You hear about the fight/flight mechanism. Aikido is not fighting. Certainly there is no flight. I get a glimmer of the essence of it all during katatetori, when uke grabs my wrist. If I make a fist making it strong, then I’ve given uke something concrete and substantial to hang onto. It is about me. It is about my wrist. If I let it go limp and surrender, uke has it completely and again it is about me. I’ve disowned my wrist.
What then is left? Uke has hold of my wrist. He has hold of my arm. He has hold of my torso. He is holding my body. And of course, I am holding Uke’s body. If I see this, then I see more than my wrist.. more than his grip on my wrist.. I see both Uke and myself. This then is the beginning point.
