Somatics of "Touch, Axis, and Space": Techniques of Relationship Born from a Fragile Body
Work was painful.
The weight of responsibility, the pressure from clients, the grumpy tone of voice, the slightest sign of anger.
These things would enter my body directly, causing me to shrink and my breathing to become shallow.
A single mistake could ruin my entire day.
I have a constitution that gets swallowed up by other people's emotions.
I feel this is less of a trait and more like a structure carved into my body.
Therefore, the workplace was always a practice in tension.
How can I maintain my body in a relationship where there is no escape?
How can I face the other person without being swallowed up?
In the midst of this, a small "technique" emerged.
These are the three principles of
Touch, Axis, and Space (Ma).
◇1.The paradox that "if you touch, you won't be swallowed"
Being weak to the pressure of others, I have always tried to "keep my distance."
However, the distance that felt like running away only made me weaker.
When I tried to block out the other person's presence,
anxiety would accumulate in my body, and my axis would collapse instead.
Then, one day, I realized that if I didn't run away but instead "touched" them subtly, my body's axis would stand up.
Touch here does not mean
grabbing, getting too close, or being swept up in the other person's emotions.
It is simply a "touch" where you
gently rest your body on the other person's vocal fluctuations, the speed of their breathing, and the timing of their words.
Strangely, when that touch was present,
I did not sink, I was not swept away, and I could just stand quietly.
◇2.
When you touch, the axis stands upStrangely,
the moment I touched, my own center (axis) began to align.
The bottom of my abdomen became quietly heavy,
my breath dropped to the ground,
my center of gravity returned,
and my body came together as one.
This is not about "creating an axis myself," but
closer to the feeling that the axis is "reorganized" by touching.
It was the moment I realized that what happened in Aikido techniques
could also happen in daily life.
◇3.When the axis is aligned, the "space" of the relationship is born
When the axis is quietly reorganized,
a "space" (ma) arises between me and the other person.
A space where there is no need to rush.
A space where impatience melts away.
A space where I am not taken away.
A space where I don't have to blame the other person.
I never thought that "that space," which was natural in Aikido,
would be utilized in the practical setting of the workplace.
Touch → Reorganization of the axis → Adjustment of space
Through this cycle, I experienced for the first time a "body that cannot be swallowed."
With this "space",
both I and the other person can breathe without strain.
And I realized that this "space" itself
is the foundation for adjusting relationships.
◇4.Painful days = a training ground
To be honest, work was always painful.
My lack of confidence was exposed,
my body would stiffen under the weight of responsibility,
and there were days when I was swallowed by other people's bad moods.
However, that is precisely why I
was able to encounter the techniques of touch, axis, and space.
Every time I was about to collapse, my body was learning something.
I was just desperate, but my body was quietly practicing.
In the midst of daily life, only the technique was secretly growing.
◇5.Summary
This "touch, axis, and space" is
simple enough to use in a sudden moment,
and I feel it is a practical and realistic technique
to protect my fragile body.
From now on, little by little,
I would like to carefully observe this technique.