East and West

I just picked up Somebody Else's Century: East and West in a Post-Western World by Patrick Smith based on a publisher's review.

The opening quote caught my attention:

History is marked by alternating movements cross an imaginary line that separates East from West...
-Herodotus, The Histories

Now if that isn't the perfect description of someone born and raised in Minnesota and studying Aikido at the Shuharikan in St. Paul, I don't what is!

I'll add more as I get through the book.

Sacred Space

"Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again."
-Joseph Campbell

What a fabulous quote from The Guru - Joseph Campbell!

What or where is your sacred space?

If you are looking for a "sacred space" to train, come to visit the Shuharikan in St. Paul.

Aphrodite, Soul Food and Aikido

So many of our experiences in life, through Aikido, our family and friends, revolve around a meal and "breaking bread." Aikido trips I've taken have provided wonderful memories of our training or talking in-depth of our lives.

From having a classic egg and toast breakfast with Kancho and Fred Haynes sensei in Georgetown, to eating dim sum and sushi at small crazy loud rock-n-roll spots in southern California with Geordan Reynolds sensei, Chino sensei and Sensei Bob and the Lincoln Continental, hitting the late night spots in San Francisco's Tenderloin area and the weekly Saturday breakfast with the Shuharikan Crew at The Downtowner in St. Paul, having a Cajun with Black and Tan toast, all are memories I treasure!

These two quotes are so descriptive and capture in such detail, the enjoyment of experiencing a fantastic meal while spending time with great friends.

"Little by little, I worked up a list of everything that according to my own experience and the knowledge accumulated through centuries in different cultures enhances passionate life, or just life in general. As is only natural, food headed the list." Isabel Allende, Aphrodite: A Memoir of the Senses

“To cook soul food you must use all of your senses. You cook by instinct but you also use smell, taste, touch, sight, and, particularly, sound. You learn to hear by the crackling sound when it’s time to turn over the fried chicken, to smell when a pan of biscuits is just about to finish baking, and to feel when a pastry’s just right to the touch. You taste, rather than measure, the seasonings you treasure; and you use your eyes, not a clock, to judge when that cherry pie has bubbled sweet and nice. These skills are hard to teach quickly. They must be felt, loving, and come straight from the heart and soul.” Sheila Ferguson, Soul Food: Classic Cuisine from the Deep South

Dawn toward East and Fred Haynes sensei

When I tested for San Dan (3rd degree Black Belt) I stayed with Fred Haynes sensei and his family in Toronto. During my stay we had many great training sessions and some even better conversations of his travels and views of what a senior instructor needs to do and was following the direction from Kancho sensei as his role is helping others find their Aikido and help “grow instructors.” (Photo: http://aikidoikeda.com.br)

This memory came back to me when I read East toward Dawn: A Woman’s Solo Journey Around the World by Nan Watkins. The first quote below struck me with the wonderful hospitality I experienced staying with Fred sensei and the ideal of tradition and passing down what you’ve learned to the next generation.

“You won’t repay me directly, but you will do things for others, just as I have done for you.” With that statement she showed me a path that I have taken-a lifetime of mentoring and friendship with young people, many of whom were foreign students in America, as I had once been in Munich. (pg. 19)

The next ideal was of how one evolves and grows in the medium they’ve chosen to express oneself. Having known Fred sensei for more than 15 years now and countless training sessions, clinics and conversations, it is always a pleasure to see his evolution as an Aikidoka, but more importantly as a wonderful mentor, friend, supporter and human being.

I think of the role of the artist in society, of how the artist stands outside the mainstream, exiled as recorder of human experience, critic of human behavior, town crier, visionary…No matter when, no matter where, each of us is on a journey, day by day, year by year, whether we are conscious of it or not. The artist’s journey is purposeful; the artist may not be a tidy citizen, but the artist knows why he or she is here: to tell a story, to awaken our minds and hearts to the bigger story of the universe beyond. I admire the artist, who with heightened ability of expression is able to articulate the pain and joy of the human journey through writing, painting, sculpture or music. (pgs. 29-30)

During my trip in 1999 I also had the great privilege and honor of training and testing with Jim Murray sensei. His home and dojo are located at Base Borden and it reminded me of my family’s retreat in northern Minnesota. One has the opportunity to smell the fresh air during the day, see the stars on a clear evening and hear the call of a loon as the moon reflects across the lake.

I look out the window at the sky and know that though I am in a foreign country on the other side of the earth, the sun, moon and stars are still there as my familiars. (pg. 49)
Taking time each day to retreat from the spoken word brings us in touch with the natural world and with the universal spirit. Perhaps I am able to live so easily among these people on the other side of the world because we are communicating at a level beyond our surface differences. I am with people whose greeting and farewell refer to the divine qualities within each of us. It is in that divine spirit beyond words, beyond language, that we have much to share. (pg. 61)

As I reflect back on the training in Toronto two key themes arose: where was I training that day and where were we going to eat, followed by some cold beverages. I trained with Fred sensei, Alister Thomson sensei, Tim Webb and Rod Rhem sensei, Seibukan Dojo, Jim Murray sensei, Base Borden, Mark Handley-Derry sensei, Shinseikan Aikido Club, David Stinson sensei, Seidokan and the many Aikidoka training at each of the respective dojos.

Throughout history, enlightened souls have shown us in their words and actions how to live in harmony with fellow humans and with all life on earth. Iris Murdoch, the British philosopher and novelist, said it well in one of her essays: “Love is the imaginative recognition of, that is respect for, the otherness of another person.” Respect for the otherness-a beautiful and necessary aspect of love, of understanding and relating to all kinds of people. One of my childhood heroes, Albert Schweitzer, took this thought one step further. He taught “reverence for life,” extending respect beyond humankind to include all forms of life. (pg. 75)

The final thought I had was how far the Shuharikan and Aikido in St. Paul has come in the last 10 years: scores of people who've trained at the dojo, the number of individuals who tested for Kyu and Dan ranking, hosting Kancho sensei and the many wonderful people we've hosted and met during our travels. The greatest treasures have been the deepening of friendships with Gordie, Glen, Jim and Maggie and with all those we've trained with and have been able to share the mat and celebrate with over cold beverages.

…so have I traversed in this last decade of my life the world of emotion-from deepest sorrow to profound joy. I made the journey, step by step, day by day. (pg. 174)
Developing my talents and moving out into the greater world, I learn that the diversity of people-and all forms of life-is to be cherished: the differences between us are insignificant in light of what we hold in common. (pg. 175)
I’m in travel mode, and it’s a wonderful gear to be in. It’s an entirely separate state of mind from that of being rooted in a particular spot. The essence is movement. The challenge is confronting the new. There is no boredom of routine, no daily job to go to, no responsibilities other than myself. (pg. 177)

Kenshu: Chushin Ryoku

The outline below is the basis for the class I taught on March 1, as part of the Kenshu series: Kihon and Beyond.

Opening idea: “If you don’t believe that the martial arts have anything to do with American Indian rituals, surfing, globalization, Tom Robbins’ novels, the destiny of the world, the beauty of nature, and our way of perceiving reality, call my bluff-read on.”
On the Warrior’s Path: Philosophy, Fighting, and Martial Arts Mythology by Daniele Bolelli

A. Lecture component: Chushin-Ryoku (The Power of the Center Line)
1. Fundamental principle of Aikido – all by Gozo Shioda

• Keeping your center line straight
• If we are able to maintain a strong center line whatever direction we move in, we have focused power. By forging this focused power, we are also promoting strong posture, concentration, and breath power.
• Real strength consists of a straight but flexible mind and a body tempered by hard practice.

2. What is center?

• the middle of something; the place in the middle; a place that is the main point

3. What is a line?

• an infinitely-extending one-dimensional figure that has no curvature

4. What is center line?

• a real or imaginary line passing through the center of something and dividing it into two equal parts
• a line that bisects a plane figure

5. What is a Straight Line?

• a line which lies evenly with the points on itself

6. What is a Curved Line?

• a line that deviates from straightness in a smooth, continuous fashion

7. Boy Scout Oath or Promise

On my honor I will do my best
To do my duty to God and my country
and to obey the Scout Law;
To help other people at all times;
To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

• What does “morally straight” mean?
BSA defines it as:
"To be a person of strong character, your relationships with others should be honest and open. You should respect and defend the rights of all people. Be clean in your speech and actions, and remain faithful in your religious beliefs. The values you practice as a Scout will help you shape a life of virtue and self-reliance."

[Question: How is this similar in ideals to the pleats of a hakama?]

8. Aldo Nadi: Fencing Academy

• “ A Salle d’Armes is always noisy: do not make it noisier with useless talk. If you must talk, do so sotto voce. Except for calling the touches you receive from your opponents in combat – and these must be called – do not talk under the mask. Loud talk shall not be tolerated, let alone shouting and yelling under the mask. If you cannot control yourself, baseball bleachers are suggested. It shall be clearly understood that Fencing is the sport of gentlemen…and that the fencing strip has its own ethics…Any offender of such ethics shall be called to order – repeatedly, if necessary. But if the recidivist is unable to mend his or her ways, he or she shall be temporarily suspended from the Academy; or even, in cases of grave offenses, such as want of respect towards the Fencing Master, expelled altogether. It is the Fencing Master’s strict moral duty towards his artistic ancestors to see it that centuries-old traditions are respected, honored, and enforced."

(Nadi, Aldo (1995). The Living Sword: A Fencer’s Autobiography. Laureate Press: Sunrise, Florida)

[Question: How does this concept of centerline relate to ‘centuries-old traditions?']

9. Yamada Jirokichi: technique and spirit

• Sword and mind must be united. Technique by itself is insufficient, and spirit alone is not enough.

10. Ed Parker: Improve and strengthen your own line

• “It is always better to improve and strengthen your own line or knowledge than to try and cut your opponent’s line.”

11. Iru: Entering by Dave Lowry, Sword and Brush: The Spirit of the Martial Arts

• “The bugeisha begins to learn technique typically as a solo exercise. When he has familiarized himself with various movements, he commences exercising them against [or with] a partner. At this point, he may be frustrated to find that the techniques he thought he’d learned well by himself are, when performed against another, weak and ineffective, even when his partner is cooperating.”
• “Often the problem is that the methods the bugeisha has learned are directed against specific targets, with no attention given to controlling the opponent’s center, his core of stability.”

[Question: How does this relate to ri-ai or Jushin-no-ido?]

12. Kukei, 8th century Zen Master, Poem “Singing Images of Fire”

A hand moves, and the fire’s whirling takes different shapes.
…all things change when we do.
The first word, Ah, blossomed into all others.
Each of them is true.
• “'Just move your hand and fan the flames; with this one movement the whole universe moves with you.' This may sound all too simple to our ears, but it is an assertion that the modern science of complexity would gladly second. Scientists now know that tiny movements have large cumulative effects on even vast systems.”
–Jane Hirschfield translation, pg. 93, insight from David Whyte, The Heart Aroused: Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America

13. The Four Spatial Dimensions

• Classical physics theories describe three physical dimensions: from a particular point in space, the basic directions in which we can move are (1) up/down, (2) left/right, and (3) forward/backward. Movement in any other direction can be expressed in terms of just these three. Moving down is the same as moving up a negative distance. (4) Moving diagonally upward and forward is just as the name of the direction implies; i.e., moving in a linear combination of up and forward.
• In its simplest form: a line describes one dimension, a plane describes two dimensions, and a cube describes three dimensions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spatial_dimensions

14. Question: why do you need technique and spirit together?

B. Kihon component
1. Stationary Kamae

• “Through training in kamae, we learn to maintain a straight balance, keep our hands, feet and hips on a center line of the body, maintain correct posture without having to make an effort and extend our spirit forward. In Yoshinkan, in order to learn the stance that is necessary to develop breath power, we introduce kamae as the most ‘BASIC’ part of our training.” -Gozo Shioda

2. Heavy Power Kamae

• “…to develop strong ‘center power’…the key lies in the big toe of the back foot. The power comes up from the big toe of the back foot and is transmitted into the hips and lower back.” -Gozo Shioda

3. Kamae in basic movements

• “Once you have attained a stable center in your kamae, you will be able to maintain it in your techniques.” -Gozo Shioda
• “…learn how to maintain a stable posture…develop a sense of connecting with the partner’s energy…learn how to use a partner’s weak line in order to unbalance him.” -Gozo Shioda

4. Suri-ashi

• Training “tool”
 Toes, feet and ankles
 Knees
 Hips
 Body core/trunk
 Arms
 Head and eyes

5. Tai No Henko Ichi (Cross Step in Body Change or Body Change Movement I)

• Review the foot positionings

6. Katate-mochi Sokumen Irimi Nage Ichi (One Wrist Grasp Side Step In Throw #1)

• Think about your body positioning

C. Beyond-Kihon component
1. Side Strike (Arm Raise) Side Step In Throw #1
2. Side Strike (Arm Raise) Side Step In Throw (Leg Sweep) #1

Closing idea: Ken to kento fumu (step into the sword) – meet challenges head-on, don’t make excuses and never turn away from an attack.

Shuchu-Ryoku (Focused Power) and Multitasking

I came across this great article on multitasking by Ruth Pennebaker in the NY Times. The title is: "The Mediocre Multitasker" and

The opening reads as:

Read it and gloat. Last week, researchers at Stanford University published a study showing that the most persistent multitaskers perform badly in a variety of tasks. They don’t focus as well as non-multitaskers. They’re more distractible. They’re weaker at shifting from one task to another and at organizing information. They are, as a matter of fact, worse at multitasking than people who don’t ordinarily multitask.

This really connected with the Aikido concept of Shuchu-Ryoku or Focused Power.

Kancho Sensei wrote in Total Aikido:

By using shuchu-ryoku, all of the power that is brought together from the whole body can be sent out through one point.

In Aikido, as well as work or family life, if you are trying to focus on too many things, you lose being fully in the moment and appreciating the subtleties and feeling of connecting. As well as in Aikido, if you try focusing on too many Uke's at the same time during Jiyu-waza one will wind up connecting with a strike to punch.

Re-Drawing The Lines: Neurodiversity

The high-light of the YIPA Conference for me, was hearing and meeting Jonathan Mooney.

His speech was titled "Re-Drawing The Lines Neurodiversity: A Compass to a Changing World." Some of the highlights included citing extensive research and tying it to real life stories with ideas parents, students and educators can follow and use to transform learning environments into those that truly celebrate cognitive diversity.

Some wonderful ideas I found in his book, co-written with David Cole, Learning Outside the Lines: Two Ivy League Students with Learning Disabilities and ADHD Give You the Tools for Academic Success and Educational Revolution included:

"Learning outside the lines and living a life less ordinary is about moving beyond blackboards and academic success, to creating experiences that embrace and nurture the parts of our selves that are left unrealized by traditional education (pg. 247).

"Developing the Creative and Passionate Self"

"Too often, creativity and passion, two of the best things about being alive, get pushed out of our definition of self. Creativity is often restricted to art, when in fact it is a way of engaging with the world, a way of thinking and living. In fact, the imagination is the root of all change, because it allows us to imagine a world different from the one we live in. Pursuing creative endeavors, whether sculpting or writing essays, allows us to live fully in the world, drawing on our emotions, our personality, our intelligence, and our souls. Creativity is not concerned with solutions in a logical linear sense, but rather embraces the ironies, complexities, and humanity in our daily lives (pg. 251).

"In a world concerned with normalcy, the passionate self also gets the boot. Passion is threatening, and when we live with gusto, we take huge risks by rocking the boat. But a passion for things, for people, for ideas, is what we are all looking for, what this business of success is all about. Keep on the lookout for activities, classes, or the like that arouse your passion. These are the kinds of activities that when you start them, the restrictions placed on you fall away, and your life becomes like flying. You're gone, without knowing it and without having any control (pg. 251).

If you ever get the chance to see Jonathan, I highly recommend you take it. It will be a wonderful opportunity to realize that your efforts of working with others gives them great benefit, but the real reward is the gift you receive back when they smile.

The Power of People

Today Jim Sensei and I attended the 2009 Youth Intervention Conference, in St. Paul and represented the Shuharikan.

There were a great number of speakers at each of the break-out sessions ranging from Safe and Healthy Schools presented by Edward Marsman and Michael Coyne of the MN Institute of Public Health.

Their presentation's key message was:

The principal objective of school violence reduction strategies should be to create cultures and climates of safety, respect, and emotional support within educational institutions.

Dr. Marc Mannes who presented Sparks: It Starts with a Single Spark, his presentation highlighted that a "Spark" is something that gives your life meaning and purpose. It's an interest, a passion, or a gift. He asked the question: What do you bring to the world that is good, beautiful, and useful?

The keynote speaker was Dr. Verna Cornelia Price who spoke on The Power of People: Four Kinds of People Who Can Change A Youth's Life.

Her presentation asked the questions:

What is your calling or what were you born to do?
What have you learned working with kids or children?

All were excellent presentations and clearly expressed the conference themes of "promoting effective and efficient early intervention services for youth."

Leaves

The leaves are turning with the onset of Fall. Today it has been raining too. The smell of ozone and a little nip in the air - I love Fall!

A drive along Summit Avenue in St. Paul and listen to part of the poem by Lloyd Schwartz is favorite way to spend an afternoon.

"You'll be driving along depressed when suddenly
a cloud will move and the sun will muscle through
and ignite the hills. It may not last. Probably
won't last. But for a moment the whole world
comes to. Wakes up. Proves it lives. It lives—
red, yellow, orange, brown, russet, ocher, vermilion,
gold. Flame and rust. Flame and rust, the permutations
of burning. You're on fire. Your eyes are on fire.
It won't last, you don't want it to last. You
can't stand any more. But you don't want it to stop.
It's what you've come for. It's what you'll
come back for. It won't stay with you, but you'll
remember that it felt like nothing else you've felt
or something you've felt that also didn't last."
-Lloyd Schwartz

What do you like about Fall? Is it a sight, smell, or a sound?

Stop for a moment and picture it in your mind - hold it fast as Fall is going quick!

Future

Today was fun watching the kids in class as Glen Sensei taught.

The many smiles and sense of accomplishment in learning something is extremely rewarding to realize we are continuing a tradition.

As the Shuharikan, in St. Paul, we are teaching what we learned and sharing what came first from Japan and with these students; will continue the lineage of Aikido into the future.

What was past, becomes present and the present becomes the future. The idea brings to mind part of TS Eliot's Four Quartets poem Burnt Norton

"Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past."

Dave Lowry wrote in Permission Wind: A Martial Artist's Journey in Japan

"The way of the bugeisha culminates only at the conclusion of his life. All else is a journey to ever-receding destinations. There can be no final lesson, no ultimate secret to reveal."

It reminds one that the journey as a student and teacher is never done.