To Live is to Extend Ki (1)

“To Live is to Extend Ki”

This a quote from my Aikido teacher, Koichi Tohei Sensei.

Even though the word “ki” is common in Japanese language, if you ask any Japanese person “what is Ki?” not many people can answer clearly. Generally speaking, ki implies natural phenomena, such as weather or air; physical matters, such as magnets or electricity; people's feelings, such as positive or negative or cheerful moods; time, such as the connection between past to present to future; the condition of groups of people, such as liveliness; or something socially unwanted but transmitted from person to person, such as sickness or accident. But if I write that any (or all) of these things define “ki”, the idea of “ki” becomes fixed - which might miss the point. It is more as if ki changes by the way you access it; it depends on the viewpoint of the person using it. If used properly, it is very convenient, but when you try to explain it, it becomes difficult to handle.

In ancient Japan, they pronounced “ki” or “ke” for something that cannot be seen or invisible, but can be felt. Just as ants use antennae to sense their environment, that feeling action is called ki. It is important here, Ki is not a one-way communication, it is a 2-way simultaneous communication. (I would like to explain about that some time later)


There are so many layers to ki philosophically, that they will be set aside for now. I rather encourage you to relax…and extend ki. There are many ways to relax, but what is import is mind and body coordination. When your consciousness and physical body match, then it is easy to understand the feeling of extending ki, relaxing with mind and body coordinated....

Here is the progression in Ki:
Kininaru--“become ki”. First, just think “I am extending Ki,” - by using the feeling of Ki, you connect with something, and your perception of the object is changed.
Kiniiru--“become favorite”. Then, once the connection is made, you receive the ki from the object.
You mutually activate (kakki) and become greater than the sum of the parts.

Haki - “penetrating ki” - means to act without hesitation, and Genki(origin ki)--means to be genuinely cheerful and well connected with the origin. IF you feel that don't have Haki or Genki, that is the time to consider extend Ki, connect, change your perception, and receive ki from what is around you.

To be continued…