I never walk off the mat with exactly the same state of mind that I walked on.

Something changes. Some days I have time to relax before training; mentally prepare; sometimes physically prepare myself. Other days, well, others days I’m not afforded that luxury. I may be jaded from a challenging day at work, or wound up, or feeling down about something personal that I’m working through. I may arrive at the dojoPlace of the way; a place for strengthening and refinement body, mind and spirit; training hall with just enough time to grab my giTraining uniform, get it on, and approach the mat…

This is one of my favorite times… maybe not always at that exact time, but in a greater sense. I know that my state of mind, my attitude, my view of things up until that point, will change.

Maybe it’s the multitude of emotions one is able to experience while training, frustration; understanding; embarrassment; exhilaration. Maybe it’s the heightened awareness while experiencing these emotions which makes them resonate so brightly and so clearly. The dojo becomes an amphitheater; the aikidoThe word "Aikido" is made up of three japanese characters: ai - harmony, ki - spirit, mind, or universal energy, do - the way. Thus Aikido is "the way of harmony with universal energy." is the music; and everything that makes us human is the sound, bouncing from wall to ceiling and back down again, of course, to the mat.

One of the most humbling experiences for me at this time in my training is trying to take the ukemiThe art of receiving or taking actions as uke, falling for a strong irimiFront technique, entering, moving into and through the line of attack nage"Thrower"; defender; the person applying a technique. Pulled down sharply from the back, arms and legs in motion, the mat approaches quickly as the rest of the world is just a blur flying by. And I need to keep it together and centered so I can get back up again with some degree control so I can find my way back down to the mat again.

I could be experiencing any number of feelings just before SenseiTeacher; anyone who gives guidance along the way; literally "born before" claps his hands, “back stretch!” It doesn’t matter how audible or inaudible those words are spoken, my brain and my body react. Something has changed.