A year of maturing

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 compassionate exchange happened within our Dojo community; between members, parents, grandparents and children. Activities and volunteering for the community took place, and presence in the community was shown in public events. The Dojo celebrated its fifth anniversary and we hosted Shibata Sensei for a great seminar. Our first member (who started at North Valley Aikikai), Keri, received a Shodan (First degree black belt), and our community grew and broadened, both in numbers and internally.




I keep reminding myself that every day gives us an opportunity to appreciate, balance and celebrate. We have to find it, to choose it, to practice. Open our hearts and minds and allow the expansion. On special occasions we gather and celebrate together, as we traditionally do for Kagami Biraki, our New Year's kick off ceremony and party that will take place at the Dojo on January 8th.

Welcoming another blessed year in, I look forward to sharing it with many of you.

Kinda like Haiku

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

No-thinking

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 thinking? Think from the depths of non-thinking." This is cosmic consciousness. Hishiryo consciousness. Our conscious senses cannot define it, words cannot explain it. It comes only through our living Zazen experience.

Hishiryo is the harmonizing of objective and subjective views, ultimate consciousness beyond time and space, the highest consciousness, universal, beyond all existences, beyond thinking and non-thinking. To experience Hishiryo consciousness, that is Zen.

The path is long, and, with patience, it is revealing.
I feel very fortunate having a teacher.

Our fundraiser

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!

Avatar Summer Camp 2010

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.

Basic Bokken drill

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

Basic Aikido techniques

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.

Bokken practice on Kumitachi variations

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

A farewell to a great teacher

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.

Avatar Summer Camp | Week II

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

Summer seminar | Students' assays: Part V

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 sidelines was just as painful. I wanted to be out there learning, adapting and evolving. That is why I practice Aikido. But I thought sitting out a few classes is better than re-injury and sitting out another month or two. That's when my attitude changed and I began to refocus.

I stopped feeling sorry for myself and started concentrating on what was happening on the mat. Watching the Sensei instruct the classes and the subsequent practice revealed nuances that I had not noticed before. I felt the energy emanating from the mat. I discovered I could still benefit from the practice as long as I was willing to engage as best I could.

Driving back home, I realized that I should never have assumed what to expect from a seminar, or even regular practice. Leave expectations at the door and accept whatever happens. As Aikido teaches us, we should blend with what comes at us and always engage. These are great concepts we can apply in all areas of life.

Summer seminar | Students' assays: Part IV

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 self confidence to move through the crowd. I especially enjoyed the class on Kihon, which I had to look up when I got back to the apartment that night. So Kihon means basic or basics. It offered great perspective on how to do things correctly

in both etiquette and technique and why we do it that way. I really liked the explanation about what the non-attacking hand should be doing in Yokomenuchi (one-hand side attack).

The one thing I notice the most from the seminar was the way my body had learned to move in aikido. Sunday afternoon when I got back to the apartment, I noticed that my body was moving differently, especially after the class about kihon. My wive, Jasmine, her sister and husband asked me each day about the techniques that we learned so I

would show they what I could without dropping people. While doing this, I could feel things that had once been difficult or caused me to hesitate come easier, flow smoother. I just thought it very interesting how much my body had learned without me knowing it.

The Avatar Summer Camp: Week I

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