“What is Aikido?” Now there’s a question that should make you think. How can you answer this question in a completely authentic way, that is not based on something that you heard or read about? Is it possible to hold this question in a way that will help you in getting to the essence of Aikido?
In one way or another, we are all teachers, and we are all students. Surely from time to time, you find yourself helping another, or getting another’s help in understanding something new. At the very least it is safe to say that we are all learners. It is in this spirit that I’m sharing my latest post on 3 Ways To Be A Better Aikido Teacher (And Student!).
Being skilled in Aikido or any other “path practice” does not mean that you are also skilled in every aspect of your daily life. The sad truth is that the development you gain in the dojo does not automatically translate into the world. In order to take your Aikido from the dojo to the world, you need more. You must create “bridging practices” that will help you with the important practice of integration. In this blog post, I’m going to teach you 3 Key Bridging Practices For Aikido that will effectively help you take your Aikido from the dojo to the world.
What is the difference between the “relative” and the “absolute”? And how do these 2 perspectives relate to Aikido? Recently I held another “Aiki-Discussion” in the Integral Dojo Community Call series on this very topic. In this call, I was joined by Dan Messisco Sensei and members from our global sangha, as we explored “Aikido & The Absolute Perspective.”
In January 2018 I did a 4-part facebook live series on “Aikido And Teaching.” In this blog post, I am sharing with you the 1st of these 4 video teachings. As I opened this series I decided to speak about a topic that touches everyone walking along the path of Aikido. Namely, “How To Choose An Aikido Teacher”?
FREE COMMUNITY CALL – Aikido & The Absolute Perspective w/ Dan Messisco (6th dan) & Miles Kessler (6th dan)
| Date: | August 26, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Time: | 21:00-22:00 |
| Event: | FREE Community Call: w/ Dan Messisco (6th dan) & Miles Kessler (6th dan) |
| Topic: | Aikido & The Absolute Perspective |
| Sponsor: | The Integral Dojo |
| Venue: | Online via Zoom Video Conference Call |
| Public: | Public |
| Registration: | Click here to register. |
The biggest trend in personal development these days is “mindfulness.” The popularity of Mindfulness today is especially interesting because even though it is adopted as a post-modern practice, it has been the core transformative practice of spiritual awakening traditions for millennia. Mindfulness also happens to be the primary awareness training that lies at the heart of Aikido practice. We call it “Zanshin” – the mindfulness of aikido.
The below “Dharma Bite” is an excerpt from a longer dialogue I did with Teja “Fudo Myoo” Bell Roshi for our “Meditation For Aikidoka” online course members. We had such a wonderful dialogue that I decided to share this excerpt here with my blog readers on “From Emptiness To Spontaneity”.
I recently had an “Aiki-Discussion” with Aikido Sensei and Zen Roshi Eran “Junryu” Vardi for my “Meditation For Aikidoka” online course. We had a wide-ranging conversation on Aikido, Meditation, and enlightenment and I was left with the feeling that we had only scratched the surface. I have taken an excerpt from our discussion to share with you here called “Self, Identity, & Flow”.
What is your relationship to conflict? Is it something you prefer to avoid? Or do you like to lean into a good fight? Recently, Diane Musho Hamilton and I held our 3rd Community Call in our “Dharma & The Evolution Of Conflict” 3-part series. In this call, together with the global sangha, Diane & I dove into this very topic as we explored “Embracing Conflict As Path.”
