Meditation in movement
JIAIDO is an active movement meditation practice that develops physical and mental strength as well as emotional balance. The movements originate from Chinese and Japanese internal martial arts.
The main goal of JIAIDO is not to acquire an invincible physique or an impressive fighting technique, but to generate inner strength, from which comes wisdom, development and growth. There is no fighting, no competition, not even guidelines for self-defense.
Tai Sabaki techniques harness the potential of ancient martial arts choreography by utilizing their coordinated and harmonious movement styles, effectively developing both hemispheres of the brain at the same time. In addition to all this, JIAIDO revives and manifests the essence and original purpose of martial arts in practice, which is nothing but self-improvement and spiritual fulfillment.
Since JIAIDO is a meditation performed while moving, it is usually practiced with calm and mostly slow movements.
Emphasis is placed on the perfect execution and completion of each movement before starting the next one.
During its practice, two essential elements are present at the same time: attention to movement and attention to breathing.
Moving slowly builds muscle strength, develops balance. It also allows the practitioner to constantly monitor their own movements, which improves the ability to concentrate.
By itself, slow, attentive movement would not be enough to develop awareness, deep abdominal breathing is also necessary for this.
Breathing by activating our power center, known as the hara, not only increases lung capacity but also enhances the circulation of vital energy (Chi) throughout the body.
Holistic development through the body
Our body, mind, and soul are intricately connected, each influencing the other. By working on one aspect, we impact the others. Therefore, engaging with the body offers a unique and powerful pathway for inner growth.
The body is always accessible, serving as a tool we can easily connect with, without requiring prior training or preparation. To positively affect all four levels of our being—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—the first step is to learn to move our body with attentiveness and awareness.
By developing and transforming our movement, we gradually develop and transform our invisible, subtle parts as well.
By mastering conscious movement (and breathing), JIAIDO helps us learn how to recognize and influence our emotions – how to use and express them effectively and constructively – and how to reprogram our disturbing thought patterns that are a constant obstacle to our fulfillment and everyday life.
Tai Sabaki creates space and opportunity for deep and pure connection with ourselves and others – based on understanding, acceptance, appreciation and love.
Tai Sabaki can be practiced individually, with a partner, or in a group.
Even a minimum of 15 minutes of regular individual practice can have a significant effect for those who want to do something for their well-being and personal development. It is a great tool to clear the mind and live each day as a balanced, joyful and conscious adventure.
Group practice in the dojo multiplies the effect of the techniques. Being together keeps attention and pace together effortlessly. Practitioners support and encourage each other to stay active and present while doing the combinations and breathing exercises. It provides a special, indescribable experience, as separate persons merge into a harmonious unity through perfectly coordinated movements.
The purpose of practicing with a partner is primarily to be able to develop a new way of connecting and communicating with each other. We learn how to decide and act from the “here-and-now”, how to give a fresh answer every time instead of fixed routine reactions. In such cases, even two strangers experience the profound experience of “heart to heart” connection with each other.
Paired practice helps to connect without boundaries with ourselves, others, and our environment. Through it, we can leave behind the shackles of judgment, negative discrimination, mistrust and fear.
The eight katas (form exercises) of Tai Sabaki, which are the highest level of practice, are based on the basic techniques of movement meditation (kehon, waza – i.e. foundations).
KATA SYSTEM IN JIAIDO
A kata is a connected series of defensive and offensive movements that evoke a fight with imaginary opponents. Kata has been used by many martial arts, including karate, for centuries.
Kata (the Japanese word meaning “form”) served as a secret tool for the Masters to pass down techniques from generation to generation without any written records.
Its repetitions, according to the practitioner’s level, enable the natural, reflex-like execution of techniques and movements in any conditions, without thinking or stopping.
Kata trains the mind and body: it makes you fit and increases muscular endurance, all the while paving the way for spiritual growth and wisdom.
The eight kata of Tai Sabaki are connected to the four main centers of our being (three Tanden and the Crown, the seat of “infinity”).
The meaning and function of kata is significantly broader than what we know about it based on traditional martial arts. For example, the founder of JIAIDO compiled the kata according to special aspects, so they help to collect, retain, activate life energy and transmit it to different parts of the body. The effect of the eight kata depends on which tanden you are working on. They help build stability and balance, support finding directions in our lives and transforming negative thought patterns.
Successive katas pose an increasing challenge to the practitioner in terms of their complexity, the complexity of the breathing used, and the increasingly powerful and longer grasping of attention.
FOUR ELEMENTS
The view that all matter is composed of four building elements – earth, water, air and fire – has been the cornerstone of philosophy, science and medicine for two thousand years. The elements rarely appear in their pure form, everything that exists on Earth was created from a combination of them in some proportion.
The four elements also served as the starting point for the description of the four basic human temperaments. These:
sanguine – optimistic and sociable, air
choleric – hot-tempered or irritable, fire
melancholic – analytical and quiet, earth
phlegmatic – calm and peaceful, water
Everything in the Universe – including man – is made up of some combination of these four components.
For a person to be mentally and physically well, the four elements must be present in a balanced manner.
We work to create this balance in JIAIDO with the four elements. We see them as a fundamental tool for shaping and harmonizing our personality.
The elements appear in our practice as four different rhythms, four breathing methods, according to the four basic qualities of nature: slow, fast, hard and soft.
1 – Ju-do (soft, flowing, rippling – water)
2 – Go-do (hard, intense – earth)
3 – Haya-do (fast, explosive, powerful – fire)
4 – Aiki (slow, airy, light – air)
BALANCE IS KEY
We encounter situations every day, to which we respond depending on the composition of the four elements present in us. Whether we are able to solve problems, freeze from them, or even run away is determined by how our “building materials” are in proportion to each other.
Every person consists of some mixture of the four elements, this determines their character and personality. There is no such thing as a better or worse mixture, each has its own advantages and disadvantages.
However, it is very important to remember that our personal element combination basically determines our tendencies; the way we perceive the world, the way we react, the emotions we experience, the decisions we make, the way we communicate and express ourselves.
By practicing JIAIDO – and this is especially true of Tai Sabaki – we can become masters of the four elements, get to know and develop them in depth. We learn to express and apply them wisely, always in accordance with the given life situation instead of our previously fixed reactions.
By gaining practice in balancing the elements, we create strong, stable foundations for a harmonious and happy life.
