"O-Sensei taught me that through Aikido we learn how to interpret another person's mind so that we can cooperate and avoid fighting. He taught me that we can achieve something we really want, not by fighting but by being harmonious. That's why it is important to work together, we both benefit. We make sure that the other side is protected instead of pushing aside or hurting the other side. We have to think of the benefits of the other side. When we sort of corroborate with that, ki force moves in a good direction. When we struggle in an attempt to get out of something, then we actually block the flow of ki. O-Sensei would say Aikido is nonresistant and then he wouldn't resist, he just extended and down we'd go. No struggles, just winning.
"O-Sensei was showing us something important when he did demonstrations of Aikido. There was something distant in his demonstration; O-Sensei was doing a dance." (Kazuaki Tanahashi)
