The quote that I found this evening by O-Sensei got me thinking. There are various aspects of life at which we, human beings, are imperfect. Ok, maybe ALL aspects are ones at which we are imperfect. O-Sensei's quote reminded me of the concept of shugyo. Some have defined this as "conducting oneself in a way that inspires mastery." Basically, what I think it means, is that throughout Aikido training, we are constantly trying to improve upon our imperfections. Every roll should be better than the previous. Yonkyo should require less effort and time to find every time it is applied. Side rolls shouldn't be nearly impossible for me every time I try them (so frustrating). In any case, you get the idea.
Life in general is no different. For example, I don't always respond to my children's disobedience as patiently as I should. After seeing this quote tonight, however, I will be making an effort to change myself. Even if that change is small at first, the important thing is that, over time, I make improvements.
One thing I love about Aikido is that it's not about what happens on the mat, but how you can apply things that you learn on the mat into your daily life. Or should I say your daily shugyo?
Aikido Club at UVU is a great way for students to experience the art of Aikido. Aikido is derived from the samurai arts through a branch of aiki-jujitsu. Though it is a martial art, it was created as a way to foster peaceful conflict resolution. Aikido teaches how to use various forms of passive resistance and joint locks to provide an attacker with opportunities to reconsider his actions. Come learn with us.
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