Moving as one - A moment in my Aikido journey

I wrote this a few days ago for an Aikido publication.

I don't know if it will ever be printed but just thought I'd share it with you.

When I step onto the Tatami I never used to think of myself as a woman but just as another student. The fact that I was female didn’t really make a difference.

I started my training 8 years ago in Berlin, Germany and trained there for most of the time. When I came to South Africa suddenly I found myself very aware of being a woman practicing Aikido. This was not because of the differences in techniques or teaching styles but because so often I was the only woman at class. Whatever the reasons for this may be I have never found that Aikido in any way is more suitable for either male or female students.

Over the first years of my Aikido training I never picked up any book on Aikido philosophy. My teacher was also one that besides an occasional comment didn’t talk much about it on the mat. So all I did was practice. I loved it and had fun. Day after day on the Tatami the movements started to become part of my body and my life. I remember the first aspect about my Aikido practice that I put into words was about relationship. I guess for most people this isn’t the most obvious part abut the practice. On the mat we learn how to stay calm and centred in a stressful or even potentially dangerous situation. We learn about how to control a situation without getting hurt or hurting the other and there are many other important examples.

Yet the first thing I noticed was something else. On the mat I really feel who I am. I get completely absorbed in the practice – in the moment. And in one of those moments I realised that besides practicing to be moving from my own centre this was also because of my relationship between me and my partner on the mat. This was what I was looking for in my relationships. On the mat, there is no judgement. Uke attacks and puts all their energy into this attack. It doesn’t matter whether they are tall or short, old or young, male or female. They give you this attack not to hurt you but to help you improve your Aikido. And in that moment where uke really moves towards me from their centre and I meet them moving from mine – then there is this incredible sense of moving as one. We don’t come out as a winner and a looser but both just as who we are and with a big smile because of this amazing feeling of harmony.

So is this something for men only or women only? Sure maybe some of the challenges and lessons will be different, but isn’t that always the case? My little realisation about relationships is one little aspect. There are infinite challenges and lessons to learn in Aikido so lets get on the Tatami and have fun!