In this 3rd session of the “Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues” series, I speak with Paul Manogue Sensei who is one of the few non-Japanese headmasters of a traditional Japanese Koyru, the Edo Yagyu Shinkage-Ryu school of kenjitsu (swordsmanship).
In this 2nd session of the “Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues” series George Ledyard Sensei – Aikido (7th dan) shares his understanding of “Shu-Ha-Ri” in his Aikido experience with his primary teacher Mitsugi Saotome Sensei.
On January 24th, 2021 I launched the first in our “Shu-Ha-Ri Dialogues” series with Ellis Amdur Sensei. Amdur Sensei is a Koryu lineage holder ( Araki Ryu, Toda-Ha Buko-Ryu), a psychotherapist, and a prolific author. We kicked off this dialogue series with a wide-ranging discussion of the 3 stages of “Shu-Ha-Ri” – namely “Shu” – the conformity stage, “Ha” – the application stage, & “Ri” – the transcendent stage.
Is Aikido a martial art, or a spiritual path? From a martial perspective, if push came to shove, could you kill another to protect a greater good? On the other hand, from a spiritual perspective, in a moment of truth, could you sacrifice your own life for a greater good? Now the big question; how can you hold both of these perspectives in the same place at the same time? This KOAN is at the core of Aikido, and this is what we explored in this community call on Aikido: Martial Art Or Spiritual Path?
A few days ago I was happy to join Malory Graham Sensei once again for another deep and meaningful online discussion. This time I joined her on the All Things Aikido podcast for an exploration about “Aikido and Meditation: Is Your Practice Balanced?”
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 term “Awase” in Japanese means “to blend”, “to join, or “to harmonize with.” It’s a core principle in our art and its value cannot be understated, simply because it applies to all aspects of your life, both on and off the mat. But when it comes to our training, perhaps the one Aikido practice that develops “awase” the most, is the weapons. In the below Aikido Bokken video tutorial, I will teach you the 4 points of “awase.”
Aikido is not the “Way Of Harmony.” Harmony is the result of Aikido when done well – a “positive-sum” process that leads to the resolution of conflict and the restoration of wholeness. But the “way” of this “Aikido process” inevitably takes you squarely through conflict. This is reflected in the recent events and story of Janice Taitel Sensei who last year organized a petition for gender equity within the United States Aikido Federation. She followed her Aikido intuitions and ended up in the middle of a considerable amount of conflict… within her own Aikido organization! Nevertheless, she persisted.
The recent killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin has unleashed a torrent of protests against systemic racism in cities across America, that have also echoed throughout the world. Regardless of where you stand on the issue of systemic racism, there is no denying that we are a society in conflict. To better understand the urgency of this issue, I invited several of my fellow Aikidoka to join me on a panel discussion & community call where we explored the question, “What is an Aikido response to systemic racism?”
When you use your bokken do you know if you are cutting or if you are striking? There are good examples of both styles in Aikido. However, in my 20 + years of teaching Aiki-Ken, it is clear that there is also a lot of confusion about this. In this Bokken Tutorial Video, I clear up this confusion by demonstrating the exact technical differences of each method. So if you want to know what your style is then check out cutting vs. striking with the bokken.
