NORTHERN CALIFORNIA KI SOCIETY

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  City of Richmond
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  City of Richmond
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  Booker T. Anderson Community Center
  City of Richmond
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Ki Research Institute

Ki No Kenkyukai

 

From a Member of the Marin Humane Society
Ki Training Class

In my opinion, I found Pietro, the instructor, to have a great spirit and he put out a tremendous amount of positive energy. I found him captivating and could have easily listened to him speak the entire day. I walked away feeling like this is easily someone I’d want as my mentor.

In reading and learning a great deal about what we as humans translate to our dogs via that leash, I feel we could definitely improve our relationships as ‘confident leaders’ to our dogs, thus avoiding or minimizing many of the conflicts we deal with on the day to day, when out walking…..a typical complaint being leash reactivity and leash aggression towards other dogs as one example where we as humans tend to make the situation worse by losing control of our breathing and our balance and our tone.

What I learned was that we all need to work on learning to let go of the conflict we perceive in the relative world around us and in us and becoming aware of the infinite stillness of the absolute world where there is no other. With a calmer open mind, we can learn the art of relaxation while still maintain complete balance and control.

The heart of one's study is really about relationships and in finding one's own inner space of calm in a frenzied, stressful world, one can then be capable of connecting to others in a compassionate, more authentic way which easily can be translated into better communication with our animals.

What we learned was how to truly relax and that from relaxation comes the ability to lead a healthier, happier life and hopefully improve on and strengthen the relationships around us, whether with other people or our pets. And of course, this isn’t an easy or a quick fix, but rather a lifelong practice.

I liked that we were able to practice exercises without having to know the self defense arts of Aikido. Therefore, your age or condition is of little importance so anyone can and should attend this type of seminar.
Broken down in summary…..Keep One Point. - Calm and focus the mind at the One Point in the lower abdomen. Relax Completely - Completely release all stress from the body. Keep Weight Underside - Let the weight of every part of the body settle at its lowest point Extend Ki - Keep a positive, open mind all the time.
(I can see how this could easily be applied while walking one’s dog as one example)

 

 

Overview of Ki Training for Dog Owners;

Before you pick apart how your dog is reacting in a given situation,examine your own responses. Are you getting tense in a particular part of your body? Are you getting anxious, trying to figure out what to do? Is your breathing rapid and/or shallow? Does your voice get all quick and animated, high pitched? Is the intensity of your interaction building? Do you tighten up on the leash, or raise your voice? Just as you can't expect your dog to respond correctly when they are in their own fight-or-flight mode, you also can't expect to be capable of assisting your dog until you've managed to remain calm.