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Serving a community of private individuals and professionals
who have the desire to cultivate a life of clarity, compassion,
and creativity. We warmly welcome our new subscribers. Thanks
for joining! Your feedback is encouraged. Please feel free to contact us.
1. Simple Story
"You move too much to be effective." Tamura sensei
softly shouted at me. "You need to give your opponent a
clearer target to strike at."
We were in the middle of studying how to defend ourselves from
multiple attackers in an Aikido class for senior students in
Japan.
Five young college students rushed at me once again, and once
again I struggled to cope with them.
"OK, take a break." Tamura sensei said. "In order
for the five attackers to actually hit you they have to first
reach you. Your job is NOT to run away from them. You need to
create a spacing that leads them to all try and grab or hit
you at the same time. Think of the attackers as needing to pass
through a gate. If they all try and rush through the gate at
the same time they will block each others efforts. Move less,
do less, and be calm. Give them a clear target that they all
reach at the same time."
I had heard similar remarks in the past, but accomplishing
this in the heat of the moment requires a moving calmness that
takes a while to get the hang of. You know in your head what
you are supposed to do, but once your heart starts beating faster
and your opponents are bearing down on you, you find it really
hard to believe in what you are being told.
"Think of it this way." sensei said. He pulled out
a cloth that he used to wipe away his sweat and said, "Here,
take this away from me."
As I grabbed for the cloth, he more or less handed it to me.
Just as I was beginning to get a good hold on it he let go of
the cloth and grabbed onto my wrist and placed me in a painful
hold. I immediately let go of the cloth, and he picked it back
up with one hand as he continued to keep me subdued with his
other hand.
"You see." he said, "I am not defending the cloth,
I am defending myself. Better to give you the cloth, and then
I have both hands free to do as I need."
"When you move less you offer your opponents a clear target.
When you offer them a clear target you will be able to understand
how they are wanting to attack. They will attack you in the
same manner you reached for my cloth. Confident they will accomplish
their mission, because you have made it easy for them. At the
last moment, just as they begin to strike or grab, take the
target away from them. They will be surprised, and you will
have the opportunity to do whatever is necessary."
He got up and invited the five students to attack him. He moved
very little, and it was as if he was making each one of them
thread themselves through the eye of a needle. Just ever so
much of a movement made by him, made them just miss their target.
"This is what happens often in our every day life."
he said. "You feel like you are faced with a daunting task,
and you make your task harder by moving about needlessly and
losing your composure. Breathe deeply, be calm, and know the
right moment will present itself to you if you have the faith
to wait. Don't force the issue, and don't force the timing.
Trust in the moment, and trust in yourself. Take the initiative
by doing nothing."
*I offer this simple story in
memory of Iwao Tamura, who passed away a little more
than a year ago. He was a fine teacher, and a fine human being,
and I was blessed to have studied with him.
2. Further Thoughts
My Aikido practice has been a rich source of learning for me.
The lessons learned in class have been instrumental in helping
me understand how to better cope with life's many challenges.
One of the things I regularly notice in my work with people
is that they often get themselves upset and feeling less than
fully confident, as part of their preparation for facing a daunting
challenge. I can't tell you how many times I have seen people
in companies get together for a needed session of brainstorming
and they begin by stating how difficult the task at hand will
be. This is a sure fire method for draining the creative energy
of most people. We would do much better to follow Tamura sensei's
advice. "Breathe deeply, be calm, and know that the right
moment will present itself to us if we have the faith to wait."
And yes, just as I have often found out in my own Aikido practice,
knowing what one "should" do, and actually doing it
are often two different things.
One of the main tasks that we teach people about in Seishindo
is how to enter into a state of living calmness. We often say
to people, "Don't begin until you actually begin."
By this we mean, don't prepare yourself for a daunting task
by getting yourself overworked and nervous. Take the time needed
to calm yourself and only begin your task once you are feeling
this calm feeling exuding from you, out into the space around
you. How to do this? Through ongoing practice. You can begin
by making sure you are calm before beginning tasks that you
have confidence in accomplishing. Once you get the hang of starting
simple activities from a calm perspective, you will find yourself
more able to do so when beginning a more challenging task. You
get ready for the task at hand by breathing deeply, calming
yourself, and waiting for the right moment to appear. Move less,
do less, and wait in calmness. Your creative thoughts can only
catch up to you if you slow yourself down and give your thoughts
the opportunity to reach you. When you calm the body, you calm
the thinking mind. When you calm the thinking mind, you will
begin to experience creativity and confidence emerging.
You ARE capable. Give yourself the opportunity to excel by
trusting in the moment and trusting in yourself. Wait calmly,
and you will find that the necessary answers appear before you.
Little by little... with lots of practice... and endless patience.
Only move when the moment is right. Breathe deeply and begin
at the beginning.
3. Practice
"Do
nothing "
In this Practice you are invited to feel the difference between
"being" and "doing." The difference between
exciting the nervous system as a way of preparing for action,
and quieting the nervous system as a way of preparing for action.
You can experience letting your somatic intelligence take over
getting the task done. Trusting in the moment, and trusting
in yourself.
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Private Sessions
If you would like to become better able to work wisely
with core issues such as your identity, deteriorating
health, a general sense of well-being, destructive habit
patterns, strained personal relationships, and various
professional concerns, please consider engaging in an
in-person private session with me.
My private sessions in San Diego, CA, will be on July
14th and 15th; in New York - on July 19th and 20th, 2004;
in Washington DC - on July 27th and 28th, 2004.
Read
more about how you can benefit
from a Seishindo private session.
Read
what other people say about Seishindo sessions.
If you think you might be interested in a private session,
please contact Charlie directly at charlie@seishindo.org.
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4. Resources
We are happy to recommend the Retreat held by our collegues
and friends Jennifer Louden and Molly Gordon:
Surfing The Edge of the Known:
Accepting Change, Honoring Transitions, Opening Space for the
New
An Integral Women's Comfort Retreat with
Author Jennifer Louden and master coach Molly Gordon
September 16-19th, 2004
Breitenbush Hot Springs, Oregon
- Are you wondering what's next for you - in your work, creativity,
spirituality, sense of purpose, relationships or all
of the above?
- Do you crave time and support to cease straining to know
what's next and allow what wants to move through you to be
heard?
This retreat isn't about answers - the soul's growth moves
at its own mysterious pace, and forcing the river only creates
dams. Yet there are skillful ways to create a passage of dignity
and depth, to allow guidance to shine through. Visit ComfortQueen.com
to learn more and sign up for Jennifer's Self-Care
Minder free newsletter while you are there!
5. Suggested Music
CD: The Australia: Sound of the Earth"
by Steve Roach, David Hudson, Sarah Hopkins
It is hard to go wrong with any album with Steve Roach,
and the two people he collaborates with on this CD really
add a lot to the mix. The music is calming, spiritual, and
beautiful to listen to. You can feel the primal influence
of the Aboriginal culture, and sense yourself entering into
special realm.
6. What our subscribers write to us
The Seishindo team heartily thanks Judy Rosemarin, Nancy
Cameron, Vince Scuderi, Gordon, and Victoria Castle for their
input and kind words about our newsletter.
A well-known columnist Judy Rosemarin sent us her
amazing story in response to our "Why
to do you talk so fast?" issue. Don't miss the story
and find out more about Judy while you are there.
Nancy Cameron writes:
Good morning Charlie,
I'm a recent subscriber to your service, and love the topic
of my first newsletter! I had not thought of the impact of speaking
too quickly (eating too quickly yes, but not speaking).
I used to be a part of a public speaking club, and we recognized
the inherent 'power of the pause' in communication, particularly
when delivering a strong message. Sometimes I think we speak
quickly in order to be sure that we are heard. We often avoid
pauses, because our typical conversations with other are often
two separate streams of thought, rather than true two way communication.
The pause indicates an opportunity for the other to start speaking,
usually about what's on their mind, rather than an opportunity
to digest what the first person has said, and build on that.
Cheers, Nancy Cameron
Gordon writes:
The sound made as a great story, passing me like a comet, leaves
its magic dust on the surface of my soul.
Thanks Charlie...
-gordon
Vince Scuderi writes:
Hi,
Just wanted to say that I love your newsletter and all the wisdom
it contains. Great stuff.
Also wanted to add that, upon your recommendation, I picked
up Steve Roach's "Dreamtime" CD and liked it very
much. I now find it to be a great way to gradually and peacefully
wake up in the morning! Far better than the jarring stuff I
used to use in my CD alarm clock! I wake up in a better state
of mind. Thanks for the recommendation.
Regards,
Vince Scuderi
Victoria Castle writes:
Thank you for the opportunity to share a resource that would
serve members of the Seishindo community:
Embodying Abundance is a tele-course
that addresses the essential elements of how to align with abundance
and ease as a way of Being. It includes body-centered practices
and shifting habituated stories about abundance. The course
is lead by Victoria Castle, a Master Somatic Coach and consultant
in Seattle, who has been teaching and embodying abundance for
20 years. For info, visit CastleEnterprising.com.
The next course begins in September.
* * *
If you have a business, hobby, group, or organization that
you would like other members of the Seishindo community to know
about, then please send us a short write-up (two or three sentences)
here.
You don't have a website? Then let us know how other members
might contact you by phone, fax, in person, or in writing.
We also invite you to send in:
A) Questions and comments relating
to what you read here.
B) Experiences that relate to
the "Practices" presented.
C) The names of books/music/services/products,
etc. you feel might be of interest to the Seishindo community.
Please include a short write-up (two or three sentences) about
your selections and send all input here.
7. Endnote
Time for vacation and celebration:
There will not be a newsletter at the beginning of the month
in August. Our next newsletter will be sent out around August
15th.
I will be away for five and a half weeks, mainly teaching
in the States, and also taking a short vacation. My colleague
Inessa is the webmaster and marketing director for Seishindo.
She lives in Russia, and we have not seen each other since
we taught a seminar together ten years ago. Inessa is coming
to my seminar in Wash. DC. and I am really looking forward
to seeing her after all these years. We are sure to have a
great time!
I hope that all of you are able to take some time to have
a short respite and appreciate some fine summer weather! I
look forward to connecting with you again in the middle of
August.
8. Copyright
Unless otherwise attributed, all material for the newsletter
"Pure Heart, Simple Mind"(tm) is written and edited by Charlie
Badenhop ©. All rights reserved.
You may reprint, copy, or distribute "Pure Heart, Simple Mind”
(tm) provided you: a. Receive our written permission (which
is likely). b. Attach the above copyright notice to our material.
c. Do not sell our material to others. d. Keep the content
of our material intact without any editing whatsoever.
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