A wild 4th of July hail storm had me raking up downed leaves in the back yard, adding to my list of summer chores. From carrying bags of potting soil to pulling dandelions, winding up garden hoses, and mowing the lawn, the unending yard work engages me both body and mind. And as creaky knees and aching back threaten to undermine my efforts, these summertime tasks continually remind me to move like a martial artist – no matter the task.

In Ki-Aikido, the Japanese martial art I have practiced for the last 40 years, the effectiveness of any move is only as good as my postural alignment and presence of mind. Technique alone doesn’t cut it; coordination, control and power require mindful awareness of the whole body in motion in space. Without that awareness, arts I have practiced countless times over the years fail; with that awareness the arts flow effortlessly.

Generally speaking, I don’t bring that kind of postural and spatial awareness to say, picking up the garden hose. If an object doesn’t pose a threat or require precision timing and coordination in its handling, the tendency is to take my ability to act for granted – no thought required. That is, until a sudden ache or pain or an unexpected moment of balance instability rears its head.

In those moments, I am reminded to tune in to the whole of me, head to toe, in the landscape. Where’s my weight – is it supported from the ground up? I adjust postural alignment so that I feel upper body weight supported over hips, legs, and feet. Am I aware of my environment or tunnel visioned on the task, or lost in thought? Tuning in to spatial awareness not only keeps me from tripping over the hose, it helps stabilize my balance. Am I letting the task at-hand (like an attacker literally at hand) tense me up and pull me off balance, or am I adjusting and organizing movement around my own good posture? Organizing movement around my center of balance is as essential with a rake or a bag of potting soil as with a 190 pound attacker I’m taking to the ground!

Advanced training for a long-time Ki-Aikido practitioner involves staying actively present during movement that’s been done countless times. Fortunately, this kind of awareness doesn’t require 40 years of martial art practice; it’s a natural part of human experience. The practice of “beginner’s mind” means holding the awareness and wonder of a child learning to stand and explore the world for the first time on two trundling feet. The whole body in motion in space – what joy! We all know how to do it – we just need to reawaken the experience as we move through our everyday lives.