The short answer?
Yes.
One famous longitudinal study looked at the health and wellbeing of a group of Harvard students who were examined and tested while they were in school in the 1940s and then every five years thereafter. At age 25, they were all found to be in good health. There wasn’t much difference at 30, 35, or 40.
Then, something happened between around the time they turned 45. The health … continue reading
“Study hard so that you’ll get good grades. Get good grades so you can get into a good college. Get into a good college so that you’ll get a good job. Get a good job and work hard so that you can get the good things in life. By the time you get the ‘good things,’ you can barely remember how to play,” George Leonard observes in the The Way … continue reading
The artist enters her studio at the same time each morning. Five days a week. Smelling the paint, she takes her seat at the easel. She arranges her brushes.
“The routine is important to me. When I get started, there is a wonderful sense of well-being,” she tells George Leonard in his excellent book The Way of Aikido. “It’s the routine itself that feeds me. If I didn’t do … continue reading
An Olympic gold medalist showed up at the dojo excited to learn aikido, George Leonard shares in his terrific book The Way of Aikido.
He quit after three classes.
How come? He certainly didn’t lack athletic prowess.
Rather, the Olympian didn’t like the feeling of not making enough progress.
“Nobody – I repeat nobody – is going to look good after only a few classes,” George writes.
The … continue reading
At his dojo, George Leonard would sometimes have his students practice a certain aikido technique. Then, he would have them meditate for a few minutes. Next, he would have them repeat the same technique as part of their meditation.
The difference between the technique done before the meditation and after the meditation was readily apparent: the students movements were more natural, more flowing, less forced.
This week, we are looking … continue reading
During World War II as a fighter pilot in the southwest Pacific theater in the Philippines, George Leonard flew 21 low-to-the-ground strafing missions in 28 days. Two of his 18 squadron mates were killed.
To survive and prevail under such conditions required full attention for many hours at a time as the missions lasted upward of five hours. “Still, there was something deeply satisfying in simply being so fully engaged,” … continue reading
In his book The Way of Aikido, George Leonard shares the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
George tells us early in FDR’s life he was characterized as bright but somewhat superficial and a bit of a snob. Then, when he was 29, he was struck by a terrible attack of polio that deprived him of his legs.
That’s a hit.
But, was it also a gift? The polio gave FDR, … continue reading
Before we enter the training mat, we briefly center ourselves. Our feet are firmly connected to the ground. We are aware of the power that emanates from the physical center of our body.
This week we are looking at the some of the lessons from The Way of Aikido by George Leonard.
We start walking onto the mat. George writes: how we walk will have a lot to do with how … continue reading
When confronted by an attacker, the aikidoist doesn’t strike, push back, or dodge.
This week we are exploring some of the ideas from George Leonard’s terrific book, The Way of the Aikido.
When attacked, the aikidoist “enters and blends.” George tells us: “He or she moves toward the incoming energy and then, at the last instant, slightly off the line of attack, turning so as to look momentarily … continue reading
