A little about Uke

When Henry began training at Hombu he was asked how long he was staying in Japan. When he replied, “four years”, he was told, “then for the first three years, take uke….throwing is the easy part!”

The uke is the one who provides the energy for the movement with their partner. It's like being the "follower" in dance (though in dance the follower usually moves backwards and wears high heels!). The brain is programmed to pay attention to the outside world and so when someone is in your space, it is natural to be distracted by them. In our practice, we must learn how to resist this distraction and pay attention to the shared center in order to remain in balance. Through this practice, a certain sensitivity develops that allows one to recognize the space that is greater than yourself. This knowledge is crucial in understanding the movement of energy.

"If the mind submits to the play of the senses, it drives away insight, like the wind drives a ship on the water".

                                                                                                             -Bhagavad Gita