In Aikido and Seishindo we practice embodying various “states” or ways of perceiving and being. We practice entering into various ways of experiencing “Life”. The one state we practice entering into most, is known in Japanese as "mushin." In Seishindo we often refer to mushin as a state of "embodied presence."
Open Perspective
Self-regulating Steady States
Waiting quietly for a friend
Heartbeat Breath—Calming Breath
Your heartbeat helps to set the rhythm of your day to day life. This exercise helps you to breath in harmony with the beating of your heart. Remember, when you calm your breathing you calm your body. When you calm your body, you calm your thinking and your internal dialogue. When you calm your body and your thinking, you calm your mind.
Breath-Talking
This Practice assumes you have a situation or relationship that you would like to be able to better understand or change. (If you have not yet done the “I am” Practice better to complete that Practice first.)
I am – a Concept of time and identity
Learn how to formulate your intentions in a more productive manner. Find out why telling yourself what you want to accomplish, often will take you further away from your goal. This Practice assumes you have an issue, relationship, or circumstance in your life that you would like to better understand or change, over the course of time. In other words, it assumes you have an intention to somehow be or do things, differently.
Riding the Horse
Stand in “Hanmi”
This is a basic activity taken from Aikido and further elaborated on for our purposes in Seishindo. Performing this Practice from time to time will give you an active experience of developing a calm presence. When you are feeling fully present you will notice that your thinking mind and your feeling mind are both calm, yet active.
Breathing With Grace and Power
Most everyone has a tendency to restrict their breathing when they are frightened, anxious, or feeling overwhelmed. It is not “natural” to restrict one’s breathing at such times, but for most of us it is a default habit nonetheless. This Practice is meant to reawaken you to the process of breathing, and help you to reverse debilitating breathing habits, so that you can once again, “Breath with Grace and Power.”
Standing With Grace and Power
This Practice is best explored after working with the exercise titled “Breathing with Grace and Power”. It will help you to feel more empowered in your everyday life. When your posture is balanced and your breathing is free and easy, you will wind up feeling more competent and confident.
Breathing Together, Becoming One
Whole Body Breathing
Heartbeat Breath—Calming Breath
Walking With Grace and Power
Active Dreaming
This Active Dreaming will take you about 30-45 minutes to explore. The first time around you are advised to read through all of Level 1 (Steps 1-8) once or twice before beginning, so you feel confident you know what to do. Level 2 on the other hand, can be gone through step by step as you read the instructions.
The Gift of Forgiveness
This is a simple yet profound Practice. If you have been following and experimenting with our other Practices along the way, you might notice that today’s Practice has a very similar structure to two other Practices. These three Practices (“Today …”, “Today, my anger is about …, and ) follow a particular structure for meaningful personal dialogue that I have uncovered over the years. Little by little, absorb this structure into your bones, and then start creating your own Practices, based on different concerns!