Back on the Mat

Last night was my first night on the mat in almost a week due primarily to my neck injury. It is mostly better now, though I can still "self adjust" (i.e. crack/pop when stretching it) pretty easily. At any rate it didn't bother me last night. Unfortunately, heartburn from the cup of coffee I had a couple hours earlier was unpleasant, but aside from that, a good class.

High point: during one of the first techniques, a simple kokyunage somewhat in the style of Kanai Sensei, I was able to direct my attention toward the details of my ukemi, the focus of my contact with the mat, my posture, the movement of my partner, K. It seems that in a sense, our level of aikido is related to our ability to break down each movement into it's most minute and refined movements, the exact arc of the hand or motion of the body, the exact timing and smoothness of each part of the technique.

Low point: I'm out of shape! Years of cubicle dwelling have not been kind to me. By the end of class, I'm winded, at times with my heart racing, visibly flushed. Then the analytical brain sort of shuts down and I'm left with my ancient reptilian brain, my habitual responses.

I have decided that it would be best for me to only attend one day of the upcoming weekend seminar with Yamada Sensei. That's about all I feel my body can handle at this point. 4 classes in 1 day will be quite enough for the weekend! What's funny is that before I joined I thought about just starting with a seminar. Sure, I'll just sign up!