Sunset-- the ocean is inky black and gently swelling against the piecemeal shoreline. Seaweed scattered across the surface creates texture, warm refracted light dazzles in the compartments the kelp creates. Kamis, the spirits of nature and the universe, abound; it is as if you can sense their sharp breath in the chill night air. As Linda Holiday Sensei said, when confronted with beautiful places, she turns to Shin Kokyu, a purification practice that is the "settling of the spirit and returning to the spirit of the universe." I was inspired to settle and connect, perched on a rock in Salt Point state park, with bats fluttering over the sloshing waves and specks of fishing boats drifting toward the deepening orange, magenta and gold horizon.
Shin kokyu is a sort of movement meditation, it incorporates of deep breathing, centering, and unification of mind-body through specific motions that seem to awaken my ki (energy) field through "spirit-shaking." It announces ones presence in the world, our relation to the elements (earth, air, water, fire). It reminds us of the mystery of life, both harmony and seeming discordance. Mostly (for now, for me) it actively reminds my body of the good feeling I get from practicing Aikido, and all the realization that stems from the practice.
So I am going to attempt a 30-day Shin Kokyu daily practice . . . just to see what arises.
In Linda Holiday Sensei's writing about Shin Kokyu (which is eloquent, interesting and inspiring!) she includes this wonderful Osensei quote:
"Love is the guardian deity of everything. Nothing can exist without it. Aikido is the realization of love."
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