During the first Japanese tea ceremony Sachiko Knappman conducted, she prepared tea and served it to her guest when Sachiko herself was ready. After much training, she realized that the person she was preparing it for also needed to be ready and open to receive the tea. The practice of Chado, or tea ceremony, took observation, timing, sensitivity and grace -- all of which she learned later.
Usually this centuries old Japanese ritual involves the guest watching the performance of the preparation and presentation of the tea, then eating traditional Japanese confections to enhance the taste of tea. After consuming the sweets the guest drinks green tea. The untrained person makes the tea according to her own schedule, but part of the elegance and beauty of this ritual is similar to a dance between two people who are deeply connected and moving together while maintaining their individuality.
In Aikido the inexperienced practitioner often drags his uke (attacker) along in his unskilled effort to throw him. In contrast the experienced Aikidoist harmonizes or blends his energy in order to guide his uke to where both the uke and the nage (thrower) wants to go. It's about uke and nage aligning their bodies, mind, energy. Instead of doing something "to" someone you're doing it "with" them. This comes with much practice, body to body.
Ginny Breeland, who has been practicing Aikido for over 30 years and is a fifth dan, says that the first step to becoming a skilled practitioner in Aikido or tea ceremony is to observe ourselves when we train. She advises that we notice how we react, what we need to change. "If you do that you don't judge yourself -- you just see it," she says. "Instead of coming to conclusions before we know the actual story, just observe."
While these two processes develop a person's sensitivity, capabilities and strengths, many people will recognize that DO or "The Way" doesn't have a direct translation/path journey. "It's a nameless process that happens that leads you to wellness and growth," says Breeland. They are both a type of mindfulness practice that begin to change the shape of your thoughts and actions over time.
Both paths are similar but different. Tea ceremony and Aikido can both be considered meditation in action, practices that emphasize stillness through movement. They require commitment and sometimes the work is arduous. "Not like a hobby," says Breeland. But everything from finishing a book or a piece of art can be martial, she explains. "All the masters in every martial art discipline say it's about peace, non-confrontation and maintaining peace and respect. Tea is a mindfulness practice that has its origins in Zen. Underneath that practice is the subtle understanding that it's not necessary to have so many materialistic things to have happiness. In Aikido the practice is to turn lead into gold. The founder Morihei Ueshiba says, "True victory is self-victory."
"These practices are not about learning to be good. They are about finding the goodness in yourself," explains Breeland. One way to do that is to try something that requires commitment so people learn about themselves. Both the tea ceremony and Aikido are two paths that can bring you there. It's not about words and knowing, but about feeling. Aikido and tea aren't about making you a better speaker, but a better listener.
"People are looking for wellness, and maybe they want to try it without a pill as there's access to it in your own brain," notes Breeland. "Look inside yourself first. Even if you don't like what you see work with it and let's see what we can do after that. As with any new learning you start with one good technique and put it in your pocket and slowly start to gather them." This is part of the commitment to moving forward incrementally no matter what, using the tea ceremony, Aikido, or whatever you choose as the vehicle.
Join Ginny Breeland fifth Dan Aikido and Sachiko Knappman, urasenke tea practitioner for two hours of discussion and sensory exploration of tea and aikido on Sunday November 7, 2010, 10am-12pm at Bay Marin Aikido 1345 Via Sessi San Rafael, CA 9490l. Participation is optional. Contact Pete@cotatiaikido.com or 707.477.9158 for information or registration.
Susan Harrow is the author of Sell Yourself Without Selling Your Soul. She runs a Media Consultancy where she helps everyone from Fortune 500 CEOs to celebrity chefs, entrepreneurs to authors grow their business through media coaching and the power of PR. For more information please contact Susan.
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Yes, that Ueshiba quote is one of my favorites. Ginny's "Find the goodness in yourself" isn't always easy in the face of self-criticism. A daily practice. What you say, "Existing in harmony with others first requires existing in harmony with yourself." rings true.
I applaud you and your work with parents and children. It sounds like you've found your place in the world.
You are exactly correct! Not only so, but you are at the front line of taking care of our future. Much of how we judge is a learned behavior, total acceptance of one another is the start of finding peace. It is the desire or inclination to divide ourselves that we become unsatisfied with most everything in life. Compassion and respect resides in each of us and your ability to allow it to grow and nurse it along in children is an amazing endeavor I applaud what you are doing. I am very taken with children myself and dismayed to see how we've lost the power to show them the way of accepting everything and everyone as nature does. Thank you for your consideration in showing 'the way' to others. Be well.
sincerely, Ginny Breeland
I enjoyed your writing and look forward to the next post... I am now a fan!
And, thanks for the kind words...
Lawson
Thank you on both counts! I also appreciate your thoughtfulness.
The gems I found: Ueshiba’s “True victory is self-victory.†and the more subtle quote form Ms. Breeland, about “…finding the goodness in yourself.†I see the advantage of aligning your found goodness, not in opposition to, but in cooperation with others, society, job, religion, education, politics…
Too many people attack without thought, defend without a threat, and judge to preempt judgment. Failing to see themselves, they see only their reflection from others, and yield the power and potential of self. Existing in harmony with others first requires existing in harmony with yourself.
The good I found, my passion in life, is to affect positive change in raising children by writing for and speaking to parents, especially those caught in negative cycles of poverty and ignorance. Many children so raised are not privy to, and cannot incorporate into their lives your ideas, the concepts of Aikido and the practice of Chado, or the belief that they can rise above circumstance and achieve “self-victoryâ€.
Observing without judgment, seeing the whole action and growing your strength, is central to the try-fail-correct cycle, which can lead to excellence, and to the capability of self-evaluation, the strength of self-confidence, and the power in self-control. Children taught to react to every perceived “Uke†with judgment rather than observation, are denied the abundant “wellness†available to them.
Thanks for the thoughts, and for making me do the same!
Lawson Meadows