AIKIDO is all WIND..........and WATER

When I first met Shihan Francis Ramasamy in a hotel lobby at the Holiday Inn in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, this diminutive but hyperactive aikidoka, standing barely five feet tall in his stockinged feet was immediately offering advice on my failing sight and the medical complications that come with my condition. He had numerous people waiting to be introduced but he asked for patience as he administered advice he believed would help alleviate some of the pain that he sensed that I was in. I didn't tell him of this constant pain but he recognised it empathically. This was my first impression of this enigmatic martial artist; a caring and compassionate man with time for everyone.

I have read many books over the years about aikido from the great and the good but one book resonated with me all those years ago; Aikido and the Harmony of Nature by Mitsugi Saotome (published by Shambhala Publications Inc.). In Francis Ramasamy of Pilau Penang, Malaysia, I had found a master who translated that harmony with nature into a real life experience.

I have been studying aikido now for thirty four years and Ramasamy Shihan (affectionately known as Samy Shihan) was able to encompass the elements of nature into everyday practices to make aikido come alive. I have had many good aikido instructors, from the physically strong and imposing, to the ultra technical and gifted. Meeting Samy Shihan knitted everything together and became a defining moment in my studies. To me, I had found the true essence of my aikido.

These thoughts came flooding back the other day when I found myself atop a granite beach wall in the middle of a meditation after a strenuous Nordic walk around the country lanes and beaches of my beautiful place of birth. With eyes gently closed and with my one point being attuned to the music playing in my head (Gardar Thor Cortes, a superb tenor from Iceland if memory serves), my body was being constantly buffeted by the increasingly strong southeasterly winds. In turn this increased the maelstrom swirling in the incoming tide, visually creating the beautiful white horses in the surf. The powerful sound of the sea that accompanied Cortes's melody complimented it perfectly and sent me deeper into myself.

As I felt the wind buffeting my body and caressing my face I understood both the power and gentleness of aikido, from a soft summer breeze that nourishes and uplifts and is gentle with nature, to a wind of explosive power that can be destructive and deadly. These are the parameters that we work with every day, creating a fine balance in life. In the summer we welcome the gentle warm breeze that cools us down during oppressively hot days; it feels wonderful and is welcomed openly. We come alive, with eyes wide open and our body extending to meet it. Alternatively in the winter as we walk into a strong and biting wind we hunch our bodies and turn our faces in the eye of this bitter, strong and explosive onslaught. It chills us to the bone and we seek shelter from its power. 

Samy Shihan also emphasised the use of the water element in our aikido study manifested in the turning techniques. He instilled in me the importance of being the calm presence in the middle of the storm; remaining serene as all rushed about and around me. Water always finds a way around an obstacle, whether it be a rock or a person it will not lose any of its flowing beauty as it diverts around and over any obstacle. 

However, we must also remember that while the fluidity of the water allows it to flow around structures, in many cases it also gently erodes away at the permanent monoliths that are sharing its space, such as the coastline. We have seen recently in England, during this winter period, the devastation and changing outline of our lands caused by the relentless tides over many thousands of years. This reminds us that while the water shows great dexterity, it also shows supreme power and strength, all the things we must aspire to attain through a lifetime's aikido study.