In the wonderful and magical world of martial arts, there are numerous parallels to one's meditation practice that can help further the Self-discovery process on the Path. Each of us possesses feminine and masculine energies within our body-mind structures and it's important to utilize both of them in order to have the greatest effect and efficiency when dealing with issues on the martial arts and meditation cushion.

When one thinks of martial arts, it's easy to recognize the masculine energies involved in the art. Seeing the power and control that exudes from one's firm and disciplined approach to implementing and executing various techniques on one's opponent through the strength and focus of one's own body system.

From a female gendered perspective, I was initially drawn to Aikido due to wanting to increase my inner strength and willpower such that I would feel less vulnerable or weak when dealing with the physical world around me. I had just moved to San Francisco to begin graduate school and was currently residing in a place that was on the border of the Tenderloin, a rougher part of the city known for it's drugs, homelessness, and crime.

What initially began, as a strength-building art became a profound inner journey for myself that taught me what was beyond the physical, masculine energies to discover a greater resilience and purer power when incorporating the feminine aspects of energies alongside the masculine. More importantly, all of my perceptions of how I viewed feminine energies were completely revolutionized to realize that they were my inherent, natural strengths that I could use skillfully and to my advantage when on the martial arts mat.

When I acquired my brown-belt, I relished in being able to tap into and demonstrate my power through the techniques onto my opponents no matter what shape, height, or size they were. It was fulfilling at that time to see how I could manipulate and control various aspects of my body in order to effect a change in my opponents. Through exploiting an opponent's openings and weaknesses I found myself become more effective in my Aikido practice. I would be delirious with the power that came from having executed a technique with structural and muscular strength, and simultaneously enjoyed when my partner could also execute a technique with power such that I could learn from it. But eventually I learned that the path of power is not sustainable, nor is it always intelligent when operating in the martial arts world. There will always be someone with more power and greater strength that trumps your own, which leads us back to square one where we feel vulnerable and weak with nothing for our defenses.

This became true for me when I embarked on my training for my black-belt test. It was apparent that I couldn't continuously bank on my strength and power to overtake my opponent(s). I needed to work smarter and be more efficient in my energetic output such that I could sustain it through a potentially long and grueling black-belt (shodan) test. At the dojo I practice at (Ikazuchi dojo), the black-belt test consists of a number of techniques executed from suwari waza (seated position), hamni handachi (opponent is in standing position, while the other is in seated position), tachi waza (standing position), ninindori (two attackers), and randori (free practice with multiple attackers). With randori being at the end of the test, no one wants to be exhausted and unfocused for that portion because it showcases what state one's body-mind system is in during one of the most extremely stressful and chaotic situations presented in martial arts. With multiple attackers and no pre-written script on how to address the situation one is left to the tools they have polished to get them through that moment on test day.

I was nervous and scared for my black-belt test. Scared of the unknowns and all the variables it presented along with it.

As I worked with other black belts and teachers at the dojo, they helped me recognize the purity of feminine power I had access to, through connection, loving-compassion, and opening up. When I worked through the sticky spots in a technique I saw that when I was attuned not only to my body-mind system, but also tuned into my opponent's through connection I had an easier time affecting change in my opponents body-mind system. I recognized that if my heart was in a state of loving-compassion for myself and for the other, there was a unity between systems that allowed me to gain entry into the opponent's body-mind system without feeling the need to 'muscle' them down. By staying connected with them until the end of the technique, by facilitating the continued connection and skillful means of compassion it would naturally lead to an opponent's joint lock, body immobilization, or throw.

Opening up one's system up is the last thing you want to do when on the martial arts mat because it gives yourself up for an attack. The opening up that I am speaking about is not about letting the opponent exploit your body-mind system, it's about opening up into your own body-mind system in such a way that it cultivates a fuller, whole system. This fullness is like filling out armor, where there aren't any dents or dings in the armor that an opponent could use to gain an advantage with. Instead, from that place of fullness and wholeness one becomes more sensitive and tuned into what the opponent is trying to exploit and countering it with a respective technique such that the exploitation is nullified. In essence, when one is in their system's fullness they are accessing pure power, insight, and seeing into an opponent's body-mind system with the technique one is applying.

Just as in when we first begin our meditation practice. We usually begin with implementing a disciplined approach of consistent practice, applied with a technique that we learned to work on slowing down our thoughts, eventually working to stop thoughts altogether. Over time and with consistent, daily practice we let go of all the action (masculine energy) and settle into the Being (feminine energy) aspect of the practice, letting what Is guide us in it's natural intelligence and grace.

So the next time you perceive something as masculine, take a moment to look deeper to see if you can perceive how the feminine works alongside it to balance it out, working towards creating a fuller, more unified system. In a world full of disparity, learning to reconcile and bridge the parts with wholeness is a rare gift.

~Hathor
Teacher. Martial Artist. Psychotherapist.
copyright © 2019
M.A.Y. Frog