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.

It is Spring Fling Time!!

April 5 – 7, 2013

This years instructor will be Monell sensei!

Join us for our annual spring gathering.  Shrug off winter and jump start your spring with spirited training.  Register early to help us prepare.  Pot luck dinner Saturday night at 7:00pm!

Here is the registration form.

Spring Fling 2013 Monell sensei

I love to train: cycling, running, swimming, skiing… After some time practicing at the Dojo, I started to have small epiphanies during my daily life in and outside of the Dojo. Some of the things Sensei says come to mind during seemingly non martial art activities: relax, weight under side, lower your center. Prior to doing Aikido, if a problem arose, I use to clench my teeth and force my way through everything.

Recently, I started to set goals for myself. Some of them seemed easy, others very difficult. For a long time I wanted to run a marathon. However, I disliked attending public events: fearing people, doubting myself. However, I enjoy training. A lesson I learned during Aikido was that going through the motion without a purpose does not lead anywhere. So I started to sign up for short distance running races.

After a few races, I became so engrossed with the goals I had set for myself that everything and everyone was in my way: the slow runners blocking my way (there is such a thing as running and cycling etiquette: indeed reigi is everywhere).

One day, I was at the pool and I saw a talented swimmer being incredibly mean to a less able swimmer: the less apt swimmer was in the way. To my horror, I realized that the mean and rude swimmer was a reflection of myself. For a while, I decided to pull away from competing in athletic events, I felt that this was exacerbating my worst traits.

Landry Sensei places great emphasis on volunteering and community service. An opportunity presented itself and I volunteered for an athletic event I would normally compete in. “Spectating” was interesting. Physical achievements are nothing without the people who organize and volunteer just like there is no nage without uke.

Some time went by and, even though I was still pursuing training, I was stagnating. I was plagued by fear, uncertainty and discontent. Once again, I was going through the motions but I lacked purpose. Finally, I decided to sign for up a running race. I trained hard. Something odd happened: 2 weeks before the race, I suffered a minor injury to one of my legs. One of my cycling friends suggested that I downgrade to a ½ distance or at least try to use a run/walk strategy. Doubt and fear came back: a few months prior, I had been injured after misjudging myself. I was ready to quit before the race even started. Three days before race day, I made up my mind: I was going to participate. I let go of my ego and decided that even if I did not finish I would at least “step foot on the mat”: throws won’t work if you don’t believe they will.

Just like testing, a race is a celebration not of “I” but of “we”. For every step taken, one is happy and thankful to be there. I smiled, talked to other runners, waved at spectators and thanked as many volunteers as I could. They were my Uke, and for the first time in my life, I was happy to have them. Mile after mile, I was enjoying the connection I had with people.

During the run more Aikido came to my thoughts, but they were not the usual ones. Thoughts of bokken and jo practices arose: concentrate on one point. For the first time I understood some of the concept of selecting one point as your target during suburi, yet I was still able to remain aware of my surroundings, I briefly thought of jusan. Finally, half way through the aptly named “Doomsday Hill” around mile 22, I felt my energy was nearly depleted. Bokken kata # 1 popped in my head. I had never ran this far in my life. I needed something familiar to ease into. I focused my attention to my center, and started to visualize bokken kata # 1 in my head. Shortly after mile 24, in spite of a volunteer telling me there were less than 2 miles to go (he might as well have said the race had just began but I just smiled and thanked him) bokken kata # 1 wasn’t enough anymore: doubt, fear and pain were about to overwhelm me. Out of all things I started to picture bokken kata #1 backward in my head. I kept on going, still thanking and smiling the people volunteering on the course. I crossed the finish line still thinking of bokken kata # 1. On that day, I broke my personal record for the ½ marathon and finished my 1^st full marathon.

This year I have done triathlons, biked and ran up mountains, ran a 25k and marathon: and yet, nothing is as challenging or as rewarding as Aikido. I don’t think that one is ever off the mat: Aikido is with us, wherever we go and can be found in whatever we do.

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

This year we are excited to be hosting DeGraff sensei as she returns to the Northwest for the annual Fringe Dojo Association SPRING FLING!  Be sure to set aside the weekend of March 30 – April 1, 2012 so that you can join us at Roshinkan dojo.

I know what you’re thinking moving across country alone to a city I didn’t know or going to Japan without knowing any Japanese (except Aikido Japanese) should prepare anyone to go to a simple Aikido seminar, but you’d be wrong. Getting on the plane Wednesday morning to head to Chicago for Kangeiko was nerve wracking. I was worried I wouldn’t make my flight, worried I would mess up on my ukemi when Sensei called me up to demonstrate, worried I wouldn’t be able to find my way in a place I had never been before… let’s just say I was nervous.

Kangeiko 2012 marked my first “alone trip” to a seminar. Landry Sensei and I had talked about me going alone as a good way to express my serious intention to test for shodan later this year and also as the next step in my development as an Aikido student. In theory this sounded great but, standing outside Midway Airport eight hours after I boarded my plane, this sounded stupid. The skyline was foreign, the city looked huge and everyone was honking (there were people directing traffic outside the airport!). I wanted my Sensei or a dojo mate standing next to me, what was I thinking coming alone.

Landing Wednesday gave me 24 hours on the ground in Chicago before Kangeiko began and I suggest this tactic to anyone travelling for a seminar. I got to visit Navy Pier, eat Garrett’s Popcorn and ride CTA (public transit) all before heading to the dojo on Thursday. Chicago for those of you wondering was cleaner than I expected, beautiful with a sense of history not found in Spokane and full of people talking on phones/texting on phones/playing corporate scavenger hunts with their phones/hey tagging with phones (whatever that was) and generally being focused on their personal technology devices. In other words the scenery was beautiful and there was excellent people watching.

As always Sato Sensei and DeGraff Sensei made sure I was well cared for (arranging a ride from the airport even if it was Midway grumble grumble) and welcoming me with smiles, hugs and jokes when I arrived to the dojo on Thursday. The training was, of course, excellent. We worked mostly in groups which gave me a lot of opportunity to ask for help when I needed, introduce myself to people I didn’t know (which was almost everyone) and ask absolutely everyone to come to Northwest Summer Camp (the first weekend of August in case you didn’t know) but still made me break a sweat and focus on taking good ukemi and performing technique just as Sensei had shown it.

I’ll be honest I was most worried about all the breaks between training on Friday and Saturday, wondering what I would do with my time. I’m an avid reader usually reading a book or two a week and had armed myself with my defense-mechanism before leaving Spokane. I’m proud to report I read 20 pages the entire four days. Everyone wanted to hang out. We shared stories about Price Sensei’s police work, Dom’s beautiful bronze dog, Wolverine’s research into self-defense classes and aggression levels – in short we shared ourselves with each other. We went to the Golden Angel, the Potbelly, the Starbucks; we went just about anywhere in walking distance, and we went together. No one was left out (my secret fear), everyone was valued and had something to share from their experiences in life and Aikido.

The training was diverse. There were entries I had never seen before into techniques I knew well and familiar entries into techniques done a new way. We did interesting weapons work defending against two attackers (armed and unarmed) that heightened our awareness and really brought out the skills needed for randori. We did slow technique using them to stretch one another and I saw partners working together on sore muscles and aching joints to get the most out of this time. It was wonderful.

I travelled to Kangeiko alone to build relationships with people through Aikido on and off the mat without my support system to fall back on and accomplished my goal. I travelled to Kangeiko alone to show my dedication to training in the art that binds us together and strengthens these relationships. I woke up Saturday with sore muscles from laughing and woke up Sunday sad to go to the last session. I asked Sensei for an afternoon training session but he said he had an appointment with St. Mattress (I didn’t see that church when I googled it in Chicago but Sensei wouldn’t lie). So I travelled alone and it was scary but I found out I could make it through all 18 hours of Aikido without being able to ask my sensei for help and was reassured with the kindness and companionship of my fellow aikidoka and delicious cupcakes from Molly’s. So I suggest you travel alone and go to a seminar. You’ll discover a lot about yourself and your Aikido abilities and learn a lot about other people you wouldn’t learn with a group of your dojo mates or your sensei to fall back on.

I also suggest you come to Northwest Summer Camp (the first weekend of August in case you didn’t know), you can come alone – I’ll hang out with you.

Aikido Open House

at Roshinkan Dojo

February 25th
10:00 –-12:00
at
2209 N. Monroe

Ever heard of Aikido?
Want to try a class?  Want to watch a class?  Want to enroll your child in a healthy physical activity that teaches compassion and discipline?

Free Introductory Class
10:30 –-11:30
ages 6 and up

Japanese snacks and hot tea will be served
Questions?  Contact the dojo at aiki@aikispokane.com or call 325-7348.

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…