^z 19th July 2023 at 12:18pm
Earl Vickers in a 2020 essay "Yes, and": Acceptance, Resistance, and Change in Improv, Aikido, and Psychotherapy offers an interesting table of "Parallels between improv, Aikido, Ericksonian therapy, and meditation". Omitting the (redundant, distracting?) psychotherapy column it looks like:
| Concept | Improv | Aikido | Meditation |
| Physical Stance | Relaxed and alert, flexible, open awareness | Centered stance, relaxed, neither rigid nor limp, soft gaze, deep breathing, open awareness; receptive, open, engaged | Relaxed yet alert, attention to breathing, open awareness |
| Being Centered | Be spontaneous, present in the moment, listening | Centered in the present moment, centered physically, connected to opponent's center | Focused on the present |
| Entering | "Enter the Danger" | Irimi | Fully engage with the present moment |
| Resistance, Struggle | Avoid blocking your partner's offers and your own ideas | Avoid struggle; give the attacker nothing to resist – the attacker feels no force until it is too late | Don't struggle with distracting thoughts |
| Blending | Yes, and... | Blending | Accept any distracting thoughts and continue with your meditation |
| Acceptance, Mistakes as Gifts | "Mistakes are gifts," an opportunity to remove the fear of failure – celebrate failure | View the attack as a gift, an opportunity to restore disturbed harmony | Accept the present moment; accept distracting thoughts instead of trying to block them out |
| Redirection | Add to the offer, embellish it or redirect it | Redirect the attack using circular motions | Gently redirect your focus to the object of your meditation |
| Indirectness | "Dare to be dull" – don't go directly for the punch line | Indirect movements taking the path of least resistance, frequently a spiral | Let your thoughts run their course instead of trying to make them stop |
| Protect your partner / yourself | Make your partner look good; don't try to one-up your partner | Protect the attacker; use the least amount of force needed | Don't beat yourself up for losing focus |
... a fascinating, thoughtful summary of similarities in some related paths to self-awareness!
(cf Aikido Spirit (2003-12-09), Virtues of Softness (2014-03-20), Mantra - Soften Into Experience (2014-11-26), Aikido Zen (2019-04-05), ...) - ^z - 2021-04-15