February 2010
5 posts
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Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment
Your motivations are co-piloting the journey. Check in with co-pilot in order to avoid crashes.
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Zen and the Art of Blowing Off "Aikido" Nut Jobs
This is a message to my friends who fruitlessly engage the online (and offline) martial artists and “Aikido” practitioners who whine about fighting, aikido training, and “street worthiness.” You know who and what I’m talking about:
Despite the tendancy of a true Aikidoka to include, evolving sometimes means distancing yourself from people who wish to challenge growth...
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Today's "So-desu-ne" Moment
Being the “Free” in your FREEstyle doesn’t have to mean “turning off the mind.” You just have to BE IN your BODY.
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Paradoxoliscious v.02 (more ironical, really)
Ultimately, the idea is to be Aikido’s principle in action. So you’re practicing shihonage. Okay, then. Time to let go of shihonage. Are you practicing nikkyo? Okay, then. Time to let go of nikkyo. The techniques haven’t gone anywhere. You’re just noticing what made them worthwhile, meaningful, and yes, even effective. Yes, you need a vehicle, but don’t trade the...
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Time to Learn Something from the Kids
In our older kids’ class (8-13) it’s not uncommon for some after-school slack, slop, and goofiness to occasionally visit some of the children during training (imagine that). I have discovered a great line that works almost every time. It goes like this… “That failed to express your greatness.” If you say it right, the child doesn’t hear that they failed. They...