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.”
Nothing makes life more meaningful than committing to something greater than yourself. Making such a commitment will lead you to discover your greater potential, and what is more meaningful than that? These days my most immediate commitments are to family and career. But for decades now I have been engaged in 2 longterm practice commitments that brought profound meaning to my life. These are none other than Aikido & The Spiritual Path.
The author Sam Harris says that “the evolution of human civilization has been nothing less than a series of successful conversations.” But what exactly does it take to have a successful conversation? This is the question I recently explored with the authors of the new book “Compassionate Conversations – How To Speak And Listen From The Heart.”
On July 12th, 2020 the Integral Dojo held a Community Call with Ginny Whitelaw. Ginny is a Zen Roshi, Aikido Sensei, a former NASA Biophysicist, and an author. In this post, I’m publishing the replay of this community call where Ginny Roshi lead a mini-workshop on the title of her soon to be released book “Resonate – Zen And The Way Of Making A Difference .”
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.
Is Bokken training a part of your Aikido practice? If yes, then do you feel that the Bokken is synchronized and integrated into your Bokken forms? Do you feel that your Bokken forms are synchronized and integrated into your empty-handed Aikido? In this latest video in my Aikido Bokken tutorial series, I go into the details of the Aikido Bokken striking dynamics important for creating integration in your Aikido. Check out my latest tutorial on Aikido Bokken Lifting & Striking.
On May 22nd, 2020 Mark Walsh invited me back to the Embodiment Podcast to join a panel discussion in a series he is appropriately calling “Return Of The Plague Dialogues.” I joined Mark on the panel with Philip Shepherd, author and embodiment teacher, and Rafe Kelley, of “Evolve, Move, Play.” Listen below to our free-flowing discussion of how we coped with the pandemic lockdown, how our embodiment practices supported us, and how we assess things going forward.
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?”
Below is the chat activity archive from the panel discussion & community call on “What Is An Aikido Response To Systemic Racism?” held on June 10th, 2020. To watch the replay of this important community call GO HERE!
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.
