remember when you were cool?

we're having a shobu photo contest to see who was the coolest. anyone interested in participating should either loan us or email a photo (danny_kline@hotmail.com) of you from back in the day. we'll be collecting them until august 15th. special prize to be announced. thanks to andre for loaning us the one of him above.

Thursday nite

Thursday nite maybe our other departing aikidoka Catie C. will show up, and if so, we will have a bite to eat and some Guiness to toast her after keiko. So please, darlin' Catie, show up, and please, everyone else, show up to wish our darlin' Catie good bye. We are already missing you, lassie...

Thanks to all

I wanted to thank everyone for their help over the last few weeks in preparing for my 4th kyu test on the 26th. I studied Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for a year, and one of the things I noticed there was how everyone was centered on his own progress, with little regard for the growth of others. The sense of competition permeated the dojo. I don't mean to put other martial arts down; it is what it is. But here, even though only two of us were testing, others seemed to go out of their way to help me in my own practice -- maybe realizing that they too would grow through ukemi. People were patient, informative, and amazingly helpful. Without minimizing the help of all of you, I want to thank in particular Danny, Doug, and Victor for their sustained patience and encouragement. The sense of community was important to me. I don't think I've ever studied for anything as much in a long while, and I know that, if nothing else, I've developed even greater empathy for the students I have who struggle with a topic that comes easily to me. Again, thanks to everyone.

Tom

My Martial Journey

Hey Y'all, (down in NC right now)

Several months ago I began to write a journal on my computer after every Aikido class to just help me to recall what took place in class and reflect. From time to time I would like to share my reflections with everyone and my thoughts are certainly open for discussion as it will help me to distill my experiences in Aikido. This is the first time I have ever done anything like this so here we go.

I am down in NC right now visiting my folks and conducting some concerts with student orchestras. I always find it refreshing to work with youth because they are so open and free. This element of freedom is something that I struggle with in Aikido. Before I left Toledo on my travels we had an advanced Aikido class that was very intense. Sensei kept saying to me “You need to be willing to die” another words (I hope) that I need to let go. It is hard to find that line. I invariably, would “try harder” but that is not the solution.

The other common thread that came out of the class was that I need to connect better to my partner’s hara and center. I disengage too soon. There were different feelings that were happening that I didn’t know how to stay connected. But that connection point is critical in order for me to stay safe.

It was a hard class because everyone was so skilled at Aikido. There was a certain amount of frustration that was building up for me during the class. I wasn’t “Getting It” but do we ever really get it. This is the path and not a destination.

Ledyard Sensei Dvd

I have an extra copy of George Ledyard Sensei's 3 disk "Aikido: The Power of the Mind" for sale. The cost is $50 (which goes to Ledyard Sensei) if anyone is interested. -Danny

Misogi

I have just returned home from a wonderful trip to the ASU Weapons Camp in DC followed by a vacation with my beautiful wife to the serene landscape of Hocking Hills. The travels were full of great study, relaxation and contemplation. Taisho and I had a blast at the camp and learned so much from all of the generous instruction. My ki was so charged after the intense camp (about 41 hours of study) that I had to take the opportunity to try O Sensei's cold water misogi practice during several days of the vacation that followed. I recommend it. See you on the mat. Danny

Aspects of Mindfulness

Jay Rinsen Chikyo Weik gives a talk and leads a discussion at the Toledo Zen Center on April 2, 2008.

"What does it mean to be mindful of the body? This is always the entry gate.... Breath is part of the body awareness, cultivating the practice of being awake to this one breath. In many, many lineages of Buddhist practice, not just Zen, the beginning thing you do is sit down and work with the breath. It's no small thing to be able to actually, completely embody that breath... to just completely, fully, be awake and aware and alive to that breath."

Download the Drinking Gourd Podcast on Itunes or Here.

In this talk, I ended up talking about being centered and keeping one point.

Accord With The Way

Jay Rinsen Chikyo Weik gives a talk and leads a discussion at the Toledo Zen Center on March 26, 2008.

"The pure nature exists in the midst of delusions. With correct practice alone, remove the obstacles. If people in this world practice the Way, there is nothing whatsoever to hinder them. If they always make clear the guilt within themselves, then they will accord with the Way." —Hui Neng

The Drinking Gourd Podcast available here or via Itunes.

New Classes at the Dojo!

I am pleased to introduce some new classes into our weekly training schedule:


Gentle Aikido - For those who are at or near retirement age, this class meets every Monday and Friday from 5pm to 6pm.

Advanced Aikido - For Ikkyu and above, this class meets every 3rd monday of the month from 7:15pm to 8:30pm.

Morning Zen Meditation - This newly added Toledo Zen Center practice is each Saturday morning from 8AM to 8:50 AM. It is open to any Toledo Zen Center or Shobu Aikido Dojo member who has learned the practice of Zen meditation at one of the Toledo Zen Center Wednesday evening practices at 7:15PM to 9:15PM. The hoped for $5.00 free will offering to the Zen Center will go into the 'new Zafu fund!'

Misogi (Purification) Keiko - This Saturday Morning class will focus on Kototama chanting, Ki breathing exercises and centering practices. It is open to all Shobu Aikido Dojo and Toledo Zen Center members, and meets from 9AM to 9:45AM.


- Jay

Vic's Gasshuku Refllections

This weekend's Gasshuku was incredibly beneficial to my practice. We focused specifically on kokyu practice and with Sensei's guidance we all had a more in-depth experience with the breath. We started our breathing practice on the cushion and progressively applied this to Ikkyo practice. As I recall what we were introduced to this weekend I begin to realize how the breath has been an untapped gateway for the majority of people in Western culture. For us to take such an intimate look at the life "force" that all of us share and to use this gift as a teacher is truly a blessing.

Sensei helped us to see that when we released our breath completely (in the exercises we we were working on) our conditioning wants us to immediately inhale as much air as we can as fast as we can. So we were instructed to take our time with this experience and inhale while keeping the breath smooth and controlled. We began to research this practice just as we would with any of the techniques we practice on the mat, keeping our mind in our center and maintaining verticality with the relationship between the "third eye" and the "one point". When we took our practice to the mat and applied it in our Ikkyo technique, my experience was unlike any I've had up until now. I was ACTUALLY having an experience of receiving Uke's attack into my center with the breath, my body was moving harmoniously while staying vertical, I could feel Uke's weight in my center as I moved, and I was beginning to understand the space around me.

All in all, I feel Sensei was maintaining his transmission of what Aikido is truly about in "feeling" rather than letting us get tripped up by intellectual conceptions. I am very grateful for my experience and encourage those people who didn't make it to ask Sensei about the breathing exercises, they are helpful. In fact, I am going to go practice right now.

Bows,
Vic

Summer Class Schedule Changes.

Ne-Waza (Ground Techniques) class on Friday evenings at 6pm has been 'paused' for the month of July. Mike Mulvaney Sempai will resume the classes in August.

The 6:30am Morning classes are on 'pause' as well. If there is enough interest we will resume them in the fall.

We are looking into adding a 'Seniors Keiko' for our students who have crossed the 50 year old mark, look for updates on this soon. Possible times are Monday at 5pm or perhaps friday either in the late morning or at 5pm. If you have input on this, please leave a comment below.

Thanks,

- Jay