Around 6 months into training Aikido I noticed one significant change.
A lot of the fears or worries I had about being randomly attacked on the street had disappeared.
I no longer had those thoughts anymore. This was a big change.
At the time, I worked until 10 in the wines and spirits section of a supermarket. It wasn’t unusual that I would have to participate in catching a shoplifter or throwing someone out of the shop. This would include local gangs of young boys.
Before my Aikido training started I would have worries that perhaps someone would want to get revenge on me. Or maybe a random group would target me looking for trouble.
But after Aikido training, these thoughts disappeared and I saw the world in a different way.
What had changed in me?
The Aikido training had not made me into an invincible fighter (though I certainly felt I had improved in my ability to defend myself). What happened was that I realised that my fear and worries were really illusions in my own head.
I also like to believe that to some degree what comes to you in life is a reflection of what you project. The more you project those fearful ideas the more likely you might be to actually attract the wrong people. This is expressed in our concept of continually sending positive Ki into the world.
My Aikido training has helped me develop peace of mind in a number of ways. I have found it is one of the things that people enjoy about it.
Aikido For Glasgow 