Saturday 2 June 2007

Straight back into training for black.

“Work is love made visible.”
- Kahlil Gibran

Aikido is tough love, the injuries are sometimes quite brutal, and there is constant wear and tear on joints and ligaments. But we persist, even though the risk of injury is there. My neck is healing from whiplash sustained at practice, and although it is far from one hundred percent, I am glad that I have trained throughout my recovery.

Being more aware of my injury has helped me to become more aware of my equilibrium, my centre of gravity, and as a result last night I felt light and energetic for the first time in a long while. The chiropractic and massage therapy probably has a lot to do with it also.

It is hard not to flinch or baulk, and even more difficult to commit yourself to a technique if you fear being injured again, but it is precisely this fear that can lead to injury. It has been said that the only thing to fear is fear itself, and that anyone who says they aren’t afraid is lying. Fear is like any other human emotion, if we deny it we risk it manifesting in a negative and destructive way. Conversely if we embrace it, increase our awareness of it we can learn from it and grow as individuals.

Needless to say I would prefer to take the later path, acknowledge my fear, and move through it.