Blog

We come to our dojo to train so that we’re better able to apply the principles of Aikido in our daily lives.

Reflecting on the plan to begin Misogi this month, Aikido practice when approached with seriousness and intention is a form of misogi. At the core, misogi is about doing something hard, that requires commitment, and may well lead to failure in order for us to further develop as human beings. 

Each time we step onto the mats and commit to a technique with our minds and bodies unified, we have a single opportunity to learn something about ourselves. Each and every shomenuchi, yokomenuchi, or other attack will result in a unique event in which the energy we’re committing is transformed into something bigger, something connected beyond our local selves. In this transformation we gather insights (if we’re paying attention) about our own fears, biases, and areas for further progress. Sometimes this learning is subtle and other times it can be rather profound but the opportunity is precious and with repeated moments we have a valuable process for improving ourselves. 

By Nate Weed

Throughout the pandemic, Aikido Olympia has suspended our Saturday morning practice of bell misogi. Starting on April 2nd, we will resume our bell misogi practice every Saturday morning from 7:30 to 8:15. This will mean that we’ll also be adjusting our regular Saturday morning schedule and beginning the general Aikido class at 8:30.

For those not familiar with misogi, it is a side practice that goes along with Aikido. There are many ways to practice misogi (immersing ones self in cold water, doing 1000 bokken cuts, and our approach which included vigorously ringing a bell and chanting while seated). Bell misogi (Soku Shin no Gyo)  is a practice that originated in an intense school of kenjutsu founded by Yamaoka Tesshu and has been carried into the 21st century by his students. 

The purpose of misogi is to help unify the mind and the body while forging the spirit. If you’re interested (or have been waiting patiently for the return of this practice), we look forward to seeing you on Saturday mornings.

By Nate Weed

Given the low levels of COVID-19 transmission in Thurston County and the ending of mask requirements in our community, Aikido Olympia is making masking optional beginning on April 1st for all classes. Because of the nature of our practices, we still encourage masking and ask that anyone who is feeling even a little ill, not participate in class. As always, we encourage good hand hygiene and appropriate respiratory etiquette regardless of circulating respiratory diseases.  

By Nate Weed

Monday 7:00 PM Zazen (Seated Meditation)

Tuesday and Thursday 5:30 – 6:20 – Kids Class

Tuesday and Thursday 6:30 – 7:30 – Beginner’s Class 

Tuesday and Thursday 7:30 – 8:30 – Adult General Class

Saturday 8:00 – 9:30 – Meditation and General Class

Saturday 9:30 – 10:30- Teenager Class *NEW class tailored to 12-18 year old Aikidoka

Note: Brandon and Nate are facilitating several open mat times – announced at the dojo.

Reminders – No class on Thanksgiving

The COVID pandemic is slowly becoming something we’re all learning to live with. This is a challenge for martial art’s training as we share physical contact with one another. That said, Aikido Olympia continues to implement our safety protocols with masking, hand washing, getting vaccinated, and encouraging people to stay home and get tested even if they are feeling a little bit “off”. These behaviors have served our dojo community well for the past 21 months, and we have confidence that they will help keep our training environment safe for the foreseeable future. 

By Nate Weed

We come to our dojo to train so that we’re better able to apply the principles of aikido in our daily lives.

Training in Aikido is fundamentally about unifying our mind, body, and spirit in pursuit of our life’s ambitions (whatever they might be). In our practice we often use our bodies to better understand how to approach obstacles we face in daily life or how to comport ourselves mindfully and energetically and thereby better flow with the routine. At a recent class, with some of our more advanced students, we took an opportunity to explore this more intentionally than we often do. In this, each person considered a challenge they were personally experiencing, and then each worked to find a physical posture that provided a similar feeling. From there, we applied the principles of ukemi: finding our centers, moving intentionally to a safer posture, and then to a posture where we were again prepared to engage.  This was a slow and deliberate way of stepping through a process by which we explore both physical discomfort and the physical movements that help us transform a challenging situation into one we can more effectively address.   It was simply doing one Aikido art slowly and mindfully, or at least doing the ukemi for one art. 

Every time we take ukemi, and every time we practice an art, our bodies, minds, and sprits are learning from the experiences. When we apply greater intention to our practices and accept them as a way to learn how to transform what is uncomfortable (or even painful) into feelings of safety and confidence, we are preparing to apply this learning in our daily lives.

By Nate Weed

Every year, our dojo closes for the last two weeks of December, but before we do, we all (kids, adults, family members, get together at the dojo for a few hours to do some deep cleaning and light maintenance. The goal of these events is to build community and prepare the dojo for the new year. This year Saturday, December 18th, is the day we will do our Annual Dojo Cleaning and Maintenance! We will begin at 10:30 and all are invited to come and help for as long (or short) as they can.

Many of you have been training regularly and rigorously since we held promotional demonstrations last summer. As December is approaching, our Aikido Olympia Head Instructors have decided that we will hold promotional demonstrations in December. We will offer promotional demonstration opportunities to both kids and adults. Demonstrations will be held on Saturday, December 11, 2021, from 4:00 PM until everyone is finished (around 6:30 PM). 

It has been a little while since we’ve provided a general update on Aikido Olympia.  In short, we’re doing great.  Amy and Sierra are beginning to teach our kids class, which is growing and adding great energy to the Dojo.  We have a few new adult students and a solid group of people training regularly. This is certainly helping us maintain a strong training atmosphere and support the development of our fellow students. The teenager class is starting to grow and appears to give this group both the physicality and greater focus they seem to appreciate. Finally, Will has re-energized Monday evening Zazen training,  and that is beginning to strike a good rhythm. 

Beyond our training, the organization is also going strong. Our volunteer instructors (which is all of us) are enjoying the opportunities to share Aikido with others and see you all develop. Financially, our current dues are meeting our few obligations. And, our mats and training space are well maintained. 

Nate Weed