Visualization is basically the ability to independently and at any given moment conjure up vivid mental imagery—including all the sensory details, emotions, and thoughts that come with it—entirely by your own will. Developing this skill is absolutely vital for just about any activity, whether you're training, experimenting, or conducting research, because in a way, the physical and psychomental processes continue to unfold even when you aren't physically acting—say, due to illness, an injury, or some other setback—meaning things like necessary movement, drills, or tactical exercises can still take place mentally. Having a sharp sense of visualization is becoming increasingly essential in modern life; it’s a requirement in various professional fields because it allows a person to create mental projections of programs or projects and even test their effectiveness before they ever commit to actual implementation.
Energy Control Exercises - Breath Control
Shallow, erratic breathing leads directly to a restless mind and uncontrolled thoughts, whereas balanced breathing leads to a stable mind and mastery over one's thoughts. If you want to be capable of executing Aikido techniques properly and efficiently, you absolutely have to learn how to breathe correctly and harmoniously—in other words, you have to master breath control. The whole point of breath control is to synchronize your breathing with your movement so that your technique achieves maximum efficiency (meaning fast, timely application with minimal energy expenditure and less brute force). The best method is deep, slow, and complete breathing that engages the entire lungs—every bronchus and every single alveolus—while maximizing the use of the diaphragm, all while keeping the physical effort of breathing to an absolute minimum. In the beginning, you should practice this while sitting down until you've mastered the technique, and later on, you start integrating it into movement through specific Aikido techniques. Controlling the omnipresent cosmic energy within us (KI) is most effectively and easily achieved by first mastering our own breath. Once we become capable of controlling our breathing, we gain the ability to control and manage our emotions and thoughts—which are themselves powerful cosmic energies.
Concentration Exercises
Think about it: we've all focused sunlight and heat many times, intentionally directing it toward a specific spot or a single point. In our practice, concentration means fixing your attention onto one single technique, emotion, or thought and maintaining it for as long as possible. To successfully apply concentration and actually achieve the results we're planning for, there are certain rules you simply have to follow:
- You have to practice every single day. - You absolutely must avoid tension and anger. - Don't try to fight against the spirit or the thoughts. - Don't rush. - It's best to perform the exercises at the same time each day (morning and evening). - You need to practice breath control before starting concentration exercises. - Don't eat or drink alcohol immediately before practicing.
Initially, these exercises are performed in a stationary position using developed visualization skills, but eventually, they are applied during movement through specific Aikido techniques.
Harmony Exercises
Being in harmony with yourself, your environment, and the entire cosmos is true wisdom; it’s set as a fundamental and key requirement for a successful life, a successful career, and successful Aikido practice. Being in harmony means consciously, intentionally, and steadily connecting your physical and mental activities, both within yourself and in your interactions with the world around you. By training both the physical and mental aspects of Aikido, we aim to achieve exactly this through persistent and concentrated practice. Through harmony exercises and techniques, a person learns to bridge the gap between the physical and the spiritual, aligning bodily movements with psychomental exercises and syncing the rhythm of breathing with body movement through Aikido. This is how one achieves relaxation, concentration, and inner peace, which ultimately leads to extraordinary efficiency when applying a technique.
If you actually want to claim you’re practicing Aikido, you can't just show up whenever you feel like it; there are certain standards you have to live by if you want to take this seriously:
- You need to cut back on or completely quit smoking, drinking, or using drugs, - You shouldn't be training for at least 2-3 hours after eating a heavy meal, - You have to train consistently, - Your sessions need to be done with absolute focus, - You should be wearing comfortable clothing in a well-ventilated space, - And you better follow through with your planned training schedule entirely.
Since we are essentially cosmic beings made of energy, Aikido techniques were designed specifically to influence that energetic essence. Our physical bodies act as vessels for the life energy of the universe—without it, we wouldn't even exist as we are. By working directly with our internal energies, Aikido movements and techniques impact the physical part of our being—specifically the parts where those energies become accessible to our basic senses. All of these energies are governed by our thoughts, which is why we utilize a structured system of exercises and techniques divided like this:
1. Physical exercises and techniques (falls, multi-directional movement, controls, throws), 2. Relaxation exercises, 3. Awareness exercises, 4. Visualization exercises, 5. Energy control exercises—breath control, 6. Concentration exercises, 7. Harmony exercises.
Physical exercises and techniques (falls, multi-directional movement, controls, throws)
These physical movements are very specific; they are designed to influence energy flows within particular parts of the body or throughout the entire frame. During these movements, the goal is to manifest a desire to be in harmony with another person, regardless of whether they are attacking you or simply looking for quality, positive communication. It is absolutely vital to sync these movements with your breathing, to remain completely relaxed both physically and mentally, and to stay deeply connected to whatever part of the body you are currently focusing on. Practicing falls allows us to drop safely and confidently without getting injured, while training multi-directional movement develops our ability to navigate any space rapidly. The control and throwing techniques are unique to Aikido, teaching us how to bring a potential attacker under control or throw them to demonstrate that we have zero aggressive intentions. The whole point isn't to defeat or humiliate someone; it's to show the attacker that we aren't an aggressor and that there is no reason to attack us. We want to signal that we are open to peaceful communication and that we have nothing against them. We want to show them that we view them as an equal being with whom we can be friends and help one another.
Relaxation exercises In order to perform any activity successfully—meaning quickly, efficiently, and sustainably—you have to achieve a high degree of total-body relaxation. That's how you minimize energy waste, maximize metabolic efficiency, maintain concentration longer, achieve better harmony with your surroundings, increase speed, and delay the onset of fatigue. Initially, these exercises are performed while sitting or lying down using deep, slow breathing, but eventually, they are integrated with Aikido techniques involving active movement.
Awareness exercises
Awareness is a specific mental state where a person knows exactly what they are doing, how they are doing it, and why they are doing it, all while maintaining constant concentration on that single activity. In this state, a person achieves their best results—whether in work, training, or learning—while using the least amount of physical and psycho-mental energy. To reach this state quickly and maintain it even when faced with external distractions (like noise, talking, or physical and mental attacks), you have to practice. Some people might have this ability naturally, but most of us have to develop it through disciplined training. In our Aikido training system, we place massive importance on developing the ability to "be aware"—of the body, the emotions, and the thoughts. This is the fastest way to master these energies, bring them under control, and use them for our own good.
rowdydriver52 said:That was exactly my reason for quitting Aikido too. There’s just this massive, glaring disconnect between what people think, what they say, and... what they actually do. And let’s be honest, you judge a person by their actions, not by the uniform they wear.
Exactly! I don't even think it needs further explanation, really.
I’ve read through everything carefully and gathered all the data. Thanks to you and your friend for providing those details from PM USA.
Now all that's left for me is to check in with myself and see if I can actually relate to all of this or not.
While browsing an Aikido Club website, I stumbled upon a text that really resonated with me, so I'm pasting it here for everyone to see:
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Core Principles - Reacting promptly and decisively, - Aligning physical action and the mind with the beings around you, - Radiating inner peace into your surroundings, - Controlling the energy of both body and mind, - Using powerful internal energy solely for the well-being of oneself and all living things on Earth, - Standing firmly and courageously for cosmic truth, - Utilizing Aikido techniques and exercises for quality living. Through practicing Aikido, we reach a state of body and spirit where we become complete masters of our entire being; nothing happens within us without our conscious awareness and will.
There is no need to overemphasize the practical application of all this in daily life—especially when we are surrounded by intense negative energies like fear, hatred, anger, rage, and egoism. In those moments, practicing Aikido becomes the key to eliminating those very energies from within ourselves. This is the true, realistic path to protecting oneself from the stress of modern times because, in our view, the fundamental cause of our stress lies within us, not outside of us.
When we are angry, jealous, fearful, hateful, enraged, or selfish, we are creating something inside ourselves; we become the source, the very cause of the condition known today as stress.
The cosmic Law of Cause and Effect becomes much clearer and more understandable through Aikido practice. We become aware of it on a global scale and in its entirety. By understanding this vital law and how it manifests, we become prepared to change our own actions, thoughts, and speech—our very personalities—by developing those positive qualities of the NEW HUMAN that sages have taught us throughout the centuries: love, self-sacrifice, unselfishness, inner peace, and respect for all beings—the awareness that we are, not just on this planet, but in the entire universe, ALL ONE BIG ONE.
To achieve this, for those who desire it, Aikido offers its unique philosophy, methods, and exercises. To make it easier to understand and adopt, we will generally divide the Aikido exercises into:
a) Physical exercises, b) Psycho-mental exercises, c) Unified exercises.
Even the practice that appears to be purely physical isn't strictly physical in nature, because during such training, there must be an awareness of every movement, concentration solely on that specific exercise, synchronized breathing and motion, and visualization accompanying every single technique. Of course, while this physical movement primarily affects our bodies, it also impacts our spirit (our emotions and thoughts).
Psycho-mental exercises include: relaxation, mindfulness, breath control, visualization, and concentration. Their primary purpose is to act upon our mental body, though this inevitably, in certain ways, reflects onto our physical body as well. This is because we are, in essence, a unity of physical and mental, whereas in our practical lives here in the West, we still tend to separate them.
In the group of unified exercises, emphasis isn't placed on either the physical or the mental; rather, they are represented equally (such as the practice of conscious and relaxed "walking through a rock" using intense visualization and sensation).
rowdydriver52 It’s a massive wake-up call, plain and simple. You’re basically forced to take your entire life philosophy and drag it out into the harsh light of day. You’re finally standing face-to-face with who you really are and the world as it actually exists. Your ego slams right into the reality of the dojo—the reality that exists HERE AND NOW. There’s absolutely no room for playing games or lying to yourself, because even if you try to bullshit your way through, your body won't let you get away with it. It knows the truth. It’s like hitting a Zen master’s koan wall with your linear mind and that clumsy body that just follows along on autopilot.
"Would I be being too pretentious if I said I've experienced this plenty of times in my Mind, but far less frequently in my Body, which is exactly why I'm searching for something like this?" I think you know exactly what I mean.
rowdydriver52, thanks man, I'll continue to follow you closely!😉
Sophia Williams, thanks&, I'll check out the site.
Um, no, I wasn't thinking about self-defense at all; honestly, that wasn't even remotely my intention in the slightest😉
Regarding dangerous😁 skills, the only time I ever actually encountered anything was with full contact stuff(😁)Ugh, don't even ask how I ended up there, but those were definitely long, long gone days... Basically, there was this cute guy training the same thing, so I just... you know how it goes... everything for the sake of science, right?
What was on my mind?
I was looking into yoga, based on some recommendations, and maybe Tai Chi (is that how you say it?)... and so on... but what I'm really searching for is something that demands discipline, consistency, and total devotion. See, even though my goal is spirituality, my intention is simultaneously an "escape from spirituality," if you catch my drift. There's a time for diving deep into your thoughts, but there's also a time when that same process needs to stop being its own end goal in my world, because otherwise, it just turns into chasing your own tail and spinning in circles. One thought breeds another, and far too often, you find yourself stuck in that loop without ever moving forward. And I am not just a synonym for thought; I am so much more than that. * A friend tells me that judo is complicated and that it takes a massive amount of time to master it. But I'm not entirely sure that mastering is really the word I'm looking for. I’d say that distilling* is the word I'm after—using distillation to express myself in the simplest possible way, both to the outside world and to myself.
*distillation = hygiene
God, why is that absolute brute over there being such a pain🙂ugh
For those of you who actually know anything about judo*—and especially for those who are currently debating whether or not they should even bother getting started.
Look, is there anyone on this damn forum around here who actually practices judo? I’ve been seriously weighing the idea of signing up for some Google classes lately.😎
From what I hear, rowdydriver52 might actually have some insight on this...rowdydriver52, where the hell are you hiding?
manwe said:Well, this is a heavy one... Is this whole thread actually just about hatred!? Have we all collectively lost our minds here?...
Can someone please break this down for me: what even is hate? Is it just the opposite of love? Does John Walker74 think hate is to a motor what a brake is? Do we equate love with creation and hate with destruction? Or is it simply love equals good and hate equals evil? I want everyone to weigh in on what they think hate is, but most importantly, I’m curious about this: can hate ever have positive consequences—not from the perspective of the person hating (fine, I'm acknowledging the human nature of hate), but from some broader, more objective standpoint?
You act like I have all the answers, but honestly, the more I think I know, the more I realize how little I actually understand. Are you really going to sit there and go hunting for even more "knowledge"😁?
If you want things for me that I don't want for myself, then I suppose that means you hate me. But how am I supposed to be certain about what I truly want or don't want, when the actual impact of any given event might not show itself until much later? Your supposed "evil" could very well turn out to be my ultimate good.
So, in that case, how can I ever say for sure that you actually hate me?
Bipolarity... you claim you can love without ever knowing hatred, but let’s be real, don't you also know exactly what it feels like to hate? Surely you recognize that sensation deep down... The mere fact that you carry the memory of hatred creates a conscious awareness of it—a fundamental knowledge of what hate is. And isn't that precisely why you might actually understand how to love, or perhaps why you're capable of loving even more intensely? Hatred serves as a teacher for love. If I look at it through that lens, hatred can't truly be seen as a negative force. Instead, it functions in service of the good. Hatred tests the good, forcing it to question itself over and over again, providing the friction necessary for it to prove its own existence. So, did love invent hatred? But maybe it doesn't even matter if we assert that it did. What matters is realizing that hatred ultimately works for love, because within itself, it holds the potential for love to emerge.
Let’s try flipping the script: suppose there is only hatred, and it is hatred that invents love. In that scenario, hatred would conjure love specifically to annihilate itself. Because that is exactly what love does—it nullifies hate. And then I find myself wondering... Is the ultimate goal of hatred simply to cease to exist? To answer that, wouldn't we have to ask ourselves what the actual purpose of everything in existence is? Is it to persist, or is it to vanish?
If the goal is persistence, then hatred cannot possibly invent love, because love would just end the cycle. But if the goal is vanishing, then love can indeed spring from the ashes of hatred.
Do you people see where this is going?
I certainly don't.😁🙂
All I can say is what I personally lean toward, what I actually do. And until I figure out exactly who this "I" is, I won't ever truly know if I'm right. That process of discovering my true self will probably take my entire life.
And I have to admit, I'll never truly know, yet somehow, I'll always know.
This concept of never feels completely unprovable and out of reach to me right now. Yet, this idea of always is what shapes every opportunity I encounter throughout my life, acting as a mirror that reflects whether I am being good... or bad.
Philosophically speaking—and my neighbor 😁 Henry Barrett11 is going to agree with me on this one, hey neighbor—it’s nearly impossible to claim that anything is strictly "this" or "that." Because once you label something as "this," you immediately find yourself stuck in the loop of having to prove why it qualifies as such, which just triggers another layer of justification, and then another, and another... you never actually reach a point of absolute finality or precision in any definition.
My neighbor put it perfectly when he suggested that we should just hand philosophy over to the physicists😁 because we've reached this boiling point where everything just spins in circles; every single claim demands its own explanation, and then that explanation demands yet another, ad infinitum.
Now, I don't necessarily agree with Henry Barrett11, mostly because I try (even if I don't always succeed) to respect everyone's individual perspective. The idea is that you should simply witness your own approach rather than trying to preach it to others. Personally, my favorite way to look at philosophy is the one Karl Jaspers laid out so beautifully in his introduction to the subject. I have an interest in other approaches too, but nothing too intense. It doesn't really matter to me whether philosophy helps physics explain if the Earth is round or just a bit lumpy, what actually matters to me is: what does THIS do for ME? People should be free to view philosophy however suits them best.... Some might treat it like a hard science, while others might treat it like a piece of poetry. Then Henry Barrett11 tells me that I'm not really a philosopher, arguing that history shows how every single philosopher fights tooth and nail to make their own worldview the foundation for everyone else's.
And where does that lead us? To the death of philosophy?😁 Or to the ultimate triumph of physics?🙂
Someone once pointed out that just by mentioning something, you basically bring it into existence...😎 And if we follow that logic, I guess that would mean both sides of this argument actually exist.😁 But does all this even exist outside of our own heads, or is it just a matter of what the local police department decides based on their own personal biases?
You gotta wish for it, then you gotta work for it, then you actually feed yourself, and finally, you end up burping in honor of your own damn mind. As soon as anyone dares to bring up the subject of the mind, the mind itself steps up to the plate, and it’ll be the one giving you the answer.😁😉
😁😁 You all have some great ideas, really, because let’s be honest—there isn’t a single corner of this place that feels accommodating enough for the kind of heavy topics we've already started touching on.
But since it looks like nothing is actually going to change around here anytime soon, I figure it’s perfectly fine if you just start dropping your questions and topics over under Meta12’s thread regarding Value Systems in psychotherapy—let's just treat that specific topic like its own little sub-forum😉 within the philosophy section.
I don't think anyone is going to lose their mind over it, and even if someone decides to throw a fit, we'll just find a way to smooth things over, especially since we've already kicked off so many discussions in that thread anyway.😉
Henry Barrett11 said:Oh yeah, sure! Honestly, I’d love to get a little taste of everything, including you...
Look at this nerve,🙂 Listen, sorry to burst your bubble, but you really ought to have offered up a bit more inspiration than what you've put on the table here if you actually expected me to serve myself up on a silver platter for you.🙂
...sometimes I get the feeling we throw the word "love" around way too lightly...
We toss it out there like some casual joke, and just by saying the word, we convince ourselves we’re actually living in it, right? Like the mere act of speaking it makes it real...
I refuse to even talk about "love" if I don't actually feel it, because then I’d just be a hypocrite, wouldn't I? Or worse, someone just lost in a daydream...
Because what good is this idea of love that exists on Mars, something completely unreachable and distant, if it isn't standing right here next to me, warm and breathing? I want the kind of love I actually live—something messy and imperfect to the core, yet still fueled by every single one of my attempts to make it something more than what it currently is...
Is all this talk about love just a mask? A clever little disguise used to hide the messy layers of conflicting emotions we have for each other? Is it just a cover for a different kind of passion entirely?... It often is...
..
For me, the truest expression of love is simply saying exactly what I want, letting those thoughts fall straight from the tip of my tongue...🙂 . . when I say...
You're getting on my nerves...
You're annoying me...
Your ears are weird...
Yesterday, I felt nothing but pure disgust at what you did...
And now I realize I never even liked you to begin with...
You're boring...
You aren't giving me what I need...
In my book, you're an idiot...
You women are such frauds...
You all just pretend...
..
Because to me, perfect love is an impossibility...
because perfect love is the kind that doesn't make itself the center of the universe...
and let's face it, I am the center of my own universe...🙂😉
As far as I'm concerned, philosophy is its own science, so it deserves its own dedicated forum.
Let the people decide😁 whether they actually need a sub-forum for psychology or not. The boss, Anderlon, gave us a quick, decisive response—which is exactly what we expect here😉—so now the ball is in your court...
If there’s a genuine hunger for a forum like this, why on earth not? If there isn't, then fine, nothing happens. It’s as simple as that.
Bradley Fisher20, are you some kind of politician now? Stop flipping your stance constantly; you were all for this at the start, and now suddenly you aren't...😁🙂
I see some topics have already been suggested, and honestly, there are plenty of them to go around..
for example..
Behavioral patterns
Physical illness as a manifestation of psychological factors?
A psychological approach to absolute belief systems versus relative ones (why people choose one over the other)..
stormywolf2, you’ve finally narrowed your focus, I guess, but at least you’ve actually said what you meant for once. I really shouldn't have expected anything more from you, even if I’ll admit I was holding out a little bit of hope.
What specific kind of psychological expertise are we even talking about here?
-Is the Health Forum supposed to house cardiologists, orthopedic surgeons, ENT specialists, AND dentists?
Are people seriously going to post there just because they need a filling or an ear exam?
🙂😁😁
There are certain topics people want to dive into that sit right on the edge of philosophy, yet every single time someone tries to bring them up in the Philosophy section, we run headfirst into the same old wall... you know, the one filled with comments like "get lost, idiot" or "you're so stupid," which is exactly how 1+1=? so brilliantly put it.......
Let those who actually care make the decision for THEMSELVES.
For the record, I am definitely neither a spokesperson for the group nor some self-appointed expert handing out definitive psychological advice.
Right now, we have two proposals on the table:
-(proposal 1)--either create a psychology sub-forum
-(proposal 2)--or (which seems much more practical!) expand the existing Philosophy forum under a broader name that covers fields closely linked to it, like psychology.
ironbadger31 said:Personally, I don't see any point in opening up a sub-forum like that, and the reason is pretty simple: there are hardly any people here who actually have the credentials to moderate something of that caliber. If we did that, the whole section would just turn into some "Ask Lastan" help desk.😁.
I don't know, you guys be the judge!😉
Man, you are completely missing the mark here.😁 😉
BUT
if we follow that logic, then based on what adriatic- suggested, we might as well just rename the entire site to something slightly more accurate...