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The meaning of Energy, Power and Force in Aikido and Tai Chi

4/14/2016

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The words power, force and energy are used very often when practicing Aikido or Tai Chi but what do these words mean in relation to Aikido and Tai Chi?

In Aikido classes we like to tell our students not to use power or force but only to relax. What do we mean with this?

In practicing Tai Chi we need to be as soft as possible without tension. With soft we mean flexible, adaptable and strong as water. Your center and limbs filled with Chi. All tensions flow away in your movements. This sounds great but mostly we are too stiff or performing the movements way too forced so it actually blocks our Chi.

In this article I will analyze what power, force and energy actually mean when it comes to Aikido and Tai Chi and how it is used correctly. But also what is the deeper meaning of using our energy and tapping into the Universal energy.

I will try to be as clear and rational as possible.

Please enjoy reading and comments are always welcome.

In Tai Chi and Aikido we are talking about using ‘Chi’ and using ‘Ki’. Chi is the Chinese word for energy and ‘Ki’ the Japanese word. Both have the same meaning. To keep it simple I will only make use of the word ‘Chi’ throughout this article.

When we talk about ‘Chi’ we mean life energy, universal energy, internal energy, energy from the cosmos and so on. According to old Chinese and Japanese philosophies we as humans are part of and connected to the one universal source of energy ‘Chi’. Every thing in this Universe has Chi. The main reservoir for this energy in our own body is called the ‘Dan tian’. It’s a point about 3 fingers under your navel, it varies slightly depending on the individual. When inhaling naturally and through your belly, paying close attention will let you locate your Dan tian. It’s the point where expansion starts first when inhaling.

Our modern lifestyle and pragmatic thinking disconnects us from most benefits of this energy. But as human beings we actually have the potential to tap into this unlimited source of energy and reap all of its benefits. These benefits will be felt and seen as feeling more happy, more grounded and stable like a mountain. You will feel stable and rooted in your legs like a tree and more empty, light and relaxed in your mind. Your sexual energy will be strong, loving and caring.

Aikido and Tai Chi is a way to connect you to this energy. Translated from Japanese Aikido means the way to harmony or the way to unify with life energy. Tai Chi means the ‘great polarity’.  The balancing of Yin and Yang, both born from the state of Tai Chi that gives rise to everything in the universe. Note that the ‘Chi’ from Tai Chi is not the same as the ‘Chi’ we use to refer to life energy. In Chinese both have a different character and meaning. Correctly Tai Chi should be written as Taiji nowadays but I will use Tai Chi now as it is the most popular and common way of writing.

Aikido and Tai Chi are about being one with your movements, empty the mind from disturbing thoughts and tap into the source of Universal Chi to enrich your soul and body. Become a more conscious, loving, natural and stable human being. Aikido and Tai Chi are both paths to get there and so is for example meditation. There are many ways to ‘Rome’ so to say and you never stop learning.

We go on about meditation and specifically Qi Gong meditation, Qi Gong is a very old system of meditation. It originated in China but uses a lot of principles that are used in Indian ways of healing like Yoga. Earliest records of Qi Gong are from about 5000 years ago. In these times Chinese and Indian philosophers shared lots of knowledge with each other. That’s why the Indian and Chinese way of healing have lots in common.

Qi Gong is very interwoven with the practice of Tai Chi Quan. Without Qi Gong principles and way of breathing the Tai Chi will never be natural and able to flow.

All in all after an explanation about the broader meaning of energy, power and force we go back to the question from the beginning. What do we mean with not using force or power in our movements in Aikido and Tai Chi? We mean that your movements shouldn’t be forced, tense, stiff or with lots of muscle power. Performing movements and techniques forced, tense or stiff will block your meridians so the real energy ‘Chi’ is not able to flow anymore. Try to fully tighten your arm muscle and feel the blockade that comes with it. The Chi is stuck in your arm, you can’t deliver a strong punch with an arm like that.

If you are forced, tense and stiff in Aikido, when facing a physically stronger opponent you will fail. (I know this out of experience since I started Aikido from the age of 13 and only trained with adults). But when performing Aikido with grace and softness your moves are able to be filled with Chi, so no matter how strong your opponent, he or she is not even able to touch you. You will be like water.

The same goes for the practice of Tai Chi. Tai Chi is an art of movement as well as a martial art. The original way for Tai Chi to be practiced is from a martial arts point of view. When people found out it was highly benefiting their health it became more popular as an art practiced for health reasons.
Most people nowadays associate Tai Chi with old Chinese people practicing in the park but Tai Chi and especially the original Chen style is besides its health benefits also very effective as a fighting system. By learning how to use your internal energy in kicks, punches and grappling you can have maximum results with minimum effort. Tai Chi Chen has soft and graceful movements that suddenly erupt in explosive power kicks, punches and grapples. These kicks and punches are not difficult and do not need lots of muscle power. The more relaxed you can perform them the better. My Chinese masters in China could throw students around like we were puppets without any use of muscle power.

The message of this article is that we need to let go of our habitual mind patterns, our stress, our tensions and our way of wanting to force everything in a certain direction. Life is happening all around us fueled by Universal Chi. As humans and individuals we are part of this Universal Chi. We are one with the whole. This is what the practice of Aikido, Tai Chi and Qi Gong meditation is about. Let the energy flow through your body and through this universe. Be happy and accepting with the things life has to offer. That is the right use of energy. And this is the kind of energy that will appear when you practice Aikido or Tai Chi for a long time. Aikido and Tai Chi is more than just a sport or form of exercise.
I think in all religions when talking about God/Allah and so on we are referring to this Universal Chi. It is something that most humans can barely grasp the meaning of, we ought to think it’s some kind of almighty power above our reach and understanding. But we don’t have to reach something or some place, we are a part of it. We can tap into the Universal Chi and become one with it. This realization is called the process of Enlightenment in Buddhism.

In here a beautiful citing about the essence of Tai Chi and its oneness with nature by master Chen Zhongsheng:

Light as scattered flowers, solid as tempered steel. Competing with the Tiger for ferocity, challenging the Eagle for speed. In movement like a flowing river, in stillness like a solid mountain. The spirit gathered at the brink before release.

More to follow on this topic…

My gratitude to one of my Aikido masters Jack de Jongh for contributing some of his knowledge to this article.
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About Us - The Love Story

3/27/2016

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Hey readers, we want to share the story about how we met and how we came to this wonderful place in Lombok- Indonesia and live here with our male fox red Labrador, Arlo.

So first of all, The husband who is a Dutch has been traveling for a long time in Asia while the wife who is Indonesian was still studying accounting at the university in Jakarta.

One day we found each other through internet and exchanged contacts, it was in April 2014 and since then we talked a lot about almost everything, even though we hadn't really seen each other in real, only by photo or video call.

The funny thing is that he said he has a little Indonesian blood from his grandpa who was born in Bogor, which is where the wife's family and herself live for a long time.

Sadly grandpa had already passed away in April 2013, which is exactly a year before we got to know each other. Until now we still believe that it is through his spirit we were brought together.

After 4 months of contact through phone the husband came to Indonesia in August 2014 after a trip to Japan were he practiced Aikido. We finally met and it just felt like we've known each other for a long time, everything flowed so smooth and we were immediately connected. If you believe in love, love will come to you in every way.

About 1,5 year we had a Long Distance Relationship because the husband was still doing Taichi in China while the wife still needed to finish her thesis to graduate. Once in awhile the husband came to Indonesia and we made trips to places like Bandung ,Lombok, Malang, Surabaya, Belitung, Kuala Lumpur besides staying in Jakarta and Bogor where the wife lived, so we'll also share about our travel experiences we had.

It was always hard to say goodbye yet exciting to see each other again at the airport, for you people who are having a Long Distance Relationship you must understand the feeling :p but if we trust each other and it is the destiny to be together everything will work out.

When the wife finished her university, in February 2015  we had a trip to Belitung where the husband proposed the wife to get married, it was unexpected but we knew we had a good connection and couldn't be separated for too long, so there was no doubt to getting married.

After we engaged, the wife visited the husband in China where he was doing Taichi and continued the trip to visit the husband's family in the Netherlands. In Europe we made a trip to Belgium and Italy, which we are also gonna share soon.

So now after being married in September 2015, we decided to live in Lombok, which is a beautiful island in Indonesia next to Bali that has beautiful spots for diving. You can see beautiful fish, turtles, manta rays, sharks etc. Beautiful beaches with bright blue sea and pristine sand. Not only that, Lombok has the 2nd highest volcano mountain named Gunung Rinjani, Gunung is the Indonesian word for mountain. Every year many people from around the world come to hike Gunung Rinjani from April to October, out of the rainy season.

So here we are, we're gonna share about: how it is living in Indonesia as a mixed marriage couple, about our travel in some places in the world, practical information about a variety of subjects but above all why we started Chi in Harmony and why it is important your Chi and the Chi of this planet stays in Harmony. With this website we like to spread a message that is bigger than just us. The world is on a crucial turning point and it can be a positive or negative one. We as the human species can decide which way it goes.

ENJOY!
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Travel to Indonesia - Visa's

3/24/2016

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This article gives you information about visa's when traveling to Indonesia.
If you don't want to apply for a visa at an Indonesian embassy and you are only here for a short stay, then you have two choices upon arrival in Indonesia:

Number 1 is a $ 35 visa on arrival that is valid for 30 days and extendable in every immigration office throughout Indonesia for another 30 days. This visa is for all purposes, the only thing you can't do on this visa is work. In total with extension it means you can stay in Indonesia for 60 days before you have to leave the country. You can easily leave the country to a nearby foreign destination like Kuala Lumpur or Singapore and return the same day to get another visa on arrival.

The other option is choosing a free of charge tourist visa. This one is valid for 30 days only and is not extendable.  It can only be used for tourist purposes. 

If you are opting to stay for a longer time you have another two options:

Number 1 is applying for a tourist visa at any Indonesian embassy. This will give you 60 days upon arrival and is extendable 4 times for 30 extra days each. For the extension you will need a local sponsor from that area. So if you are applying for an extension at the Mataram Lombok immigration office you will need a sponsor that is from the island of Lombok. Maybe you want to travel further and land up in Medan Sumatra, you will do your next extension over there. It means you need to find another sponsor from that area to apply for your extension at the immigration office in Medan. In total this tourist visa can give you a 6 months stay in Indonesia if you can find or have a sponsor. Note: To apply for this visa in the first place you don't need a sponsor, only for the extensions.
Look for all the exact requirements on the website of the Indonesian embassy you want to apply. Most embassies have there own requirements. 

Number 2 is applying for a Social Budaya visa at any Indonesian embassy. Social Budaya stands for social visit visa and is meant for people who are visiting family ,or students that want to study in Indonesia. Lots of people that live in Indonesia for a short time use this visa. For the Social Budaya you already need a sponsor before applying at the Indonesian embassy. This same sponsor needs to sponsor you for all your extensions, it cannot be someone else. You can do 4 extensions each valid for 30 days. This means that in total you are able to stay for 6 months on this visa.

* note the sponsor always needs to be an Indonesian citizen or a foreigner that has KITAS (limited residence) or KITAP (permanent residence).

Please comment if you have questions or tell us about your experience.

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