There are things [in our lives] that become long-standing habits. For example, drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. Even if we want to quit, it can be very difficult to stop. If we try to force ourselves to quit, it creates a lot of stress and it won’t last.
Because habits are formed over many years, simply changing the way we think or suddenly trying to quit will not lead to real change. Rather than trying to stop our existing habits, it is better to develop new ones. As a result, this will lead to a change in our habits.
It is the same when acquiring a technique through Aikido practice. What is important is not “trying not to tense up” to do the technique, but “executing it in a relaxed way” repeatedly until it becomes a habit. The key is to “overwrite” our previous way of doing it with a new one, and that is the fastest and most effective way to acquire it.
This time, I have decided to stop drinking the alcohol that I had been drinking every day without fail. It is not because of any health problem, but because I wanted to experiment with changing my habits. If I put myself in a repressed state of mind, like “I must not drink,” I knew I would get stressed out within a few days, and end up reaching for it again.
This past June, I visited Hida city in Gifu Prefecture. Hida city is a land rich in nature, with forests covering more than 90 percent of its area. More than 245 varieties of medicinal herbs grow there, and it is said that people who live in the mountain villages have long gathered wild herbs from the fields and forests, naturally bringing their healing properties into daily life. While I was there, I tried a cup of herbal tea, and it was so delicious that I decided that whenever I felt like having a drink, I would instead drink herbal tea. In other words, I overwrote/replaced the act of “drinking alcohol” with the act of “drinking herbal tea.”
I also made a point of keeping alcohol out of sight. The discomfort only lasted for the first three days. By the time three weeks had passed, not reaching for a drink had already become a habit, and now, three months later, it has become the norm for me. At social gatherings, I may still have a small sip for the toast, but I no longer feel any desire to drink on my own.
Once our Ki is set in motion, it is difficult to stop it. However, it is possible to respect the flow of Ki and guide it in the direction it should go. It seems like we are talking about Shinshin Toitsu Aikido practice! My experiment was a great success, and as a side benefit, it also led to significant weight loss!
In my experience, the periods that come with the number “three” are important for something to take root in our body; for example, three days, three weeks, three months, and three years. When we meet someone for the first time, the time, place, and content of the conversation remain vivid in our memory. The second time, they do not remain quite as clearly. From the third time onward, unless something special happens, they hardly remain at all. It seems that the number “three” is connected to becoming accustomed or getting used to something.
Many things happen in our lives. When something difficult happens, it can feel as if that moment will last forever. More often than not, however, we gradually adapt to the situation, and with time it is resolved.
First, we aim for three days. Once we get past that, we set our sights on three weeks, and then three months. By doing so, we can overcome difficulties. It is not only a period for something to take root in the body, but also a time period that is needed for our mind to accept it.
Translated by Mayumi Case
Edited by David Shaner
Eastern Ki Federation
https://easternkifederation.org/
Original article in Japanese: 上書きする (Uwagaki Suru)
September 1, 2025
https://shinichitohei.com/japanese/01-%e3%82%b3%e3%83%a9%e3%83%a0/36784/
