Aikido

Finally, finally, I've managed to get back to practising aikido. It's a martial art based on gentleness, very much based on the principle of 'enter and turn', enter into conflict and revolve around the centre of the energies to come to a more helpful outcome for all concerned. It's one of those things that you have to do to get a real sense of what it's about, and it's also something that I find gives me a far greater grasp on the real realities of what I mean when I think of gentleness as a political engagement. Rarely do you step away. Often if you do you make yourself more vulnerable. But it is about coming to a more appropriate awareness of a situation, while also defending yourself without necessarily attacking in the process. I'm glad to be getting back into it, but I'm aching all over today :)))