Saw a few interesting and insightful descriptions on what exactly Aikido could be described as, from the perspective of its practitioners.
The one that sticks in my mind is the following:
Aikido is like origami, but with people instead of paper.
Thursday 20 December 2012
Wednesday 12 December 2012
Dojo closing and re-opening times.
NOOOOOOOO...received a sms notification that - amongst other things - included the reopening day of our dojo...closes the 21st December and only re-opens 8th January 2013!
What am I going to do till then? If the Mayan's were wrong that is...
What am I going to do till then? If the Mayan's were wrong that is...
My hunt for the elusive black belt
Time for an update.
So far I am 3 kilo's down. Yay for me!
I'm really enjoying my classes and when I miss a class I really feel it in my spirit. The classes are literally recharging my batteries. My wife and I have gone down to two classes per week for a minor saving in fees, as an experiment. It doesn't make a huge difference in the overall cost at the end of the month, but I suspect that on a spiritual level as well as physical level it might make a huge difference. Sometimes work/my mind interferes and I miss out on a day of training. On a three day week you still end up training twice which is the bare minimum for myself. On a two day week if I miss a day I am left with one day of training which is detrimental to say the least. The dojo is closing down over the Xmas break for a few weeks and I am facing that time with trepidation. I am going to need my Ki Aikido fix.
We will be going back to three classes per week in the new year when the dojo reopens. One should train in Aikido every day - it's a bit harder for us in our busy high-demand Westernised lifestyles (is that an excuse?) - but realistically three times per week is quite manageable and the absolute minimum.
The first grading since I started in our dojo is to be held on the 21st of December, to coincide with the last night of training for the year. I am going to miss this grading, as I was not invited to test. Although slightly disappointing - it would have been nice to have made enough of an impression on my sensei to have been invited for grading test - it is also a relief as I honestly can't say I am ready whatsoever to test...next grading will be around April 2013 and I hope to be ready to test for 5th kyu then.
Not that I am chasing gradings and "belts".
Let me explain: since I could remember, I have had "obtain a black belt in a martial art" on my bucket list. I believe it falls in the character building category with things such as "learn to speak at least 3 languages fluently" and "learn to play a musical instrument". I believe those are things everyone should have on their bucket lists apart from the usual other trivial stuff. I've dabbled in other martial arts for a while even in other styles of Aikido, but never found my "home" until now. Even in other styles of Aikido (dabbled in Aikikai and Iwama Ryu) - though it felt like a better fit compared to harder martial arts styles, they still didn't fit completely the way Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (Ki Aikido) does.
Ki Aikido to me feels like a good comfy pair of old jeans that fit just right and makes you look and feel great.
Obtaining a black belt is not the end all and be all of learning a martial art. In fact - it's quite the opposite. It is nothing more than a mile stone that signifies that you have learned your ABC's and are ready to start putting those letters together to form words before you can build sentences.What I am trying to achieve by not missing a grading is to waste as little time as possible in starting on the sentences.
God knows I've wasted too much of my life in worthless pursuits already.
So far I am 3 kilo's down. Yay for me!
I'm really enjoying my classes and when I miss a class I really feel it in my spirit. The classes are literally recharging my batteries. My wife and I have gone down to two classes per week for a minor saving in fees, as an experiment. It doesn't make a huge difference in the overall cost at the end of the month, but I suspect that on a spiritual level as well as physical level it might make a huge difference. Sometimes work/my mind interferes and I miss out on a day of training. On a three day week you still end up training twice which is the bare minimum for myself. On a two day week if I miss a day I am left with one day of training which is detrimental to say the least. The dojo is closing down over the Xmas break for a few weeks and I am facing that time with trepidation. I am going to need my Ki Aikido fix.
We will be going back to three classes per week in the new year when the dojo reopens. One should train in Aikido every day - it's a bit harder for us in our busy high-demand Westernised lifestyles (is that an excuse?) - but realistically three times per week is quite manageable and the absolute minimum.
The first grading since I started in our dojo is to be held on the 21st of December, to coincide with the last night of training for the year. I am going to miss this grading, as I was not invited to test. Although slightly disappointing - it would have been nice to have made enough of an impression on my sensei to have been invited for grading test - it is also a relief as I honestly can't say I am ready whatsoever to test...next grading will be around April 2013 and I hope to be ready to test for 5th kyu then.
Not that I am chasing gradings and "belts".
Let me explain: since I could remember, I have had "obtain a black belt in a martial art" on my bucket list. I believe it falls in the character building category with things such as "learn to speak at least 3 languages fluently" and "learn to play a musical instrument". I believe those are things everyone should have on their bucket lists apart from the usual other trivial stuff. I've dabbled in other martial arts for a while even in other styles of Aikido, but never found my "home" until now. Even in other styles of Aikido (dabbled in Aikikai and Iwama Ryu) - though it felt like a better fit compared to harder martial arts styles, they still didn't fit completely the way Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido (Ki Aikido) does.
Ki Aikido to me feels like a good comfy pair of old jeans that fit just right and makes you look and feel great.
Obtaining a black belt is not the end all and be all of learning a martial art. In fact - it's quite the opposite. It is nothing more than a mile stone that signifies that you have learned your ABC's and are ready to start putting those letters together to form words before you can build sentences.What I am trying to achieve by not missing a grading is to waste as little time as possible in starting on the sentences.
God knows I've wasted too much of my life in worthless pursuits already.
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