South Chandler – No Class on May 31
Comments Off There will be NO CLASSES on Monday, May 31 for the South Chandler dojo as the facility will be closed in observation of Memorial Day.
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Mesa – No Class on May 31
Comments Off There will be NO CLASSES in Mesa on Monday, May 31 as the Red Mountain Center will be closed in observation of Memorial Day.
New Family Rate
Comments Off Beginning June 2010, the city of Chandler will no longer offer a family rate for the city fee, instead each person who registers for Aikido will pay an individual city fee. By making this change the city will align all their classes to reflect the same policy across the board. We are the only class that offers a family rate, which has caused some frustration and confusion. In June, when this change happens, you will finally be able to register for Aikido classes online.
This change will increase the amount families pay the city, but the instructor fees will remain the same. When this change goes into effect, each participant registered for class will pay the city fee for an individual – $8, $11, or $13 per person depending on which dojo and class is attended.
As always, we want to make Aikido available to anyone who truly wants to train. If this change creates a problem we ask that you talk to us and we will figure something out. The City of Chandler also has scholarships available.
Congratulations!!
Comments Off Congratulations go out to Avichal Jha and his wife, Anu, on the birth of their new baby girl. Mother and daughter are both fine and healthy. We wish Avi and Anu all the best as they begin their new life as parents. The world is lucky to have such loving people to raise this little girl.
Kid’s Corner – How Aikido Affects Your Daily Life
Comments Off This month I’d like you to consider how Aikido affects your daily life. It’s pretty obvious that you are doing Aikido when you are on the mat training. But, are there other times you use Aikido? Do you see other people using Aikido? What about the principles of Aikido? Your challenge this month is to watch for any evidence of you or anyone else doing Aikido. It can be actual techniques or it can be a demonstration of an Aikido principle.
There is so much more to Aikido than techniques. It can be fun and interesting to consciously look for Aikido outside the dojo. Here are some examples of Aikido happening outside the dojo:
- You are watching football and a player drops at the feet of another player to trip him. This is like the technique Tai Otoshi (drop like a rock and the other person tumbles over the top of you).
- You’re at recess playing soccer and you trip and begin falling. You turn your fall into a tumble and roll right over your shoulder. This is practicing ukemi.
- You have a dentist appointment and even though you are scared you swallow your fear and you go without complaining. This demonstrates the principle of irimi nage (enter without fear).
Following is a list of some of the most popular Aikido principles that you may be able to realize you or others use:
- Shodo o seisu means to control the first move. This means to always be ready to act.
- Dochu no sei means calmness in action. How do people demonstrate being calm during stressful times?
- Aikido means the way of blending with energy. What are some ways people blend with what’s happening around them?
- Irimi nage means to enter without fear. Take control and just do it.
There are so many examples of Aikido outside the dojo, but you have to get used to looking for and seeing them. For the month of May I will be asking you to report on your findings. Let’s see how many different ways Aikido can be used in our daily lives. Good luck in your search. I can’t wait to hear what you discover.
Teresa Mastison Sensei
Masakatsu Agatsu
Comments Off “As soon as you concern youself with the “good” and “bad” of your fellows, you create an opening in your heart for maliciousness to enter. Testing, competing with, and criticizing others weaken and defeat you.”
- O’Sensei, The Art of Peace
Your training in Aikido really is a very personal endeavor. There are a lot of tangible and practical benefits to training, but other benefits are not seen or felt for years. It is only through consistent and diligent training that one will reap the benefits of following the way of Aikido. Aikido can be a way of life if you so choose. O’Sensei believed that through Aikido we can create peace on Earth. This makes me think of what happens when you drop a pebble in water. You see where the pebble was dropped and then you see concentric circles emanating from that point. It’s like when you make someone’s day by being nice to them. They feel better because of what you did and now they will treat others better, which will encourage them to treat others around them better and so on and so on. Imagine if everyone strove to do this. There would be no room for “maliciousness to enter”.
By it’s very nature Aikido forces one to focus on yourself. Not in a greedy, self-centered way, but in a self-improvement kind of way. This is the principle masakatsu agatsu – true victory is victory over yourself. When you concern yourself with your own performance and achievments and not compare them to others you free yourself to making progress that is right for you. When you realize that you can not control anyone but yourself you will stop trying to change those around you. This can be applied on the mat as well as in every day life. Controlling oneself is hard enough at times let alone trying to control others. It’s a hard lesson to learn, but one that is imperative that you do.
On the mat, when you try to force a technique it doesn’t work, but once you refocus on your own movements and quit trying to make it happen the technique flows more easily. This is vital in all aspects of Aikido, whether it’s technique or principle – you have to move and control only yourself.
Good luck in letting go of the urge to try to control others. It’s an ongoing lesson. One with which I hope your Aikido training can help.
Teresa Mastison Sensei
Newsletter – May, 2010
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Themocracy