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Diligence, Trust and Love and the three timings in aikido

A few weeks ago, I came across this nice saying: “Your potential in art will fruit, with the help of diligence, trust and love”. It feels like such a simple truth, and yet, sometimes one of these three loses its strength. I think that instead of forcing it to grow back, we can simply concentrate on the two others. They will empower it and support it until it is fully present in our process of development. In our daily aikido practice, we often begin with slow and diligent practice, going into details of very basic movements. For example, my partner grabs me, and I have now time to improve my stance, posture, gaze, breath and more. I have time calculate my moves, and my partner will most probably wait with patience and will also make the best of the time I take, to improve the role of uke. This is the phase of diligence. Learning, refining and polishing the most fundamental principles of aikido. The next phase is trust. Now, as we have obtained skill, my body can relay on conf...
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The correct speed and the correct pace in Aikido

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The correct speed and the correct pace: Some students at our dojo, begin to understand that in some situations, it is very important to be as fast as possible: On your way to the dressing room and while changing your clothes and wearing your keikogi. While cleaning - be fast and thorough. When being invited by sensei take ukemi. When taking ukemi for sensei. After sensei throws you or pins you, get back to kamae as quickly as possible. After class: when cleaning the tatami or arranging them. While folding the hakama - as quickly and neatly as possible. When getting a message from sensei - reply as soon as possible. If you have no time, you can send a short message saying that you will reply later in length. At the dojo, some things are done slowly and in a relaxed manner. But while doing the above tasks, we should act as fast as possible quietly and neatly." In this video, you can see clearly how nicely and quickly, doshu's uke gets back on his feet after being t...
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In memory of Fujita Sensei (April 21, 1937 - May 28, 2014)

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Today - 28th of May, is the day our beloved teacher Fujita Masatake Sensei 8th Dan passed away at the age of 77, Fexactly a year ago, at his home in Tokyo next to his caring wife Mrs. Fujita Shoko San. Fujita Sensei was a direct student of the founder of aikido for over a decade, and he served as his private secretary and later as the General Secretary of Aikikai Hombu Dojo. Fujita Sensei traveled to many countries around the world to teach aikido and especially to support of development of aikido is poor and remote regions. Israel was the 50th country in his fat passport. We were honoured to host three seminars with Fujita Sensei at our dojo in Rehovot (Israel) which was located at that time on Teler Street near our current dojo. We were saddened and worried when he got ill, and during the years of his illness, two of his close friends kept supporting our dojo - Shimamoto Sensei 8th Dan and Fukakusa Sensei 8th Dan - both his kohai since the time the founder of aikido was...
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Misogi and Aikido

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Misogi 禊 “Polish the heart, free the six senses and let them function without obstruction, and your entire body and soul will glow.” Founder of Aikido “Aikido is misogi” said the founder of aikido. One definition of the term “misogi” is purification. As a matter of fact, many aikido practitioners talk about a special feeling of mental freshness they sometimes experience after an aikido practice. Sometimes we arrive at the dojo with a tiered body, worries or stress. Sometimes when we arrive, our head is occupied with thoughts, troubles and conflicts we sometimes all have during our day. As we bow in at the entrance to the dojo, we let our daily matters drop off from our back. They wait for us outside the dojo, but at the end of class, when we "pick" them up, we often realise that their dimensions are reduced to a more reasonable size, and so, our heart gains more space for constructive and calm thoughts that help us deal with those worries. Aikido pract...
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Nanso - Hakuyu and Hakuin's healing method

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Initial Steps in Aikido Eighth Keiko 軟酥鴨卵法 nanso One of my most cherished memories from the dojo in Kyoto, is the special feeling I had just before the end of each aikido class, when we used to sit for a few minutes, and practice an ancient meditation method called nanso . Nanso helps us to relax our body and mind. It is said, that it can relieve us from pain and that it helps to overcome physical or emotional difficulties. As well as I know, nanso meditation is not part of aikido classes in most dojos in the world. Perhaps it is something unique to my old sensei's dojo in Kyoto where I began my aikido training in the year 1992 and practiced there until my return to Israel in 1999. As I found nanso significantly helpful and pleasant, it was just natural for me to continue practicing it at the end of each class also here at Masatake Dojo in Rehovot. About 300 years ago, lived in Japan a zen -buddhist monk called Hakuin . He is one of the most important and in...
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Aikido - Ma and Maai

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Initial Steps in Aikido Seventh Keiko ma 間 - ma In Japanese, the word ma  means gap, space between things, room and interval. Even in our most basic training, we pay attention to the distance between us and our partner. 間合 - maai Making adjustments and maintaining safe distance, is called maai . The ai  in maai  is the same ai  as in aikido (合氣道), and it means to fit or to harmonize. 隙間 - sukima An opening - a moment of lack of defence or lack of attention. Maai between tori and uke is an important subject for our training. Already from our very first aikido class, we learn to recognize and to maintain correct maai. The term " maai " is originated in Japan's traditional martial arts. In the past, recognizing an opening in the opponent's defence or manipulating him in order to create such an opening was a matter of life or death. Such an opening sometimes lasts for a split of a second. It is an opportunity that is very easy to miss, ...
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The monk who lives among us

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The monk who lives among us | By Ze'ev Erlich Here is a nice Japanese proverb I found recently. It reminded me of something nice I read in recent interview with an Aikido master called Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei who is 8th dan, and was a direct disciple of the founder of Aikido. The proverb is: 大隠は市に隠る Tai-in wa ichi ni kakru "A great sage lives in a town" Though a hermit may lead a pious life in a cave, in a forest or a lonely mountain, a trully great person, lives in crowded streets and is not affected by his surroundings. He can have a disciplined life in spite of his surroundings. from the book : Japanese Proverbs and Sayings. Yamada Sensei lives and teaches aikido in the very heart of Manhattan (NYC). Here are Yamada Sensei's words concerning the very same idea: "I am not a very spiritual man. I should have followed the lectures of Nakamura sensei, I would probably be deeper. I am not a mysterious person, I try to practice and...
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