aikido:life | North Valley Aikikai

Learn from everyone

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 03:01:00 +0000

Every person we practice with presents us with a gift. Bryce and Nick in our beginners class tonight.

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Three pricipals in bokken work

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:13:00 +0000

In this short clip I touch three principals in bokken work: The first is the principal of blending: Keeping the bokken 'sticky' and engaged with our partners' bokken will prevent unwanted openings. This keeps us safe and 'in tune' with our partners movements. The second principal is Maintaining the Center Line: This is essential for both offensive and defensive sides. Waiving the bokken away from the center line will create unnecessary openings and will be posisioned farther from our targets. The third principal is Keeping Correct Distance: We need to make sure our attacks aim for full contact with the monouchi (cutting edge) in case of cuts, and in full penetration in case of thrusts. Attack with a strong intention, aiming to reach the target fully.

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Kyu tests | February 2011

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 00:20:00 +0000

Congratulations to Sonny Monge (3rd Kyu) and Derrick Trinidad (5th Kyu) for passing their tests.

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A year of maturing

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 00:42:00 +0000

Another year is wrapped up at North Valley Aikikai. Last night we did 108 repetitions of Aikido's most basic technique, Suwariwaza Shomen Uchi Ikkyo. This is a very traditional practice in many Aikido schools. Here is short explanation on the number 108 from Wikipedia: "In Japan, at the end of the year, a bell is chimed 108 times to finish the old year and welcome the new one. Each ring represents one of 108 earthly temptations a person must overcome to achieve nirvana." The number 108 has many other meanings in different cultures and practices. Afterwords we sat quietly in Zazen, allowing the energy to cycle peacefully and settle. Creating the space for a release and letting go of anything that is not contributing to our practice and our lives. Cleaning the table, getting ready for another year of Aikido. I feel that 2010 was a year of a significant shift at our Dojo. The Dojo became more mature. Members jumped in and took care of the Dojo without being asked. Wonderful and...

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Kinda like Haiku

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 00:49:00 +0000

One of our 'regulars' at the Dojo is Mr. John Barber, also known as "Grandpa". He brings his granddaughter Gillian to Aikido classes every Wednesday, and sometimes on Saturdays, too. He is a wise man, who gladly shares his extensive knowledge on the Eastern cultures and life in general. From time to time he hands me a gift, a handful of poems. He calls them "Kinda like Haiku". They touch and lift my heart. Here are some of them: * Trees in bright white bend to a wind that is not there. Calm feeling again * Children laugh and play; incense lingers in the air. Demons flee away * Words are but a screen. Feet themselves must find signs to the path of life * Dojo kokoro: quiet empty swift bamboo In black hakama. * Patient tatami Quietly lies in dojo for feet to return. * Bouncing in the air, falling on the tatami, An obi comes loose. * Hakama shadows Quietly spin in soft waves On the tatami * Rise and fall again Body and mind join as one Fall and rise again

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No-thinking

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 22:02:00 +0000

Last weekend we had the honor of hosting Shibata Sensei for a weekend seminar, celebrating our Dojo's fifth anniversary. The seminar was inspiring and very energetic. Everyone trained with great spirit. At the end of the seminar Shibata Sensei tested Keri for Shodan, our first student to receive a black belt. An honor to the Dojo on its fifth birthday. A couple days later, as I was preparing tea at the Dojo's kitchen, I noticed a writing on the white board in Japanese. Three Kanji reading Hi Shi Ryo. A research revealed that Hishiryo is a Zazen term, used by Zen master Dogen, founder of Soto Zen. While the beginner in Zazen deals mostly with thoughts (Shiryo), and the thought about eliminating thought (Fushiryo), the Master's true "thinking" of Zazen is Hishiryo (No-thought), a state of mind of NOT dividing things/making distinction/using discretion/judging. That is a way to attaining spiritual enlightenment. "Thinking non-thinking," wrote Master Dogen, "How do we think without...

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Our fundraiser

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:00:00 +0000

The students at North Valley Aikikai started a fundraiser for a Dojo camcorder. There will be adults (S-4XL) and children (XS-XL) sizes T-shirts, tank tops and sweatshirts (hoodies and crewneck), as well as bumper stickers for sale. The prices are as follows: T-Shirt adults (S-4XL) and kids (XS-XL):$20 Tank tops men (S-2XL), women (S-2XL):$20 Sweatshirts crewneck (S-3XL): $30 Kids sweatshirts crewneck (XS-XL): $25 Sweatshirts hoodie (S-4XL): $35 Kids sweatshirts hoodie $30 Bumper sticker: $1 We will take orders until mid September, so feel free to email us your order. Thank you for your support!

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Avatar Summer Camp 2010

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:25:00 +0000

Here is a slide show summing up our ten weeks of the Avatar Summer Camp. Wonderful kids, great activities and a bunch of new experiences are coming to an end. We wish to thank the children, parents, assistants, and all those who participated in this amazing camp.

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Basic Bokken drill

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:34:00 +0000

This is a demonstration of basic movements with a Bokken at our weapons beginners class. The Uke is Eli Ramirez.

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Basic Aikido techniques

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 13:31:00 +0000

This is a set of demonstrations of basic techniques taken in a couple of our beginner classes. The Uke are: Naomi Okuyama, Ronald McGregor and Keri Simpson.

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Bokken practice on Kumitachi variations

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 15:08:00 +0000

This video was taken quite a few months ago, after a weapons class at the Dojo. My Uke is Ronald McGregor.

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A farewell to a great teacher

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 16:53:00 +0000

Tamura Shihan passed away last night. He was O'Sensei's Uchi Deshi (live-in student) between the years 1953-1964, and then was teaching in France and giving seminars all around the world. I was lucky to take a few of his classes, in a couple of his visits to the USA. I will always remember him as a kind teacher, who demonstrated a marvelous Aikido, with a smile on his face, taking ukemi for everyone on the mat. He once told us that when we practice we make positive vibrations, and that if every Dojo will make the same vibrations — these vibrations can spread all around, and will bring more positivity around the world.

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Avatar Summer Camp | Week II

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 22:28:00 +0000

Highlights from our second week of camp, in which we visited the Japanese garden in Van Nuys.

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Summer seminar | Students' assays: Part V

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 23:43:00 +0000

Seminar Expectations by Don Schuette Let me start by saying that I attended my first seminar as an unranked Aikido student who had only a month of practice under my belt. Now, almost two years and several seminars later, I thought I knew what to expect this time. I was wrong. For the first time, I was not nervous as I drove up I-5 toward Berkeley. I knew what was ahead. My collarbone injury hadn't bothered me for a couple of weeks. I looked forward to seeing familiar faces and practicing with new people. Friday sessions were a great. Everyone was practicing with good energy and intensity. Saturday morning arrived and so did the soreness. Everything was going good until we started practicing Sankyo. After a couple of pins, the collarbone started popping and cracking. Okay, I told myself to take it easy on that side. After another 10 minutes, I had to make a decision. Do I push through and risk re-injury, or sit out? 5 more minutes and I knew what I had to do. Sitting on the...

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Summer seminar | Students' assays: Part IV

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:18:00 +0000

My experiences from Summer seminar by Morgan Samuel It was intimidating and exciting to be in the same room with so many people practicing Aikido. The first day I held on for dear life. Feeling out how things would work. Learning a new vocabulary of practice. I did not move too far up into hakama territory but did get to take ukemi from one of the Sensei. The second day I felt a bit more outgoing and followed Lee Sensei's advice to move out of the corners and practice with the Yodansha students. I could feel the difference. Not to say the practicing with the unbelted students was not good but it is different. Besides having to sit out of the last class, it was a very good day. I also found watching the Dan tests to be very inspiring. To see what happens when individuals dedicate sthemselves to the study of aikido and what they can achieve was very motivating. The third day was the most fun and rewarding for me. I had found my groove and a small level of...

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The Avatar Summer Camp: Week I

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 03:07:00 +0000

The first week was full of great action and a field trip to Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles.

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The Avatar Summer Camp: The start

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 23:25:00 +0000

We started our Summer Camp with a small group of wonderful kids, who did an array of activities: Two Aikido classes, Japanese language, Origami, Japanese folk stories, games and even a small birthday celebration. Above: Story time, Daruma-san origami, Koi fish prints, Chinese zodiac coloring. Below: The magical wish box, in which the kids place their special wish for the week...

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Summer seminar | Students' assays: Part III

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 03:39:00 +0000

Summer seminar by Robert Keil This year was my third Summer seminar at Berkeley. I first attended as a 5th kyu student, then as a 4th kyu, and this year as a 3rd kyu. Each year has brought its own unique experience, and own lessons learned. At my first seminar, I felt a lot of nervous energy and anxiousness over etiquette and protocol. Where exactly do you bow? Who are the other teachers? There was the novelty of working with dozens of people I’ve never met, and the stress of throwing in a very crowded space. Would I bump into someone? Would I thrown someone else into a third party? But mostly I was struck by the depth of experience of the attendees. The majority of them wearing hakamas, I felt like there was so much knowledge that I should try to grab while I could. My second seminar was plagued by worries about my recovering knee. Should I wear my brace? Can my knee take the long weekend of practice? In addition, I felt tired and grumpy before I left. As I drove...

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Summer seminar | Students' assays: Part II

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 03:48:00 +0000

Summer seminar by Keri Simpson There’s an energy, at a seminar that is unlike anything one experiences, during a normal aikido class. The seminar in question doesn’t have to be big. The Berkeley summer seminar is different, however. I don’t know if it’s the energy of the space itself, or the instructors, or of the people in attendance… Actually, I’m pretty sure that it’s a combination of all three. Going to the Berkeley seminar – even just to watch – is like being put through a distillery. Over the course of two or three (sometimes even four) days, excess stuff is boiled off, leaving one with a more refined practice. Maybe one doesn’t notice it, at first… Maybe one never notices. After all, how many times can one take bad shihonage ukemi, until one finally figures out what’s not working? And, of course, what works with one particular Nage is almost useless with another. But I digress… There is something about the Berkeley seminar that encourages...

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Summer seminar | Students' assays: Part I

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 06:32:00 +0000

What I learned at Summer seminar in Berkley by Sonny Monge Looking back over everything I learned at the Berkley Seminar my biggest discovery was that I had a lot of misconceptions about myself and what I am capable of doing. I am not by nature an athletic person. I have always had an easy going laissez-faire attitude toward life in general. I always tried to work smarter and not harder. Some may have mistaken this kind of world view as laziness but I always thought of it as being more efficient with my time. I know I have yet to mention Berkley but I thought it would be helpful to provide context to my particular perception of the event. The first and most striking thing that I learned is that there are no shortcuts in Aikido. A short cut kind of defeats the whole purpose of the practice of the art. That is to say, that because the only competitive aspect in Aikido is against you vs. yourself, shortcuts only serve in cheating...

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Compassion in action

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Sat, 22 May 2010 23:18:00 +0000

About a month ago I received a phone call from a friend who works for the Los Angeles School District. She was asking for help. She is a psychologist who takes care of children that are growing up in difficult circumstances, and who have very little to no support from their families. She told me the story of one of her patients who she felt would benefit greatly from participating in our Aikido classes. Since the conditions at the child's home are very poor, she wanted to know whether we offer any scholarships. I said that it will be our pleasure to have this child enrolled in our children class at no cost. What an energetic and sweet kid she is. It's been a few weeks since she started training, and we were hoping that someone would have a "hand-me-down" Gi (uniform) to give her—yet, nobody had a Gi her size. This morning, one of the Dojo parents approached me and asked whether the new student had a Gi yet. When I answered that so far we didn't find one for her, the parent handed me...

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Iaido practice

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Tue, 11 May 2010 06:40:00 +0000

I admit that I ended up training in Aikido only because I wanted to study Iaido. The school I started at had Iaido as a secondary practice, so I had to take up Aikido first. I had no idea about how much I would love Aikido, and how quickly I will embrace it into my life... It took about two months. Now, I practice both, and it feels as if they complement each other in great harmony.

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Surprise demonstration

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:42:00 +0000

Sometimes, while in a social event I am asked to explain what is it that we do in our Aikido practice, and though I do try to explain it verbally, it seems near impossible to capture the essence of the practice in words. Last week we were visited by friends from out of town, who were all martial artists; Master John Escudero, and his Lightning Scientific Arnis students. After a casual evening and food and laughter, we ended up at our Dojo. They did an impressive Arnis demonstration, and shared some of the learning processes and methodology. Quite surprisingly, they asked us to show them our practice of Aikido. Wearing street clothes, we started a very informal demo — with the hopes of transmitting something from our training, and our Aikido encounters at the Dojo.

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This century

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:22:00 +0000

This is my humble attempt to translate a poem written by Amnon Shamosh, an 80 year old Israeli poet and author, almost totally blind, yet holds a crystal clear vision. This Century In this century clocks don't tick, callers don't dial, the shoemaker does not fix heels, and the government does not fix injustice. In this century there are no seeds in watermelons, no phone booths in the streets, no equality in the Kibbutz, and no ideology in politics. In this century our language enriched itself with expressions such as Spontaneous Breathing, Spearhead Failure, and Forced Incapacity. ... In this century the third generation excels with a cell phone and a family. The grandchildren teach us how to use a computer and other gadgets of the third millennium. In this century nobody drinks pop soda, nectar, or tap water. Fools are leading our country, and some other countries. From Iran to Korea, from India to Bush. In this century, millions are dying in wars, and because of hunger and...

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Celebrating a new year

noreply@blogger.com (North Valley Aikikai) — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 00:30:00 +0000

Our community gathered last night, for another Kagami Biraki ceremony. The evening started with a couple of tests, and I wish to congratulate Jamie and Richard for demonstrating determination and spirit. We then started the ceremony with a short meditation, in which we all got an opportunity to close our eyes and bring to mind our new years' prospects. We then cracked open the Sake barrel, and poured it to everyone's cups, following by a collective Kampai. I shared two stories from the Japanese mythology, which brought about a taste of the culture and its religions. Every member of the community got to make a small watercolor visual, on a small card, that symbolizing his or her prospect. This card may be carried with us throughout the year, and remind us to stay focused of our vision. The evening continues with a lovely Japanese food potluck dinner. I must admit that it was a collection of delicious foods, that were prepared (some for the very first time) by our members, parents and...

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