Aiki Institute Of Spokane

How did you celebrate Cinco de Mayo?  If you are a member of Roshinkan dojo you were likely splitting fire wood and stacking a winter’s worth of warmth.  Oh and we ate tamales.  Boy did we eat tamales.

Thanks to all who came out and helped.

All Stacked

Nice Day

Lunch is Served

When I go running I hate hills.  Even the littlest hill makes me strain. This is certainly an affect of my mindset, thinking that it will be hard or more difficult makes it harder.  However a long flat distance seems much easier.  Even after a recent hiatus from running I was able to go out for my first run and cover a distance just under 2 miles.  (I know this doesn’t seem like a long run to most people but for me, 2 miles took some training)

This long flat distance is like a plateau.  Because it continues on in the same way, I can continue on doing the same thing.  This accomplishes something.  It allows me to cover the distance I want to cover without distraction.  I become familiar with my route and can excel at running it without injury.  I know what I’m doing, I know that I am able to do it, I know how far I have run.  My belief in my ability to run increases and I can increase my distance.  In the long run (pun intended) this plateau allows me to increase my health, my self-esteem.

Living in Spokane means I can’t plateau for long.  Downtown Spokane is a valley with a river running through it creating tumultuous though beautiful terrain.  This valley has a hill both north and south.  Eventually I have to run up a hill.  No more plateaus for me. It’s difficult, I have to change my timing.  It’s uncomfortable, my breathing changes and this is often the time my knee or ankle will hurt-as if the hill wasn’t punishment enough.

Of course this accomplishes something.  It causes me to bring my focus back to my stride, my breathing and my body.  It challenges me and increases my understanding of my own endurance.  It makes my breath control better and makes the flat area seem more inviting when it might otherwise seem boring.  It also means I run down a hill, eventually.

From my house there is a hill in every direction – literally.  No matter what direction I choose I have to run up a hill on my way out and run up a hill on my loop back without exception.  This has forced me to leave my plateau.

We plateau in our Aikido training all the time.  This is the time it is most important to come to class.  To face the repetition, face the challenge, some days even the most basic technique may seem a challenge.  But without the plateau to increase my self-esteem I’ll never be prepared for the hills or challenges related to training.  A lot of students get frustrated at this time “plateauing.”  It’s hard (just like running) but I need to remember this is a time to practice without distractions and avoid injuries.

No matter what Aikido class I go to there is a Sensei there – no exceptions.  Senseis are just like hills.  They force you to come back to the basics, regain your focus, concentrate on your breathing,  your stance, build your endurance.  They are challenging you-forcing you to change your timing, to struggle.  It’s uncomfortable, sometimes Sensei yells at me to bring my mind and focus back, I might even feel embarrassed.  But after all that’s what hills are about, increasing my understanding of my own endurance.

We all have something to overcome whether it be a struggle in our personal lives, an Aikido test we’re preparing for or a physical challenge of our own.  The time on the plateau is what gets us ready but the hills are what will get us through these challenges.  Now of course this means that to be prepared I have to run up the hills, not run away.  I have to meet my Sensei’s challenges not brush them off or avoid them.  So just keep training; plateau or hill they both accomplish something.

AIKITOTS

Aikido for 4 and 5 year olds.
Tuesday 4:30pm – 5:00pm
Saturday 9:30am – 10:00am

Plus we now have kids class 6 days a week!

Check out the new schedule

Dear Students, Family, and Friends,

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu

(Happiness to you on the dawn of a New Year)

As I look at the photo for this year’s New Year cards I notice how the pattern of light feathers into the past to show where we have been, leaving a graceful tail.  The light illuminates the path that lays ahead, but only in a narrow band leaving the periphery to our imagination.   The glow is most bright right  where we are, where we stand at this very moment…

It’s a busy time of year at Roshinkan.  Just a couple of weeks ago we held Girls Night at the Dojo.  Good snacks, fun activities, and movies were all the rage as the girls of our dojo got together for a fun time and a chance to explore Aikido from a female point of view.

Don’t worry guys your day is coming up November 5th.  Check with Josh and Curtis for more details.

People for Environmental Action and Community Health

Saturday October 22nd we are heading up to P.E.A.C.H Farm to help with the autumn harvest and put the garden to rest for the winter.  This is our chance to help out our community and to be a part of bringing healthy fresh food to the table.  For many in our community it is a struggle to find good clean healthy foods.  The P.E.A.C.H Farm along with Fresh Abundance are a great resource to our community providing nutritious foods and educational opportunities.

Garland Clean Up

On Saturday October 29th we will participate in the Garland Clean Up Day. As many of you know I grew up in the Garland neighborhood and remember when the “Milk Bottle” really was a dairy store.  So join us, bring a paint brush, gloves, and a warm sweat shirt and we will put a shine on a lovely old neighborhood.

Kyu testing is coming up November 17th and 19th.  Are you ready?  Are you helping your fellow Aikidoka to get ready?

The second weekend of December we will road trip to visit Aikido of Helena.  Come with us to train in the wilds of Montana.

A dojo is so much more than just a place to work out.  It is a place where a sense of community is built.  A place of support and positive interaction.  It is through our work in the community that we are able to really practice the samurai tradition of service.  The true heart of our practice, to forge our spirit and make our world a better place.

Before bowing in our kids class my assistant instructor, Mary, usually spends a few moments in a light hearted and animated conversation with the kids about some aspect of Aikido in daily life.  The topics have explored the similarities of a growing plant and Aikido, how an Aikidoist handles a problem, what is ki, what is extension, what does it mean to be a good partner, and what is etiquette. These five minute dialogues always get a laugh from students and parents alike, and me too for that matter.

This past June the tables were turned.  We asked each of our higher ranked kids (orange belt with two stripes and above) to get up in front of class and tell us something about Aikido.  The range of topics included, Aikido is fun, Aikido helps me when I take tests at school, Aikido is self-defense, and more.

I would like to share with you one presentation I found particularly profound, this from a 13 year old.

“Aikido is not about strength or looking good it’s about strengthening your ki and having the will to do what others will not.”

The next time somebody asks me, “What is Aikido?”, I just may borrow the words of a wise 13 year old I have the pleasure of training with.

You may have recently seen or heard of an incident where a Seattle law enforcement officer punched a 17 year old girl. The video is all over the Internet.  I am not so interested in discussing if this officer was justified or not but instead what about our society has led up to this incident happening at all.

The police are a reflection of our society.  This action takes place in one fashion or another daily in one city or another in this country.  The law enforcement officer is reacting according to the norms of our society.  We are increasingly willing to react with overwhelming violence when confronted with a problem.  This is a reaction of being in fear.  We are afraid to lose what we have or we do not have the tools to give us options when confronted.

What does this have to do with Aikido?  On a very simple level the officer if trained and proficient in Aikido would have been able to apply a simple wrist lock technique to the first young lady rather than hand fighting with her.  This would have subdued the situation quickly.  Secondly when the second girl shoved him he would have been able to either throw her to the side or control her without having to resort to punching her in the face.

On a higher level, before this episode got physical, training in Aikido and awareness would have allowed the officer to not even get into the situation that was bound to become volatile.  He put himself in a dangerous position to do what???? Hand out a ticket for jaywalking?  Could he have better de-escalated the situation?

What of the young women?  What would have brought this violent behavior toward the officer?  What about our society teaches these young women and men to behave in this way.  This violent, reactionary, disrespectful, disregard for people is instilled in us through out our lives in the media, games, competitive sports, our language, schools, business practices, and gangs.

I recently spoke with a gentleman who was inquiring about Aikido class for his son who had trained in another art for a short time.  When I mentioned that we do not teach punching and kicking as a self defense but rather how to control the situation with body movement, throws, and joint locks the father went silent.  When he regained his composure he was unable to conceive of defense without punching or kicking.  This is the society that we live in.  Again the police are a reflection of our society.

Aikido teaches us a way to live in peace and without judging others or engaging in needless, meaningless competitions that amount to pissing matches that often turn bloody, and demanding of vengeful attacks of retribution.

As disturbing as the video of this incident is to me, equally disturbing were the comments that supported the violence and encouraged the next officer to do more than throw a punch if confronted with this situation. Again the police are a reflection of the norms of our communities and of our society.

How do we change this?  Train our law enforcement officers better.  We teach Aikido both physically and philosophically to them.  We use Aikido training and peace training to encourage people to work together rather than competitively.  It will take generations to make the changes so we need to get started NOW!  We are very good at using the primitive lizard brain.  It is time to make the most of our rational thinking brain the neocortex.

Rely on Peace
To activate your
Manifold powers;
Pacify your environment
And create a beautiful world.

When I first ran across this quote I struggled with the line “Pacify your environment”. In my time on earth to pacify has taken on a meaning of stepping on, holding down, subdue, bring to submission, as in “pacify the resistance”.  It wasn’t until I took some time to think about the meaning and origins of pacify. Pacify comes from the Latin p?cific?re; to make peace.  This led me to the thoughts; to ease, to appease, to quiet, to calm.  I don’t really know why in my experience pacify took on a negative connotation, maybe too many news reports on war.  It was just my experience.  Yours may be different.

Now this quote has some strong meaning to me.  To rely on peace to activate my many powers.  To be relaxed, centered, extended, to be at peace so that my true power may come through me.

Pacify your environment.  To be at ease with; to be calm, to be comfortable with, to be one with the world surrounding my center.  In this way I can have a positive, productive, influence on creating a beautiful world each moment of my life.

Potentials…What are all the potentials of all the good things that we listed regarding our Aikido training? In part 1 we listed some of the good things that come about because of our training in the Aikido dojo. Now it is time to take the next step in this process of PPCO; Potential. What are the potentials of our actions? Where might all this good stuff lead?

A positive that was listed is Increased Awareness. What might be all the future benefits of increasing our awareness?

• I might avoid that accident when the other driver slides through the intersection, unable to stop in the icy road conditions, thereby saving injury and money in repairs.
• I might avoid being mugged by the sketchy looking guy hiding in the entry way of that dark building, keeping me physically safe and my cash in my pocket.
• I might make a connection with a work partner that will be of benefit to my work making me a star to my boss and earning me that promotion and raise.
• I might see an opportunity to invest that will increase my wealth and lead to that vacation in Fiji.
• I might see that my relative needs my help but is unable to ask. This leading to a closer relationship with that relative and a good feeling for doing something helpful.
• I might see that my supervisor is having a challenging day and that it would not be a good time to press him on an issue, saving me from being chewed out.
• I might see that my supervisor is feeling light, happy, and powerful today, giving me the opportunity to positively present an issue to her. This leading to more interesting challenges at work.
• I might feel the pain in my stomach that may indicate that I need to cut down on my coffee intake before I end up with bigger health problems.
• I might have less conflict in my day, which will result is less stress resulting in a healthier life.
• I might get more work done.
• I might find more time to spend with my family.
• I might find more time for me.
• I might find new ways to teach that have a positive effect on my students.

Let’s look at the potential of another positive of our Aikido training; Social Network.

• I might meet people I would never have talked to if I did not meet them on the mat.
• I might learn about a new job opportunity that will increase my salary.
• I might find someone that can help me with that project that I am stalled on.
• I might learn about an author that I have never heard of but sounds like something I want to read.
• I might find support in solving a child rearing issue that will reduce my stress and help my child live a more productive life.
• I might laugh more making my day more fun in general.
• I might try a new beer opens my taste buds to different styles of brewing.
• I might find new, better ways to solve problems that leave me more energized and with more spare time.
• I might meet someone that opens a new path for my life, leading me to more fulfilling work.
• I might fall in love.
• I might find new perspectives that keep me interested, increasing my lust for life.
• I might be challenged to open my mind, which opens up all sorts of possibilities.
• I might meet someone that could help me get my message out to a larger audience, thereby, positively effecting more lives.

This is the short list of just two of the positives we listed regarding our Aikido training. Take a few minutes to add your own thoughts to these lists. Then think about why you train in Aikido. All of the positive reasons for coming to the dojo. Then list all the potentials, the benefits, the spin-offs, the opportunities, of those positive reasons.

Now you are beginning to see the true substance and power of our training. Now you begin to see how training ourselves effects the community around us. How the community of our dojo, the community of our Aikido Association, the community of Aikido Practitioners, effects the community that is our society, our civilization.

Next up…How to deal with concerns in a positive and constructive manner.

Conflict is a door

Closed and locked it is a barrier.
We are only able to beat against it until we are bruised and beaten or
The door is shattered left serving no purpose.

Open and swinging wide with the support of its hinges
A door is an invitation to explore opportunities.