| This blog will dive into the application of aikido in communication training. |
If we want to know what aikido means in the context of business communication training courses, it is useful to understand aikido as it is taught in the dojo (dōjō, training place). Aikido is a relatively modern, global phenomenon that originated in Japan in the 1920-1960s. It is rooted in older martial arts (history), has a curriculum of physical movements (external), fosters mental development (internal), bears a philosophy (spiritual), is an embodied experience (individual), and has usage in daily life (applied). Aikido scholars often refer to Westbrook and Ratti's “Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere: An Illustrated Introduction” (2001) for definitions, descriptions, and illustrations. In fact, Westbrook and Ratti cover many aspects of aikido clearly and quite profoundly. Their description of aikido hints at the six aspects (historical, external, internal, spiritual, individual, and applied):
EMERGING from a long period of obscurity in the East — during which time it was familiar only to relatively restricted circles — aikido has been called one of the most subtle and sophisticated of the martial arts, and — at its higher levels — an effective discipline for the development, integration, and utilisation of all man’s powers, physical and mental (spiritual). […] it is a Discipline of Coordination, a way of strengthening the mind and body, of fusing the individual’s physical and mental powers so that he or she will emerge as a more fully integrated human being. (Westbrook & Ratti, 2001, p. 17)
| Excerpt from the author’s doctoral dissertation: p. 12. |
The 6 aspects of defining aikido| historical | external | internal | spiritual | individual | applied |
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| From https://kirikomade.com/blogs/our-fabric |
Reference
Westbrook, A., & Ratti, O. (2001). Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere: An Illustrated Introduction. Tuttle Publishing.
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