Friday, October 7, 2011

Basic postures

Of course there are many ways to sit on the floor, and a few for a chair too. But the standard postures are Seiza (sitting on our heels) &; Kekka Fusa (most often called the lotus posture). All others are versions, combinations, and adaptions of these two.

Basic standing is just standing upright with either the feet together or apart... if apart we most often use either shoulder width or two shoulder widths apart. Walking is done at the 6 speeds of Kiko.

Sometimes mixed in one session or one speed per session. We use all shapes and distances, though the most common are the circle and the rectangle.

There are some practices thought that take to the seemingly straight line, and others that meander like a gentle stream.

Lying down is also done on the back, on the belly, and even on some occasions on our side. Flat on the back is probably the most common. The hands are usually at our sides or stretched fully out, or almost all the way out for poses, though some have a naturally bent elbow... Ok, this is harder than I thought...

Kiko tries to be flexible and use every pose our bodies can naturally do, and even a few that don't feel natural to me. We need to both be comfortable and challenge ourselves; the practice is based on the resolution and combination of Dichotomies like these.

By beginning from the middle and expanding to both extremes, without ever leaving the middle, is what the practice is; this is what makes it work. The extremes can't be too extreme as long as the middle is held; so we are free to expand without limit. Never leaving the center, so we are always there, and gone, but never having left. In our center but not static, we are growing infinitely, flowing naturally with nature....

Speed of energy in the practice of Kiko

I was asked about speeds... There are many speeds. There is a natural ebb & flow to the world. Remember the movement 'yura yura,' to sway as the kelp in the ocean. Differences between night & day. Cold winter nights, lively spring mornings, hot summer days, & blustery autumn afternoons. The key is to be natural and fit the situation we are in... The time & place... the season & time of day.... who is there... what objects are in the space with us... what is the purpose or intention... etc? That being said, we usually teach 6 speeds. The earth lower and slower, more stable; Water meandering to fairly fast flowing; Fire faster and sharper; Air.... smooth and fast; and emptiness from speed of light and beyond. But these can be combined, mixed, and merged, for interesting results. Many training practices use variations of the water speeds; it's the most adaptable & fairly easy to learn... & it flows very nicely. Often though the slower & lower earth speed gives us time and stability, that can be of use for both learning, training, and formal ceremonies; I like earth for first trainings and last, because its the easiest and the hardest. But I too use water a lot. I find the speed that matches... all 6 have there place both in my training and in my life; though 70% of my practice is in the 6th uppermost wheel; but that's just me. As humans we can blend different speeds too. From one moment to the next, according to the movement & moment we find ourselves in. Everything changes, so we change along the way... thus moving, but not moving since we match exactly the movement around us; because now it's within us too. kiko is all about alignment. Alignment with our core, including our core principles. Alignment with our environment, and situation. Be free to align. Be flexible in body and mind. Keep to the core as it as always been taught, be true to our core beliefs, but liberated from that which has already changed. Being in this moment, in this time in this place, in this very body, in this world as it really is, as we really are. This is kido
Besides the core point, tanzen, there are other parts of the body that can serve us well in kiko. The Bi-Tei-Kotsu, root tail bone, or sacred bone at the tail of the spine, is a major pause on the route of energy; with it's path from the center of the earth to the heavens above; the earth and water wheels brush against eachother here. How about the Solar Plexus, related to the Sun. We often use this as the overlap between the water wheel of the Hara (belly), and the Fire Wheel of the Kokoro (Heart). The unaji or nape of the neck is an oft forgotten space below the base of the skull. This section of spine corresponds to the wheel of wind & sound, as it parallels the line of the throat, mouth, and nose. The Crown of the head is a wonderful jumping off point for the spinning energy as it continues the path from earth to heaven. The use of these create interesting experiences with our bodies and the space we live in.

Energy Working

Kido is the way of vital energy... the way of the life force in all things... related to breath & breathing... related to life. Kiko is living this life well, the way of working with this energy... the way of working with the breath... movement, poses... in working with relationships, within ourselves and without. kido is life, and kiko is living it. kiko is using the natural, complete, breath... mindfully.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

One of the first inzo most of us are shown is the two hands clasped flat together in front of our heart as gassho. Another popular seal is the jo(u)-inzo. Often refered to as the universal or meditation seal. Often used while doing sitting meditation, we form a circle with the hands and place it in front of the tanden. This circle takes many shapes, and rests in a variety of ways; some schools prefer one way, and some schools prefer another; each way has it's own meaning and creates a different result. But all have great meaning and power & can be wonderful tools to use in this world... in this moment... in this body. Kido is learning how these seals create flow, and how the flow creates the seals, along with the realization of the transformation that takes place as we move, pause, and continue throughout our lives. Realization of the connection between visualization, sound, & movement and the flow/seal they create is kido. All kiko begins sitting in seiza (correct sitting [posture]). Correct means this is the way it is done, and that it is upright. Then from the tanden stretch up and bow down... breath in as we go down... exhale... and rise on the following in breath. Then wait for the next breath and follow it... flow with it to the next seal. One of the strongest seals is Gotsu-za, or sitting immovable like a bold mountain. Sit & don't move; neither the mind nor body moves, no sound is made. The heart beats, blood and breath flow... so again we move, but we don't move. The world moves around us as we flow with it. Both in the inzo (seals) & in the dosa (way of movement), kokaku (skeletal alignment) must be welcomed.
The foundation assumption of Kido (the way of energy) and Kiko (energy working) is that everything, absolutely everything, we think say and do actually creates the world we live in. In fact everything we have ever thought, said, & done counts too. Thoughts include anything from our minds. Prayers, silent affirmations, thoughts, ideas, etc. Saying actually includes every sound we make, but strong is that which we say. Doing includes anything the body does. We can see that these can interact, and indeed we can combine, mix and match them as doing can include words and thoughts, and sounds can include the body too. Also how often we repeat any of these. How much passion or intensity we give them. How long we continue in a particular pattern. All of these three influence each other. Louder tends to have immediate impact and fade. Softer tends to have lighter initial strength but can grow with time. Notice I say tends to... Then we begin to interact with all the other sentient beings, and seemingly stationary items too. We interact with our environment, the people in it, the air, the water. Everything is changing; we flow with it, or feel the dissonance of our separate paths. We can compliment, match, or even cooperate with the movement of the world; we can even compete with it, of course, but be prepared for quite a bit of pain with this path. Everything counts; so our mindfulness of this moment, in this body, becomes our best tool. Mindfulness of the detail and the 'big picture' too. Flowing with the moments as they change. Softly but firmly, enjoying every moment. From the center of our being to the furthest point, and back again. Every moment of everyday. This is Kido... the way of energy. the way of vital energy... the way of our life force... of the life force of the universe... This is the way.