click Below And Discover Your Very Own Spiritual Resource.

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How often do you stop in life? Just stop. In the middle of the relentless rush of your daily life. To intentionally take a moment, a minute, an hour, a day… to stop acting and doing, and to just be in the stillness surrounded by the flow of things. And how often do you engage the movement of life as a flow? To effortlessly, selflessly, and elegantly align with the very movement that is the essence of living. Join me in this Facebook Live replay for a deeper look into the meaning of Movement & Stillness.

Movement & Stillness

What does movement have to do with stillness? What does it have to do with meditation? And what does stillness have to do with movement, with embodiment, and with the universal nature of change?

And what does any of this have to do with turtles? (hint: everything)

This post is the beginning of a series I’ll be doing for the next several weeks on meditation for my upcoming “Meditation For Aikidoka” 8-week online course. You are invited to join me with weekly teachings like the one below that will deepen your practice and bring your meditative heart and mind more into your life.

In this Facebook Live replay I teach specifically about the embodiment of meditation, including a short guided meditation which I a sure you will enjoy.

Question: How does “Movement & Stillness” relate to your meditation practice? How does it relate to your embodiment practice? Watch the above Facebook Live replay and join the conversation by leaving your comments below!

Join The “Meditation Discovery Cycle” Online Practice Community. Click Below And Discover Your Very Own Spiritual Resource.

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In one way or another, we are all teachers, and we are all students. Surely from time to time, you find yourself helping another, or getting another’s help in understanding something new. At the very least it is safe to say that we are all learners.  It is in this spirit that I’m sharing my latest post on 3 Ways To Be A Better Aikido Teacher (And Student!).

This video is part 3 of a 4-part Facebook Live series on “Aikido And Teaching” that I made back in January 2018. The 1st video of this series was on the topic of “How To Choose An Aikido Teacher”, and the 2nd video was on “3 Bridging Practices For Aikido.” In this 3rd of 4 talks, I focus on why we need to continue to grow as teachers.

Here’s a summary of the points I covered more deeply in the Facebook Live broadcast.

Why is it important to be the best teacher you can be?

I began by looking at why it’s important to be the best teacher you can be. Here s a summary of points I touch on:

• The responsibility of guiding others
• The responsibility of transmitting the principles of Aikido
• Realizing your fullest potential
• Helping others realize their fullest potential
• Why Aikido needs us to evolve

From here I go into the main topic by elaborating on the following 3 ways to be a better Aikido teacher.

3 Ways To Be A Better Aikido Teacher

Way #1: Waking up

The first way to become a better Aikido teacher is by “waking up.” Waking up is the essential first step in any developmental process. Without it your practice will stagnate, both as a teacher and a student. Simply put, “waking up” triggers development.

Here s a summary of points I touch on:

• Development of trans-personal “states of consciousness”
• Gross, Subtle, Casual, and Non-Dual states
• The dropping away of fear
• “Zen States” of Zanshin, Mushin, Fudo Shin, Mindfulness,
• The principles of connection & intuitive response
• The competency of creative resolutions

Way #2: Growing up

The second way the become a better Aikido teacher (or student) is “Growing Up.” Growing is about maturing as a teacher or student. Even though “waking up” triggers development, alone it isn’t enough. You must move forward by “growing up.” This is where the rubber meets the road because growing up means being responsible for what you have already woken up to.

Here is a summary of points on “growing up”:

• The 2 meanings of growing up
• Being responsible in a “moment of truth”
• Stage development (ego-centric, to ethnocentric, to world-centric, to kosmo-centric)
• Evolution of the self vs. arrested development

Way #3: Showing up

The third way to become a better Aikido teacher (or student) is none other than “Showing Up.” Showing up means to fully inhabit a perspective. To be a living, continuously evolving, and embodied expression of the very perspective you are representing in your teaching.

Here s a summary of points I touch on:

• Perspectives are not given. They must be earned
• The capacity of taking multiple perspectives is a developmental privilege
• Show up is the natural culmination of the 2 previous stages
• You begin to move through the world in a different way
• You begin to have an impact on the world
• This is the training of wisdom

I’ve already said in the previous posts in this series, but I think it’s worth saying again here:

The Last thing the world needs is another Aikido teacher. The last thing that world needs is another Aikido student. What the world needs are men and women who are dedicated to a higher Path of AIKI.

I hope you enjoy this video teaching on “3 Ways To Be A Better Aikido Teacher (And Student!)”

Question: What other way do you see as important for becoming a better Aikido teacher (or student)? Join the conversation and leave your thoughts below!

THE INTEGRAL DOJO WINTER AIKIDO CAMP

Join Miles Kessler Sensei For A 5-Day Aikido Intensive In Tel Aviv, Israel

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Being skilled in Aikido or any other “path practice” does not mean that you are also skilled in every aspect of your daily life. The sad truth is that the development you gain in the dojo does not automatically translate into the world. In order to take your Aikido from the dojo to the world, you need more. You must create “bridging practices” that will help you with the important practice of integration. In this blog post, I’m going to teach you 3 Key Bridging Practices For Aikido that will effectively help you take your Aikido from the dojo to the world.

This post is from a “Facebook Live” broadcast I made back in January 2018. It was part of a 4-part series on “Aikido And Teaching” (see part 1 on “How To Choose An Aikido Teacher” here). In this 2nd video, I focused on what it means to take your Aikido practice from the mat, and into the world.

“ Being skilled in Aikido does not mean that you are also skilled in every aspect of your daily life. —MILES KESSLER

Here Are Some Points Covered In the Talk:

• The reason progress in the dojo does not necessarily translate to the world
• The rule of “techniques divide, principles unite”
• Universal principles mean they are applicable at all times, in all places, and through all circumstances
• Principles trigger transformation, not techniques
• A principles-based approach to Aikido will transform the self, it will transform relationships, and it will transform the world

What is a “Bridging Practice”?

Last year The Integral Dojo produced the first of its kind “Aikido At The Leading Edge Masterclass” with 12 “master” teachers from the Aikido world. One of those teachers was Mark Walsh, who is an Embodiment coach and trainer. Mark who introduced the idea of “bridging practices” to me and I have been effectively using this wonderful concept with my students ever since.

A ‘bridging practice” is any practice that creates integration by acting as a “bridge” that connects your “practice space”, to your “daily life” space. So taking your Aikido practice from the dojo to the world, and into your daily life requires you to add “bridging practices” to your training routine.

In the below talk, I teach the following “3 Bridging Practices” that effectively serve this purpose. As “principles-based” practices, these 3 practices that are universal in their nature. In other words, they can be practiced at all times, in all places, and in every circumstance.

3 Key Bridging Practices For Aikido (Plus 1 Bonus)

• Practice #1: “From Stress To Center”
• Practice #2: “From Center To Connection”
• Practice #3: “Reflection Practice” (in self, with others, and in the world)
• Bonus Practice: “The Aikido Sandwich”

Having “bridging practices” for your Aikido is the difference between Aikido as a life practice and Aikido as a simple hobby.

If Aikido is going to have a bigger impact in the world (as I believe it should) then it has to happen through you, through me, and through the greater Aikido community.

You need to learn to take your Aikido practice from the dojo to the world. This means consciously taking on bridging practices. These 3 key bridging practices for Aikido are simple ways that you can do that.

The Last thing the world needs is another Aikido teacher. The last thing that world needs is another Aikido student. What the world needs are men and women who are dedicated to a higher Path of AIKI.

Question: What are your bridging practices for taking your Aikido practice from the dojo to the world? Join the conversation and leave your thoughts below!

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In January 2018 I did a 4-part facebook live series on “Aikido And Teaching.” In this blog post, I am sharing with you the 1st of these 4 video teachings. As I opened this series I decided to speak about a topic that touches everyone walking along the path of Aikido. Namely, “How To Choose An Aikido Teacher”?

I published blog posts on teaching in Aikido before, but the below video I go more in-depth on several things to consider when approaching a teacher. I cover the following 4 areas extensively in the video, but here I will just give an overview of the sub-topics and some of their points. The 4 sub-topics are:

1. Why You Need  A Teacher
2. What Teachers Do For You
3. 2 Types Of Teachers
4. 5 Ways To Choose A Teacher

Here are some of the points I speak about for each of the sub-topics.

Why You Need An Aikido Teacher

• Teachers represent your very own potential
• Teachers show you what it means to live a Path of practice
• Teachers show you the way forward on the Path
• They are a living expression of the potential you are walking towards
• The teacher/student relationship is fundamentally an empowering relationship

What Teachers Do For You

• A teacher is able to convey to you the depth and complexity that is the art of Aikido
• A teacher will help you integrate the principles of Aikido into your life in a way that is culturally and developmentally appropriate
• A teacher can transmit the universal principles in a way that you can “get it” in your own experience
• Working with a teacher will save you from taking wrong turns, making pitfalls, and following dead ends
• Working with a teacher will accelerate your development

2 Types Of Teachers

1. A teacher as instructor
2. A teacher as an agent for transformation

5 Ways To Choose A Teacher

1. Know what you are looking for in a teacher.
2. Seek for a teacher that resonates with your own higher intention.
3. Seek for a teacher who holds a lineage.
4. Seek for a teacher who puts learning and knowledge above preservation of a system, or school.
5. Seek for a teacher who inspires you to live your life to it’s fullest potential.

There are certain relationships that you will have in your life that will make all the difference. These relationships put your growth, development, and the realization of your fullest potential above all else. A “Path Teacher” is such a relationship and it will do you good to consider some of the things I speak about in this teaching carefully when choosing your teachers in life.

The Last thing the world needs is another Aikido teacher. The last thing that world needs is another Aikido student. What the world needs are men and women who are dedicated to a higher Path of AIKI.

Question: Any thoughts or questions come up after listening to this teaching on “How To Choose And Aikido Teacher?” Leave them below and I’ll be sure to get to them!

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Zen Buddhism has the practice of “Koans.” A practice which is meant to transport you beyond concepts, penetrating into the true nature of reality. “Reality” meaning a perspective that is hidden from the ordinary mind, never to be understood through concepts, logic, and reason. Just like with Zen, Aikido’s true nature is also hidden from view of the ordinary mind. Even more so in the middle of conflict. So what is “The Aikido Koan” that will reveal the mystical nature of conflict?

A Koan is a zen riddle that cannot be answered through logical reason. None the less, when your teacher presents you with your Koan you are meant to dive into to the riddle with all the logical reason you can muster to try to find the correct answer. The idea is that only when you thoroughly exhaust logic and reason will your mind be able to discover the correct answer, and to awaken to your true nature.

So too with “The Aikido Koan.” Your normal, built-in “survival operating system” only see threat in the middle of conflict, and only reacts from fear. Such reactions only serve to perpetuates conflict. From this perspective you’ll never “get” the mystical core of Aikido, which is the resolution of conflict.

“The Aikido Koan” is a riddle you work with to exhaust your options for dealing with conflict. It will exhaust your ego-driven perpetuation of conflict and the creation of more separation. So when you find yourself in conflict your job is to work with this riddle. To stay with it, no matter how difficult, until a shift occurs… which will given enough time and attention.

“The Aikido Koan”

There are 4 parts to “The Aikido Koan.” It is deceptively simple, yet it’s power in it’s simplicity. There are 4 phrases to be repeated to your self when you are in the middle of stress or conflict. These 4 phrases are similar to a mantra, in which recite inwardly as a reminder of Aikido’s higher potential of conflict resolution.

Practice this Koan and you will experience a transformation in the way you respond to stress and conflict. Here’s “The Aikido Koan”:

1. I’m not passive.
2. I’m not aggressive.
3. I’m not passive-aggressive.
4. What am I? (Who an I?)

As I said, “The Aikido Koan” is very easy to learn, but not so easy to “solve”. It is meant to be an experiential exercise that will shift your consciousness, and change the way you see conflict.

If you apply “The Aikido Koan” to your life, then for sure you will cook. For sure you will grow. And for sure, you will create better relationships,  a better life, and a better world.

Check out this short Facebook Live work-shop video I recently did below.

Question: How do you see Aikido Koans in your practice? Watch the above Facebook Live replay and join the conversation by leaving your comments below!

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How good are you at taking the perspective of others in the middle of a conflict? Is it even something you consider important? After all, isn’t it basic human nature to protect your own point of view (not to mention your own body)? How does your basic survival instinct stack up with the higher intention of Aikido? Is Aikido’s central principle of “awase” (blending with another) still important to you when the chips are down and the conflict is on? What does “Getting The Other’s World Through Aikido” actually mean? Do you even care?

If you are interested in developing your Aikido skill to exceptional levels then getting the other’s world is something you should be practicing. This is a relatively high-level skill that is not taught in many martial arts, and unfortunately, in some cases, it’s not even taught in Aikido.

 Here are some of the basic requirements to get the other’s world through Aikido:

• Letting go of any agenda
• Being present and in the moment
• Staying open and allowing the other to be as they are
• Fully receive the other’s attack

It only takes a little consideration to see that all the above skills are completely counter-intuitive in the midst of a conflict. And when it comes to developing these skills, Aikido is an exceptional practice.

This is especially so if you practice Aikido to develop “life skills”… those skills you consciously take off the mat in order to positively impact your life. Getting the other’s world is an essential skill for healthy interpersonal relations, especially when it comes to the resolution of conflict.

As part of my on-going blog series on “Aikido & The Evolution Of Response”, I recently did a Facebook Live broadcast on this very topic of “Getting The Other’s World Through Aikido.”

Here are some of the points I covered in the Facebook Live:

• Why is getting the other’s world through Aikido important?
• What does it mean to get the other “from their inside”?
• What are the subjective, objective, & inter-subjective perspectives in Aikido?
• How do you energetically shift to the inside of the uke/ nage relationship?
• How do you apply “ki musubi” (the tieing of energy with another) in Aikido?
• What does it mean to take “awase” (blending with another) to it’s furthest exploration?

For a more in-depth look at this topic, check out the video below. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic so be sure to leave any comments or questions on the below video.

Enjoy!

Question: How do your “get the other’s world in your Aikido practice? Watch the above Facebook Live replay and join the conversation by leaving your comments below!

AIKIDO’S “EVOLUTION OF RESPONSE” – FREE VERTICAL GROWTH CHART

Unlock Aikido’s Hidden Code For Dealing With Conflict… And Create More Awareness, Connection, and Creativity in life! – Download Your FREE “Vertical Growth Chart” Here!

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What does it mean to “take your Aikido off the mat”? As your Aikido skill develops in the dojo, is it also helping you to develop your “life skills”? Just how much is your practice impacting your life? As part of my “Aikido & The Evolution Of Response” blog series, I recently did a Facebook Live broadcast that gets to the heart of these questions; namely “3 Life Lessons From Aikido.”

This Facebook Live video (see below) is an extension of my last blog post on “10 Way Centering In Aikido Helps You Grow”. In that post, I spoke about several “life benefits” that result from an intentional centering practice. Especially in relation to Aikido and your survival instinct.

The fact is “centering” is a very important station on your developmental journey in Aikido. It’s so important that you could spend years developing, and enjoying the benefits of this station. However, there are further stations along your Aikido journey to be developed that will profoundly impact your life.

In the below Facebook Live replay, I touch the following “3 Life Lessons From Aikido.”

1. From stress to center: as an Aikidoka the first move in any stressful conflict is to turn in, mindfully bringing your attention to your breath, to your “hara” (your belly) and creating an inner container for the inner stress and fear.
2. From center to connection: once internally established in your center, energetically extend outward into connection with the person who is the source of conflict. Connecting with the center and open awareness allows you to have a greater responsiveness, as well as an intuitive understanding of the other’s desires, needs, and intentions. Responding to a person’s intention, rather than their “attack” significantly increases the potential to resolve the conflict, rather than to perpetuate it.
3. From connection to harmony: Harmony in Aikido is not something that you can “do”, but is rather is the result of your “skillful means” in dealing with conflict. Being functional and competent in how you deal with conflict determines the end result. And being centered and connected are pre-requisites to returning to harmony and restoring wholeness.

These “3 Life Lessons From Aikido” are very simple (but not easy) and incredibly profound. Even though we can practice these lessons in Aikido for years, their greatest impact is when you take these lessons off the mat and into your life. Because then they truly become “life lessons.”

As always I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic. Just leave your comments below the video.

Enjoy!

Question: What “life lessons” do you take from your Aikido practice? Watch the above Facebook Live replay and join the conversation by leaving your comments below!

Want To Stay Centered In The Midst Of Stress And Conflict?

Get your FREE 3 part “Centering Tutorial” and create the foundation for development in your Aikido and in your life!

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