Author: Nate Weed

Posted on

Aikido Olympia Schedule Change Coming

Aikido Olympia intends to change our regular schedule beginning on April 1st, 2019. In reviewing class attendance, instructor availability, and community classes, it seems that moving to a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday class schedule would help us provide the best training and increase the kiai of our dojo. Youth Aikido would remain from 5:30-6:30 on Tuesday’s and Thursdays. We are moving the adult basic time to 6:30-7:30.  Following that on Tuesday, we would hold a general class from 7:30 – 8:10 pm then zazen, and on Thursday’s have an hour long general class from 7:30-8:30. Our Saturday morning schedule will remain the same. With this, some instructors will be able to do some topic specific classes on other nights as interest dictates. Thank you for your understanding. All feedback is welcome. 

By Nate Weed

Posted on

Aikido in Daily Life: January 2019

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

Family and friends are important to all of us. They connect us together into a social fabric and provide love and understanding. They can also provide some insightful opportunities to practice. For many people, it’s those who we care the most about who are also able to drive us the most nuts. Coming off of the holiday season, I’m sure that many of us have some perspectives on this. That said, Aikido is an art distinguished by its philosophy of extending positive energy, opening our hearts to those who challenge us, and protecting all involved as we are all one. Now, I’m not saying that you should apply yonkyo to those you care about whenever the inevitable interpersonal friction begins warming up. However, living the Aikido philosophy should provide a pretty good recipe for skillfully negotiating a political discussion with one’s mother-in-law, playfully convincing the teenage nephew to help do some dishes, getting the seven-year-olds to put on their coats and get ready to go without raising your voice, and having a centered and thoughtful New Year’s financial discussion with your spouse. These are all opportunities for us to practice applying the more philosophical components of Aikido in our daily lives. Even more importantly, these are opportunities to practice recognizing that these are opportunities!

Who knows, maybe next year, some of us will even be ready to respectfully inquire more deeply into our sibling’s innovative thoughts on parenting or our dad’s ideas on proper auto maintenance.

By Nate Weed

Posted on

Misogi

 Misogi is the Shinto custom of removing the impurities that build up within each of us. In Aikido training, sensei from the earlier years of this practice would often comment on the quality of a student’s ki. A clear honey colored ki that was rich in effervescence was healthy while a ki that resembled oil from the refuse bin at the Jiffy-Lube was not. Related to this was the concept that through the practice of Aikido, a student’s ki could be cleansed with hard work and a lot of ukemi. In addition to the routine practices of funekogi kata and tekubishindo kata (both forms of misogi), many who trained in Aikido added additional training in misogi. External misogi to purify one’s self with  cold water is perhaps one of the most archetypical forms of this practice. In fact the “Black Belt” card in the popular Pokemon trading card game depicts a young person in a gi and black belt meditating under a waterfall. There are also more internal forms of misogi. At Aikido Olympia we practice bell misogi every Saturday morning. In this form of misogi, a simple but vigorous physical activity (sitting and ringing a bell) is paired with repetitive chanting that resembles a kiai. Either way, the goal is to return a person to a state of being in which they can better sense their own awareness and connectedness. 

Regardless of whether you choose to enter the frozen water on January 1st or sit with a bell on Saturday mornings, much of what Aikido is about is to help us learn to clean up our own baggage and expand our awareness to those things bigger than ourselves. O Sensei has been quoted over the years with saying something to the effect of Aikido is Misogi. He also gave this advice: 

“Daily training in Aikido allows your inner divinity to shine brighter and brighter. Do not concern yourself with the right and wrong of others. Keep the mind bright and clear as the endless sky, the deepest ocean, and the highest mountain. Do not be calculating or act unnaturally. Keep your mind set on Aikido, and do not criticize other teachers or traditions. Aikido never restrains, restricts, or shackles anything. It embraces all and purifies everything.” 

As we begin 2019, I hope that Aikido Olympia collectively enters the new year with this sense of clarity and openness.

By Nate Weed

Posted on

2019 Fee Changes

As a reminder, Aikido Olympia will be increasing our fees in January 2019. Our Dojo remains 100% volunteer and non-profit, but we still have to pay our rent, electric, water, and for some ongoing maintenance. 


 Monthly Annual Dojo     Maintenance Drop In 
Adults $90 $60 $20 per visit
Students and
youth		 $80 $40 $20 per visit
Senior Center/
Parks & Rec.       Evergreen		As described in    flyerNone – though   donations are   welcome N/A

*To continue supporting families who participate in our dojo, we’re simplifying things and taking $15 off for each additional family member.  

Posted on

Aikido in Daily Life: December 2018

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

At the  end of the year we reflect on the previous year and on our practice. There are many ways that we can all do this.  For some it will be quietly considering what we have appreciated and what we hope to continue in the coming year.  Others will take some time to evaluate the year and make plans about how they’ll conduct their life in 2019. Regardless, as cycles come to an end, it is human nature to contemplate how we are affected or how we have made an impact on the events in which we were involved. For Aikidoka, we should recognize that the natural cycles of the year are greater than ourselves and, although we may play a role, it’s most important that we are present and alive as we move along our path. From a certain perspective this is applying the S.O.F.A. approach, that we discuss in class, to life more broadly – Show up, Observe, Focus, and Accept the outcomes. 

Approaching life from this perspective doesn’t require a plan or a strategy. Instead it requires a quiet confidence in our own resilience and a willingness to open our hearts and minds to whatever comes next. These characteristics emerge as we become more disciplined and expand our awareness to new levels. Moreover, they are the very things we develop and hone through our Aikido practice.

We have enjoyed another wonderful year practicing together, and may we continue this journey together in 2019!

By Nate Weed

Posted on

Kokoro

The kanji that hangs on the shomen at Akido Olympia is Kokoro. Kokoro means heart! but not just the internal organ of a heart (though it can mean that too, and if you look at it, it looks like a heart but usually when used this way the kanji is called “shin”).  Native Japanese speakers tell us that kokoro is well understood in Japanese, but that it’s very difficult to translate in English. As Aikidoka we have a bit of an advantage in understanding this because it aligns with our concept of integrating mind, body, and spirit (which we learn are not different things) as whole human beings. 

As we move into the holiday season, we hear a lot about opening our hearts, giving of ourselves, and love. These are aspects of kokoro and aspects of Aikido that should apply at all times, but we can certainly use this time of year, and the many opportunities it brings, to learn more about how we have integrated our mind, body, and spirit as we spend time in our community and with our families. 

By Nate Weed

Posted on

Holiday Schedules

    • Basic Adult Aikido: Monday and Wednesday from 6:00 – 6:55 PM
    • General Adult Aikido: Monday and Wednesday beginning at 7:00 PM and Tuesday and Thursday beginning at 6:30 PM
    • Zazen Meditation: Monday from 7:50 – 8:40 PM 
    • Youth Aikido: Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 – 6:25 PM
    • Bell Misogi: Saturday 7:00 – 8:00 AM
    • Instructor’s Class: Saturday 8:00 – 9:00 AM
    • Introduction to Aikido: Saturday November 17th from 10:00 – Noon
    • No class November 22nd – 24th for the Thanksgiving Holiday
    • Winter Breath Training: December 3rd – 7th every morning 5:30AM to 6:15AM.
    • Promotional Demonstrations: Friday December 14th, 5:30 – when we’re done (and a “snack-luck” to follow)
    • Annual Dojo clean up event: All are encouraged to participate… Saturday December 15th 9:00 – when we’re finished
    • Winter Break: December 15th – 31st
    • New Year’s Water Misogi: January 1st… Meet at the Dojo at 7:00AM
    • First class of 2019: January 2nd
Posted on

Aikido in Daily Life: November 2018

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

In our practice we struggle to figure out how to live in harmony with the world around us. As we begin this process, we must assess how willing we are to extend our trust to others as we allow them to use our bodies to practice techniques. Eventually we become more comfortable with extending that trust and we increase our confidence that things will usually work out well. As our practice continues, we must learn to apply this reinforcing cycle to extend trust off the mat. This may be extending trust in our personal relationships, maybe in our work relationships, and possibly in all of our interactions with others. The key ingredient in moving from one level to another is optimism. 

When we can look at the world with positivity and confidence that even the things that can hurt or injure us will work out pretty well, then we can more easily extend trust to others. Ultimately, our practice is that we can extend this trust to everyone. This does not mean that we don’t make sure we can take care of ourselves but it means that we can truly show everyone respect and that we can approach everyone with a positive bias. At this level in our training we assess what we need in order to truly realize that aspiration.

By Nate Weed

Posted on

The Essential (Aikido Olympia) Martial Arts Book List

As we approach the holidays, Aikido Olympia will have some extra spaciousness for spending time family and friends, and perhaps some introspection. During this time, we know that some of you will want to continue practicing in different ways and some of you may choose to invest in some reading time. Here are some tried and true suggestions. 

#1  The Book of Five Rings or the “Go Rin No Sho” which was written in 1643 by the famed swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. This book focuses on strategy in martial arts but provides strategies that apply to many aspects of life. 

#2  The Art of War. This book is attributed to the ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu and was written in about 500 BC. In this text the author (or probably authors) provide a number of concepts worthy of contemplation for both martial practices and life in general. 

#3  The Unfettered Mind. Perhaps you’ve heard of the daikon radish? Well, Takuan Soho, the same Zen monk that developed that radish also wrote a foundational martial arts text in about 1630. This book focuses on the cultivation of the mind and intention. 

#4  The Life Giving Sword. Right above, the work of Takuan Soho is recommended. In fact, that book is the result of Master Takuan’s relationship with Yagu Munenori, the author of The Life Giving Sword. Yagu Munenori comes up in class on a not infrequent basis because it provides insight into the 500 year old process of turning people into complete human beings through martial practice. 

A web search conducted prior to writing this article resulted in several lists of essential martial arts books. Many of them are focused on books about techniques or styles. This list focuses on books that shaped the martial arts themselves and influenced martial artists for hundreds of years. There are several different translations available for each of these books and each one contains some of the author’s bias. The key for Aikidoka to get the most from these books is to consider the material in the context of our practices – living in harmony with the energy of the universe. 

With any recommended reading list, people will have different thoughts. This is expected, as is some discussion at the dojo about these books and others (and there are so many others that could be considered essential reading for martial artists). Additionally, if you’re looking for perhaps more specific reading ideas or possibly some lighter reading material, don’t hesitate to ask. 

 

By Nate Weed

Posted on

Aikido in Daily Life: October 2018

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

Ma’ai… Time, options, and our decisional space. The practice of aikido emphasizes relationships in space and in time. We strive for a harmonious spacing or ma’ai when we’re practicing in the dojo. Our goal, however, is to take that concept and use it in our daily lives. Ma’ai is a particularly useful concept when we use it to shape our decision-making. 

We’re all faced with many decisions, some decisions are relatively minor:  “Should I get another cup of coffee?” Other decisions are much more significant: “Should I engage in a violent act that may alter my life or someone else’s life forever?” Sometimes we have a great deal of time and information to use in our consideration of the options and other times we have to decide in a split second. Regardless of the situation or the decision, we have a set of options that decrease over time. 

By focusing on proper ma’ai in this context, we can grow our ability to make decisions early and when we have many options available to us. This leads to a couple of things. First, it helps us respond sooner, or be more responsible. Second, it shapes how we apply our personal power in our lives by being intentional and effective with our influence.  

 

By Nate Weed