- LVKA Ki Notes
- Posts
- Shisen (視線) in Ki Aikido
Shisen (視線) in Ki Aikido
The Power of Focus and Intention
Matthew Doetsch-Kidder
September 27, 2024
Table of Contents
Reflection of the Week: Shisen
In a natural state, the weight of objects is always underside. Therefore the physical expression of living calmness is that the weight of every part of our body is also underside. Like the calm, still surface of the water that reflects the moon and a flying bird, true living calmness is the condition of our mind that reflects all living things clearly. This is our original and natural state.
By understanding these principles, we can acquire true living calmness.
Shisen (視線) (literally eye-line/line of sight) in Ki Aikido refers to more than just where your eyes are directed; it embodies the alignment of your focus and intention. Similar to Shisei (姿勢), which connects physical and mental posture, Shisen represents the dual nature of sight—both what you see externally and how you perceive your surroundings internally. Tohei Sensei’s Ki Saying, “Extend Ki,” reflects the deeper meaning of Shisen, as extending your focus allows you to connect fully with your environment and with others.
Shisen: Physical and Mental Focus
Shisen is not just about seeing; it’s about how we direct our attention and intention. Physically, it starts with where we place our gaze—whether at a a partner, an object, or the space around us. But this is just the surface. Mentally, Shisen is about clarity of purpose, maintaining a focused, non-distracted mind. In Ki Aikido, where you direct your eyes influences your balance, timing, and connection with your partner. When mind and body are aligned through your gaze, you create a deeper connection with your environment, enhancing your ability to act decisively on the mat and in daily life.
Living Calmness: The Foundation of Shisen
To truly practice Shisen, we must embody Living Calmness—the natural state in which the weight of our body and mind is underside. This calmness is not just the absence of agitation, but a profound balance, where every part of your body is relaxed, resting underside like the weight of a suspended object that naturally settles.
Just as the still surface of a pond reflects the moon and a flying bird, true Living Calmness allows our mind to reflect everything around us clearly. This reflection is the essence of Shisen. When our mind is calm and still, our gaze becomes a mirror of the world, undistorted and open. In this state, Shisen becomes an extension of our mind, directing not just our vision, but our intention, with calm clarity.
Benefits of Proper Shisen
Improved Awareness and Connection: Directing your focus with intent, through the lens of calmness, helps you stay aware of your surroundings, sensing both the visible and the unseen movements of others.
Enhanced Balance and Coordination: With Living Calmness, Shisen helps your gaze influence your body’s movement. Proper Shisen stabilizes your posture, helping you maintain balance while moving fluidly and with poise.
Increased Confidence and Presence: Where you place your gaze reflects your mental state. A gaze grounded in living calmness projects that calmness as well as self-control, enhancing your presence both in Aikido and in daily interactions.
Clarity of Intention: Shisen sharpens your mental clarity. By intentionally choosing what to focus on, while maintaining an underside feeling of calmness, you move through life with purpose, rather than reacting to distractions.
Cultivating Shisen: Tips for Aligning Focus and Intention
Be Mindful of Your Gaze: Regularly check where you’re looking and how it aligns with your intention. Are you distracted, or is your gaze focused on the task at hand? Ensure that your eyes rest in calmness.
Broaden Your Awareness: Practice maintaining soft eyes—where you can see the whole environment without staring too narrowly. This helps you stay connected to the bigger picture and maintain calm, clear focus.
Balance Between External and Internal: As you look outward, keep your mind clear and calm, embodying the principles of Living Calmness. Let your gaze reflect your inner stillness and focus.
Use Shisen in Daily Life: Whether in conversation or during a task, use your eye-line to signal attention and presence, reinforcing your connection with others and the world around you through calm focus.
Shisen and Living Calmness: A Practice of Intentional Focus
Shisen is more than a physical act of looking; it is an expression of how we perceive and interact with the world. By aligning your physical gaze with mental clarity and Living Calmness, you enhance your ability to stay present and act with purpose. Whether on the mat, at work, or in personal interactions, proper Shisen allows you to connect more deeply with the world around you and move through life with intentional focus and calm confidence.
Just as Living Calmness brings stability to our body by letting our weight rest underside, it also stabilizes our mind, allowing us to reflect the world around us without distortion. Embrace Shisen and Living Calmness, and let the alignment of focus and intention guide your practice and your life.
Training Week in Review
Monday
Ki Breathing
Shisen Exercises
Experiencing the difference in Ki Testing depending on where (up, down, away) and how (“hard” focus, or “soft” eyes) we are looking
Experiencing the different in how to blend and move together with our partner at the beginning of katatekosatori kokyunage and katatetori kokyunage tenkan
Shaking each others hands and experiencing the differences depending on where and how we are looking
Ki Meditation
Wednesday
Ki Meditation variation
Instead of concentration and expansion of Ki in a sphere around us, focusing on the eye-line. Finding a point of focus in front of us to concentrate on, and then allowing our visual field to expand out to the extent possible, then coming back to the point of focus. Notice how each of those experiences feel.
Walking around the dojo with different eye-lines
Looking down
Looking up
Bouncing focused attention from one person to another
Looking over your shoulder
Having soft eyes
Having soft eyes and during udefuri choyaku movements
Shaking hands exercise as Monday
Bokken
When standing with the sword presented, is our focus on your hands? the tip of the bokken?
What happens to your eye-line when you cut, when you turn and cut?
Oneness Rhythm Exercise
There are movements where the eye-line naturally shifts throughout this exercise. Does your eye-line naturally follow these changes, or does it shrink, collapse, or shift?
Katatori Ikkyo, Nikyo, Sankyo, Yonkyo
We worked with Shadowboxing these techniques this week, in particular on feeling like there is a partner that you are throwing.
Now that we have clarity on what the movement is (5th kyu), and control throughout (3rd kyu) work on incorporating rhythm (4th kyu) while maintaining clarity and control.