Integrating Aikido and Permaculture into my daily routine has been the cornerstone of my lifestyle. These two doctrines have transformed my life, both physically and mentally. Practising Aikido taught me to approach life with a peaceful and centred mindset, while Permaculture taught me to cultivate a harmonious relationship with nature. These practices have empowered me to live a fulfilling and sustainable lifestyle.
Aikido is the most effective martial art for implementing permaculture practices. With its emphasis on blending with and redirecting the energy of one's opponent, Aikido embodies the principles of harmony and cooperation essential to Permaculture's success. By utilising the techniques and philosophy of Aikido, we can work with forces of nature rather than against it, creating sustainable and regenerative systems that benefit both ourselves and the environment.
In Aikido, we focus on staying in the present moment and utilising the opponent's force to redirect their attack beneficially. Sometimes, we even increase their momentum to make them move faster. As Aikido practitioners, we use the force of the attack to push ourselves out of harm's way and apply a touch from the side to amplify the momentum. Techniques like Irimi Nage or Kote Gaeshi are excellent examples.
We utilise a fulcrum system to leverage the attacker's weight and redirect their momentum, rendering them harmless and ensuring mutual safety. Techniques like Koshi Nage or Kokyu Nage are perfect to explain the fulcrum.
Jiyu Waza training demands a defender to act swiftly as attackers strike from various directions. The defender must be able to divert the attack's force towards another attacker to block their entry. You must stay focused and continuously hone your skills based on the attackers. When implementing Permaculture in nature, observing natural forces and patterns is vital to amplify, control, divert, reuse, or eliminate them as needed.
At weapon practice using wooden swords, we learn how to move our body using foot movements and shift the weight towards the most open side of the attacker. At the same time, we learn to hold the sword properly. All the empty-handed techniques we learned can easily be applied when holding the sword. As we practice daily, the weapon becomes an inseparable extension of the body and moves effortlessly for slicing. Samurai swords do not use push cuts. It slices as it moves with a slight outward push to deepen the cut. It leaves a long and deep cut. It is so sharp that the attacker doesn't even realise it is being cut until it is too late. A Samurai sword is a tool produced using techniques we still need to understand today. It is a way of life, looked after, protected, and passed down from generation to generation, just like the permaculture training. Permaculture training allows you to observe and use the forces as you see fit. Permaculture teaches you a model and gives you tools to implement that model using your local resources, fauna, flora, climate and requirements regardless of scale. A simple and minuscule action now can prevent a vast negative outcome later. You can take small steps for yourself, which will ripple through time, stacking others learning from you. You can implement marginal solutions to long-standing problems to solve them once and for all. No matter your impact, its effect will increase in time if it is positive.
Implementing Permaculture will ensure we leave our planet in a better state than we found it. We can positively impact the Earth's condition for future generations by taking action now. The permaculture book contains six hundred pages of wisdom to utilise daily. It is the sharpest sword, but you must practice and learn to use it first. The forces of nature will teach you how to use this sword. Being a permaculture warrior in the garden is better than being a conventional farmer on the battleground.
Let's see who studies martial arts and your opinions on its applicability to permaculture.
