October 2009
11 posts
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Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment
Not everyone will be flexible in their body. It’s a quality that for most people will come and go, and be met with real limitations. Everyone, though, can be loose. It’s just a matter of the inherent spaciousness of Big Mind including the body as it already is. It seems that when I’m in that Space my body ceases to be a container for all the shit I hold on to. In the context of...
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Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment
The purpose of technique is to give us context for practicing aikido principle in a way that sheds light on our development. Technique is our vehicle for exploring the spirit in physical form, and an instrument for cultivating harmony. It is never the end game.
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The Case for More Body Awareness
The underlying principle that points to a true expression of Aikido is non-resistance, and that implies receptive values. That doesn’t mean we don’t take action, but simply that we’re not in opposition to what is. Aikido is obviously an art form that is expressed through the body, which gets information from our sensory awareness. That means feeling. Feeling is a physical form of receptivity...
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"Aikido in Focus" Workshop Series →
I’m kind of excited about this next one coming up on Sunday, December 20. We’re gonna work on opening up the body in our aikido practice for better results. You know, everyone comes to aikido with the body they have, and each one has different strengths and limitations. I have never encountered a body, though, that couldn’t “open up” some more and get better...
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A Dream
My teacher, Robert Nadeau Shihan, told me over the summer that I should watch for any O-Sensei dreams. I didn’t have one until very recently. It was short, but kind of cool. O-Sensei and Einstein were hanging out (I know, it sounds like the beginning of a joke), talking and laughing like kindred spirits. Einstein suddenly turns to O-Sensei and asks, “Really, what is one plus one...
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Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment
It’s not that we stop laughing because we’re getting older. It’s that we’re getting older because we stop laughing. I saw something like that on a bumper sticker this morning when I was driving my boys to school. I believe the expression of joy is part of quality aikido training. I don’t mean that we should laugh our way through class—just that we should make...
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“Practice the Art of Peace in a vibrant and joyful manner.”
– Morihei Ueshiba
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Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment
There’s no limit to how much you can relax, so long as it’s supported by integrity. The faster you realize this and train these aspects to complement one another, the sooner you’ll become a spontaneously creative and effective expression of Aikido.
