Aiki-Freudians

I came across this article  written by a Yoga teacher.

I love her approach.

I was in a seminar with a teacher I never met before.  I took ukemi for a Shihonage Ura version and felt my entire folded arm from my shoulder to my wrist in contact with his abdomen.  Then, we broken into partners for practice.  I moved as best as I could to replicate what I had felt, having not actually seen the technique demonstrated.  The teacher ran over, yelling angrily at me in front of the class.  Not telling me to practice more slowly, or more safely, and definitely not telling me that he had taken an extra step to close the distance between him and his Uke - a unique variation that I had to steal.  I forget the words he used.  Something that communicated along the lines of:  my soul was a black fetid pit and that no one would ever love me for the rest of my life.

It happens.  I've seen it happen to others, and it wasn't the only time this happened to me.  I'm not clear what benefits are to be derived from such discourse.  How is this type of "feedback" actually seen to be helpful feedback?  "You'll never be able to do Katate Dori Tenkan properly until you've had a decade of psychoanalysis?"  Maybe the teacher is hoping the student will quit.  

I've had Aikido, Yoga, and Tai Chi teachers fall into psychoanalysis and it's ugly.  For starters, the years involved in getting a black belt very rarely involve training to be a therapist or a substitute religious leader.  But, as instructors we are responsible for several aspects of a student's growth as a person.  Something happens, and becomes a reason to pass judgement on a student's psyche.  Paraphrased, usually "You're a cold-hearted, overly aggressive, viscous person who doesn't have emotional and spiritual depth."  Sometimes the comments are worse.  It's character assassination masquerading as "help."  I've certainly never seen a student become a better, more well adjusted individual as a result of being singled out and derided even if the comments were accurate.

I'm certainly not saying that emotionally or cognitively harmed individuals don't find their way to the dojo on occasion.  I've seen people bearing scars of emotional abuse, or people trying to find a way to better deal with stress, anger management, and even PTSD on the mat.  We offer growth and peace, and people come looking for this who know they need it.  That can lead to challenges on the mat for everyone, and the instructor has to maintain some control.

Emotions and thoughts are linked to our physical bodies.  The Mind leads the Body.  Slouching, hanging one's head, looking at the ground, hands drawn inward or arms crossed - these things are associated with a negative emotional state like fear, anger, or depression; with a desire to be kept apart.  Looking people in the eye, standing upright head raised with an open chest - this is associated with confidence, or with arrogance and being challenging.

As martial artists posture is associated with improved perception, more effective breathing, better biomechanics, more relaxation and better integration associated with faster movement, improved response time, and more power.  A student might already tend to have a more confident appearing posture due to the sum total of their lives, and maybe their character will reflect this.  There are good, concrete physical reasons for good posture.  It's how our bodies are built to function most efficiently.  And, corrections can often be very concrete or at the very least allow students to save face.

The young man in the Yoga article did have his demons, and had been facing them with some difficulty.  His teacher didn't insult him or break him down further.  She gave him a real gift - acceptance and a way to move forward.  She created an environment for positive growth and gave him a transformative practice through her patience and empathy.