The Gift of Receiving
Aikido Shindokan Oakville
by budoislife
11M ago
When you give yourself, you receive more than you give. Antoine de Saint-Exupery The act of giving a gift is a far more complicated undertaking than it might first appear. At a glance, it seems to be a fairly one-sided affair. You decide to give someone a gift, you spend time thinking about them, you acquire the gift and pass it along. Done. But we all know that it is not as simple as that. Truly successful gift-giving, gift-giving that matters, gift-giving that speaks volumes about the connectedness of two people, involves a more complex interaction. It is not a simple process of following ..read more
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Aiki Soku Seikatsu
Aikido Shindokan Oakville
by budoislife
2y ago
Merci, Guy Lafleur. Guy Lafleur passed away last week … A sad day for hockey. When I heard the news, my thoughts immediately turned towards my childhood. I could see Lafleur charging down the ice — he played right wing — hair flowing, finessing his way through the opposition, scoring, smiling, celebrating. He was a national hero for my generation and a consummate gentleman of hockey — highly skilled, full of grace, class and composure — a truly wonderful ambassador for Canadian sport. May he rest in peace. I had the great fortune to grow up in a tranquil suburb nestled along the shores of the ..read more
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Agatsu – Mindfulness in Martial Arts
Aikido Shindokan Oakville
by budoislife
2y ago
One of the martial arts terms that has always resonated with me is “Agatsu”. A term that has much to do with mindfulness in martial arts and unlocking the real power in our training. I remember discovering the term at the beginning of my Aikido studies , when I was devouring all the information I could find with an insatiable hunger to know everything at once. We were given a curriculum booklet that held the techniques for all the belts. At the back was a glossary of Japanese martial arts terminology.  The term at the very top of the list: “Agatsu: – “Victory over your egoism.” I remember ..read more
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Kamae
Aikido Shindokan Oakville
by budoislife
2y ago
With a slight nod or perhaps a quick gesture that seemed part welcoming and part commanding, Kimeda Sensei would indicate his uke for the next technique. His typical custom was to not play favourites. He would start with the highest ranking black belt and work down in succession through the seniors. This approach avoided the inevitable competition to race up in front of him in order to feel his technique. As each student received their “invitation,” they would take off like a shot — eager that they didn’t make Sensei wait and eager for the chance to learn, quite literally, at the hands of one ..read more
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Ma-ai
Aikido Shindokan Oakville
by budoislife
2y ago
There is a photo that hangs unassumingly in the living room of one of today’s top Yoshinkan Aikido instructors. In a social media world awash with depictions of self-aggrandizement, one reason that this photo stands out is because you are not likely to find it online. It is one of my favourite martial arts photos. In fact, when I first saw it I was so captivated by it that there may have been some collusion and conspiracy involved in my acquiring a copy of it for myself and a few others. The photo was taken during the 1993 All Japan Yoshinkan Aikido Demonstration and it depicts Robert Mustard ..read more
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COVID-19 Update
Aikido Shindokan Oakville
by budoislife
2y ago
An Open Letter to Members and Supporters In these times of emergency related to the world-wide novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic we are all faced with challenging decisions. Some of these require contemplation and others are beyond question. Let me start with the latter. I have taken the only responsible decision that all of us who head Aikido dojos in areas affected by COVID-19 should take . . . I have decided to temporarily cease regular practice at the dojo. Until further notice, all classes at the Aikido Yoshinkai Canada — Shindokan Dojo are cancelled. In addressing those decisions tha ..read more
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Heijoshin
Aikido Shindokan Oakville
by budoislife
2y ago
Members of Aikido Yoshinkai Canada who have been with Kimeda Sensei over the years know that until 2017 one of the hallmarks of his teaching was his weekly Kenshu class. Kenshu are intensive study and training classes and while we did not always leave these classes sweating from physical exertion, we did leave them mentally exhausted. Kimeda Sensei’s lectures in these classes always offered something “more” — more than a simple physical explanation or application of technique. They provided us with additional historical, philosophical or cultural insights that gave us a more complete understan ..read more
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Meditation and Aikido Training – Combating the “Four Sicknesses”
Aikido Shindokan Oakville
by budoislife
2y ago
In my previous blog post I spoke about how to perform a basic breath meditation circuit. This time I would like to look at how this type of breath training is relevant to Aikido training. Developing a relaxed breathing pattern is the only way to connect your mind with your body to allow them to work as one force. This interconnectedness is what gives Aikido its true power. My teacher used to speak about how a martial artist had to overcome the “four sicknesses” in order to truly master their craft and prevail in combat. Fear, Doubt, Hesitation and Surprise: these were the sicknesses that we al ..read more
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Ichi-Go Ichi-E
Aikido Shindokan Oakville
by budoislife
2y ago
One of the most succinct answers to the question of why study aikido (or any other budo for that matter) can be paraphrased as follows: To learn about tradition and to improve ourselves. (I have to admit I cannot remember where I read this or who originally wrote it.) One of the ideas that we hear about as part of training in Aikido and learning the tradition of budo is that of Ichi-go Ichi-e — often translated literally as “one time, one meeting”. This saying is typically viewed as an admonition to cherish whatever meeting one is involved in. However, this idea can also be applied to our trai ..read more
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Kihon Dosa: The Basics of Basics
Aikido Shindokan Oakville
by budoislife
2y ago
In Yoshinkan Aikido, the Kihon Dosa are considered to be a distillation of the key physical skills and principles inherent in everything we do.  They include:  Tai no Henko, Hiriki no Yosei, and Shumatsu Dosa.  Each of these has a #1 and a #2, so this gives 6 movements altogether.  They can be performed solo or in pairs.  The #1 techniques emphasize entering (irimi) and the #2 techniques focus on pivoting (tenkan).  All of the exercises train us to use smooth, centred and unified movements. As an aside, I find the English name “Basic Movements” a little misleading ..read more
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