Once again I had the opportunity to travel with Neil to Long Island Aikikai in Bayshore and draw while he practiced his Aikido. Each class starts with a few moments of meditation. Sensei Hagihara is leading the silence…

Then after a few moments of reflective meditation, it’s time to start the flipping!! I never will get over how these practitioners turn each other over like so many pancakes.

There is a whole philosophy to the approach. I was reading about Aikido in one of the books that Adam has in the front sitting area and it said that the idea is not only to use your opponent’s energy to thwart the attack, but also to benefit from the extra energy left over. I really like that thought and think it can apply to so many areas of life. No time to waste energy on people who attack you, better to use some of their energy to keep them off and then take the remainder as a little extra boost for yourself. Stronger than vitamin C!

In the classes I observed, the students were doing quite a bit of workout on their knees – this takes stamina –

I was starting to get into the abstract quality of the movements, it is very sculptural to see. Also I wanted to play with a little bit of color this time; it really helps describe the energy of the motion:

The color can help amplify the energy of the throw and also describe the feel of the different practitioners.

While all this was going on, Sensei Hagihara stood watching intently, occasionally stopping the action to demonstrate something with one of the students.

There was a woman working out in a class that was otherwise all men and it was interesting to me how her energy was more fluid than a lot of the guys. But still very powerful!

At one point in the class, Sensei had them going at it three at a time. What a mash-up!!

I had a great time drawing there as usual, thanks to Sensei Hagihara, Adam and the rest of the crew. What an enjoyable way to spend a Friday evening!