Unify your spirit through KIAI

For most people, “Kiai” is translated to mean “shout”, and that is how it is usually practiced. One shouts at a predetermined point, usually at the end of a sequence of movements. Or, to emphasise what one assumes is a scoring strike in karate competitions. I have seen this form of kiai used very dramatically in many bouts that over the years. 

 So, what is kiai if not just a shout? 

The word kiai is made up of two Japanese characters: 

 気 (KI), which can be read as air, atmosphere, spirit, mind, heart, will, intention or feelings. It is understood in the Asian martial arts to mean “energy” or “life force”. This is referred to as Chi or Qi in China. 

AI (合) means to combine or unite.

 Together the characters can be read as to ‘unite with the spirit.’ Incidentally, the same two characters are used in the term Aikido (合気道) which is translated as the way of harmonizing the spirit. When performing kiai, one should unite focus, movement, breathing, and spirit into one harmonious action. To basically put everything into one moment.

So, kiai is not just a shout: it is a vocalisation of one’s intent (though kiai can be silent, too). It is, or should be, a moment when one’s entire state of mind is completely focused on whatever it is that is being carried out.

 There are many different types of kiai used in the classical martial arts. In some systems, the use of kiai and which sound is made is derived from the link those systems have to the practice of Shingon Buddhism. Some systems can even be identified by the type kiai they use. Even in the modern form of classic martial arts, different kiai are used when carrying out various techniques. 

When observing kendo practitioners performing their “two man” kata, you will hear “yah” and “toh” vocalised as they cut. The long drawn out “mennnn” used by some kendoka when they attack during kiri kaeshi practice is quite something to behold. 

In Goju Ryu karate, there is the strange sounding “haahtt” kiai used while doing Sanchin kata. Iaido practitioners when cutting do not vocalise their kiai, but still perform kiai as they unite their spirit with their cuts (“iai” means to harmonise one’s intent). Modern sports have even come to accept the benefits of kiai. Tennis pros now grunt every time they hit the ball.  

 

How to practice Kiai

 Initially, kiai as practiced by beginners (and sadly to say, by a great deal of seasoned martial artists also) is just a shout. For beginners this is perfectly ok, for the seasoned, not so much. But even the act of just shouting out has its benefits. 

 Most people who start practicing karate are very conscious of a perceived lack of ability and co-ordination. When it comes to drawing attention to themselves, they naturally become very shy. This particularly affects those for whom timidity is the norm. This shyness must be overcome because until the student can totally let go and do what is required of them, they will not realise their potential. Proficiency in, let alone mastery of, their art will never be accomplished.

 Kiai is something that really demonstrates this in a new student. For most, shouting out loudly is unnatural and very difficult for to do. Gradually, as they become more comfortable, their shouting becomes louder and stronger. This is still not kiai, however: it’s simply shouting with gusto (again, for beginners this is perfectly OK). 

Once shouting becomes a normal part of one’s practice, that shouting should be directed to become kiai. One exercise to help realize your kiai is as follows: 

Close your eyes and imagine you are with someone you love dearly: a parent, spouse, child, anyone that you would want to protect with your life. Next, imagine you are confronted by an assailant who wishes to do that person harm. The only thing in the way of this is yourself and a commitment to stop the attacker decisively with one blow. 

 Imagine you have just one punch to accomplish what needs to be done. If you fail to “give it all you’ve got,” you will lose the chance to protect your loved one. Imagine an instructor shouting “now”, and punch with all your strength to protect what you hold most dear. In this moment, you demonstrate the force behind kiai, and might be surprised by how you feel. 

 

 Practical use of kiai 

There is much written about where kiai is used as a weapon: thwarting an attacker with the outward manifestation of one’s spirit. Gichin Funakoshi Sensei (recognised as the “father of modern karate”) mentions an example of this in his autobiography “Karatedo, My Way of Life”. 

 He tells of a “contest” between one of his teachers, Sokon Matsumura, and a challenger. The “contest” the two were entering into should not be confused with a modern one; in these “contests”, one or both participants could expect to be severely injured or worse, so entering into them was a very serious undertaking. The altercation was stopped when the challenger moved to attack Matsumura, who at that moment gave out a ferocious shout, stopping the would-be attacker in his tracks. So powerful was Matsumaura’s kiai that the challenger immediately realised the strength of Matusmura and the futility of continuing his challenge.

 Sound plays a very important role in nature. It is sound that animals use to warn each other of danger, and sound that is used to vocalise intent. At our instinctive levels, sound can affect us greatly. My kendo teacher once told me to think of shouting “no” as I cut as if to stop my opponents’ attack. If you have children, it is with that feeling-filled shout of “no” that stops them immediately as they are about to do something dangerous. Is that not kiai? A moment when our concentration and our focus is so acute, that our shout conveys our intention. I think so.

The practice of Seiza

Seiza is a method of sitting which, in some places, is used as psychotherapy.

It is a way of sitting on the knees that is used extensively in the Aikido. Practice of seiza can involve this art or it can be done simply as a sitting exercise.

"Quiet sitting" using the seiza posture is a way to overcome the generalized fears of life and the underlying fear of death. It is an excellent way to regulate the body functions. It can bring the mind closer to the world "as it is" rather than its usual residence in "things as they should be". In other words, seiza is a method of breaking through the illusion of everyday life.

When sitting, the endless cycles of thought which are so crippling to mental health are broken and the clean freshness of simply living in the world is

allowed to come forth.

To sit in seiza bend your legs and place the left knee on the floor. Place the right knee down about two fist widths from the left. Now flip down the toes and place the feet onto the floor so that the big toes just touch each other. Lower the buttocks down so that they rest on or between the heels.

Straighten up and let the lower back move forward so that there is an S shaped curve to the spine. Rounding out the lower back to the rear or trying to sit back too far will cause muscle fatigue. The weight should be centered somewhere between the top of the feet and the knees, more toward the feet.

The head is carried in balance on top of the spine. The ears shouuld be in line with the shoulders and the nose in line with the belly button. Note that putting the nose into this position moves the back ever so slightly off of a strictly vertical position. In Aikido this is important as it will encourage "seme" or pressure to the front. Pull the chin in slightly and stretch the back of the neck. This should feel as if someone is pulling straight up on the hair to stretch the spine.

To find this centreline you can rock in circles from the hips, slowly reducing the swings until coming to rest in a stable position. This centering is important to prevent muscle cramps or fatigue while sitting.

Another way to check the posture is to imagine a string attached to the top of the head on the inside. The string drops down inside the neck and trunk and is attached to a weight at the height of your tanden. If you bend your head forward or curve your trunk too much the string touches the body shell. If you lean too far forward or back the weight bangs into the hip girdle. Put the

weight in the front half of the hara.

Relax the shoulders and let the arms fall downward naturally. The right hand is placed palm upward on the lap with the little finger edge lightly touching the lower abdomen. The left hand is placed on top of the right, palm upward as well. The fingers should be together without strain. Place the tips of the thumbs together so that they are just touching with no pressure. The thumbs and fingers should make an oval shape around a point about 2 to 3 inches below the navel. This point is called the tanden or seika tanden and corresponds roughly to the centre of balance. The left hand over the right represents the calm ("Sei" or "In" in Japanese) aspects covering the active ("Do" or "Yo") aspects. The thumbs unify the two. The tanden is seen as the centre of being around which the Hara or hip girdle is organized. The centre is the point from which

your life is lived.

Variations of this form are sometimes used but this is the most balanced and relaxed method of sitting.

Without tipping the head forward lower the eyes and look at a spot centered about one metre in front of the knees. The nose should be in the field of vision or the head has dropped forward. This serves to half close the eyes cutting out most of the visual input without providing the conditions to fall asleep.

Place the tongue on the roof of the mouth and place the teeth lightly together. Draw the air out of the space between the tongue and the palate. This will cut down on saliva production and the need to swallow.

Breathing is done in a very specific fashion and is the most important aspect of the practice. The ancient Taoists believed that breath was life and that each person was only allotted so many. Deep slow breathing was seen as life prolonging.

Inhale easily and quietly through the nose using the diaphragm. The belly should expand forward while the chest should expand without any musculaular assistance at all. Keep all tension and muscular effort out of the upper body. The shoulders should not move upward at all but don't hold them down, simply let gravity do the work.

Breath in until the lungs are full and no further, let the breath dictate the turnover to exhalation. Don't hold the breath or do anything special, simply begin to exhale. The exhalation is even more gentle than the inhalation. There should be no noise or fuss, simply breath out softly, letting the belly collapse. Breath out until the need to breath in is felt, then change over to inhalation. When exhaling don't let the belly go flabby, keep it alive with some tension or tone, without actually tightening the muscles.

Never force the breath at any time. With continued practice the rhythm will slow down to perhaps two breaths a minute but don't try to reach any goals, just breath quietly.

Following your breath, count both inhalations and exhalations or, later, exhalations only. Count from one to ten and then start over. If the count is lost, start at one again, don't try to remember the last number, it's not important. Getting to ten should not be a contest or a goal, just count.

Any thoughts that arise should be noted but then ignored. Just look at them and then let them go, don't chase them or follow any line of reasoning. Go back to the counting. All thoughts have the same worth, nothing, when sitting. When sitting...sit. Return to the counting. The same goes for any light displays, hallucinations, panic, fear or other illusions. Simply sitting...sit.

When the thoughts don't run so fast and furious you can drop the counting and just sit. If the thoughts become distracting, count again.

Eventually, try to sit in seiza for about 30 minutes early in the morning and again at night. When starting the practice shorter times are advised until the legs are flexible and the circulation adjusts. If the legs begin to fall asleep, rise up off of the knees to allow circulation. Alternatively, roll up a blanket or something similar and place it between the lower legs to raise the hips up off of the heels. A small amount of pain is to be expected but don't make it a test of willpower to sit as long as possible.

Ideally the sitting should be done in a quiet room with soft illumination and few visual or other distractions. Music is inappropriate since the idea is not to be distracted, rather than the other way 'round. Eventually the practice can be done anywhere with any amount of activity nearby.

When the sitting is finished or when the legs must be relieved, bend forward from the waist and place the forehead on the floor while keeping the hips on the heels. Place the hands palm upward on the floor beside the head, now lift them up a few inches. This symbolizes being open (and accepting) to anything that the world cares to offer. Breathing in this position for a short time

before sitting up again will allow longer practice times.

There is a vast literature of self-help and meditation and there are many who are willing to teach secret methods of healing the soul for a price. All that is really necessary is a place to be alone and a few breaths. If some support is helpful then seiza can be done in a group but this is not necessary.

Just sit...Simply sit.

Earn free bitcoin

Reigi

"There is more art in a single bow, simply and sincerely done, than in the most flawlessly executed technique." - Tanomo Saigo

 

Reigi means etiquette. Etiquette is one of the pillars of traditional martial arts. It refers not just to a set of rules of behaviour, but to an attitude, a way of being. When I was young, my father once defined for me what good manners means (he meant manners in the Western sense, but it applies here as well). He said that manners are "the art of putting the other person at ease." This is a very good definition, because it goes beyond rules to the spirit that gave rise to those rules. And it implies three of the basic qualities of spirit that should reside in the heart of every true martial artist: selflessness (humility), compassion, and respect. It involves putting someone else's needs ahead of our own. When we do that, we take ourselves out of the center of the universe where, in truth, we have no business being. How many times have we all found ourselves upset because things haven't gone "our way," as if all the myriad forces at work in the vast universe should be uniting to arrange things our way. There are six billion people in the world, all wanting things to go "their way." 

The ancient masters used to speak of the Tao. The Tao is the Way. Really it means, "Things as They Are." And that is the first principle of the Way: that things are. Simply that. Things are. Not that they are a certain way; that this way is better than that way. Just that things are. We are a part of this Way, but we are not the purpose of it. Sometimes we forget this. Our egos make us want to change "things as they are" into "things as we want them to be." Meanwhile, the Way persists. Reigi means to respect things as they are, whether you like them or not, whether you think they should be as they are or not. That does not mean that you cease all activity and stop trying to make the world a better place. But rather that you see your actions, and the results of your actions, in a greater context, as part of a larger process over which we have only very slight, and limited, control. Reigi means gaining control of the ego, which wants things to happen a certain way (our way), and realizing that things happen as they happen. When we respect the nature of things, and act with humility and compassion, we reduce conflict and find harmony. Harmony is the first principle of Aikido. 

To Saigo Tanomo there was no difference between Martial Etiquette and Martial Skill. He once said, "I have regretted often the days when I have prayed in earnest for many things, but have failed to include the greatest blessing of all. No man should claim to have any wisdom at all until he has learned to long for peace." 

Remember etiquette does not exist to enslave you, but to train you in humility, compassion, and respect. Bowing, cleaning the dojo, entering and leaving the mat the correct way are all expressions of a humble and respectful spirit.

Earn free bitcoin