Blog
Leveling Up: A Reflection on the Kids Class Exhibition
 As we spent the year sharing our experiences, students of all levels were given ample opportunity to get a taste of the essence of this practice. We taught each other through games and exercises, as well as learning and practicing basic techniques. We shared stories each week of how we had (or hadn’t!) embodied these practices in our daily lives. And all of us, week after week, placed ourselves at the feet of our teachers to learn the basics anew. As a capstone event, we had the joy of hosting Ileana Shaner from Greenville, South Carolina, and she led one of our kids classes in April, giving us deeper instruction on backwards rolls and ukemi. What a deep privilege, to learn together in this way! Our year of training culminated with a Kids Class Exhibition on Friday, June 7th. Thanks to encouragement from our friends at the Boulder Ki Society in Colorado, we were able to use their rubric for ranking kids belt levels, and we hosted a demonstration for the first kids ranks of 10th kyu and 9th kyu. Before the exhibitions, Poppele Sensei let us know that while the content for the test would be Ki Tests and Ki-Aikido arts, the main grading criteria for the test would be how well the students treated each other, themselves, and the space. We expected to award a range of belts across those levels, but we were in for a surprise – all members of our kids class shone brightly that day and exceeded expectations!  Overall, our exhibition was simply one big celebration of the growth these students have attained this year – not just in their ability to perform techniques, but in the largeness of their hearts and the integrity of their character. It truly is a joy to train together. Congratulations to all! Note: to download a full size copy of either photo, right click on the image. |
Kids Class Exhibitions and Social: Fri, Jun 7
 Following the presentation of their yellow belts, we will celebrate with a potluck social. Everyone is invited to come support our dedicated younger students for this special event! Following the exhibition, our kids program will be on summer break until September. If you have a young person who would be excited to learn Aikido, please plan to join us in the fall! View this event on  |
Seminar Reflection: Ki Development and Music-Making in Daily Life with Ileana Shaner Sensei
 Shaner Sensei masterfully embodied her theme of Ki and music-making throughout the weekend through her teaching, pacing, and the flow of the seminar. We began with hitori waza, our one person exercises. Shaner Sensei emphasized that in every hitori waza, the movement naturally originates from the breath, from the one point in the lower abdomen. This unification of breath and action naturally leads to cleanness of movement. There is living stillness between each beat of count/movement, like rests between notes of a song. When we move, we can also notice: Are we adding, controlling, or tensing? We can let our movements be free, relaxed, and uninhibited. This was especially evident in udefuri choyaku, where many of us noticed we were adding to our natural movement and over-rotating the trailing arm, while tensing the forward arm and raising the shoulder. This breaks bodily integrity and causes instability. However, when the trailing arm comes to rest in line with the shoulders, and the forward shoulder and arm are relaxed, the body is naturally stable and strong. Shaner Sensei then invited the kids from our regular Friday classes onto the mat for a special Kid's Class. As she led us through games to practice nonverbal communication and connection, taught backwards rolls, and reviewed an art, several themes of teaching our younger members emerged:
 We can approach our arts and taigi similarly. We can be anxious and focused on our mistakes – “I will never be good enough to do this perfectly!” Or, we can choose to enjoy practicing these beautiful arts with our friends, opening to our breath and movement, learning together how the art moves. As we approached these challenging arts with this positive intention, students from fifth kyu through yudansha participated fully in leading and receiving these techniques with full attention, experimentation, and enjoyment. The seminar concluded on Sunday with Shaner Sensei leading a Yatra yoga session, guiding us through feeling our breath, stretching our bodies, and staying with our reactions and emotions as we explored different and unfamiliar postures. The pacing of the yoga, leading into our closing session of Ki breathing, was a perfect coda to our weekend of moving in harmony.  Through relaxing and opening to the rhythm of what is happening - in our breathing, our movement, our techniques - we can fully experience this moment. We can delight in our friends' presence and community, appreciate their support, and thoroughly enjoy this practice, without becoming stuck, anxious, and dissatisfied. As Shaner Sensei shared during our Sunday yoga class: "Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment, I know this is the only moment." -- Thich Nhat Hanh Thank you for embodying music-making in daily life, Sensei, and guiding our rhythms during the seminar weekend! We look forward to applying what we have learned of relaxation, rhythm, and harmonious connection in our daily lives. |
Reflection from the 2019 Shugyo Tassei Kigan Shiki Seminar
 In January this year, four of us from the Minnesota Ki Society had the pleasure of learning from Shaner Sensei at the annual Shugyo Tassei Kigan Shiki seminar in Merrifield, VA. Here are some of my notes and reflections from the weekend: During this seminar,
Shaner Sensei reviewed more of Tohei Sensei's carefully crafted pedagogy, and
taught several taigi to reinforce why Tohei Sensei developed this form of
training. Taigi consist of five to ten aikido techniques, performed with a
partner in a particular sequence. Taigi are another form of "tsuzuki
waza", or continuation exercises, that help us develop sustained
connection with a partner. The aim is to maintain unbroken connection with our
partner from the beginning bow of the taigi, through the final bow. Through
this connection, we support our partner, and are supported by them. Just as Tohei Sensei designed taigi as tsuzuki waza, he also incorporated elements of this continuation into the ki society pedagogy. The four basic principles to unify mind and body underpin everything we do:
The last principle is exactly the same as the first of the Five Principles of Shinshin Toitsu Aikido: Ki is Extending. We must be practicing mind-body oneness to practice aikido.
Similarly, the last "hitori waza", or one person exercise, of our standard aiki taiso is tenkan. When we practice tenkan, we extend our wrist as though inviting a partner to grab our wrist for a technique. Likewise, Taigi 1 begins with the same motion, leading our partner into katatedori tenkan kokyunage. Even in the aiki taiso, we see the connection to our arts: Are we practicing our invitation for a partner to grab hold and do aikido?
Every one of these connections is intentional. Likewise, each of the taigi has a particular focus.
This seminar, Shaner
Sensei taught Taigi 2, 4, 10, 11, and 12. He also spoke to Taigi 3, 6, and 8.
Taigi 2: Katatedori Ryotemochi (Two hand grab of one hand)
Taigi 3: Yokomenuchi (Strike to the side of the head)
Taigi 4: Ryokatadori (Two hand grab of shoulders)
Taigi 8: Ryotedori
Taigi 12: Katatedori Ryotemochi
Performing a taigi correctly isn't easy. We must first memorize the order of the arts and develop confidence in performing each art in sequence. Only after the work of memorization is completed can we can train in the deeper meaning of each taigi, and practice balance, rhythm, and largeness with our partner.
I had a personal experience of this gap when demonstrating Taigi 2 with a friend from another dojo. Between anxiety about getting up in front to demonstrate, trying to remember the technique order, and worry about working with an unfamiliar partner: I was entirely in my head, separate from my partner. I was not supporting my partner, or allowing him to support me! As a result, the taigi was rough and bumpy - a solid experience of "wrong way".
I then had the golden opportunity of feeling a clear difference when demonstrating Taigi 8 just a few minutes later. I love this taigi's arts and flow, and I am familiar with the way it moves. I chose a partner from my home dojo. And this time, I decided to choose a different intention: have fun, and support my partner in enjoying this taigi. And, both of us had a great experience.
As Tohei Sensei often says, practice means sometimes yes, sometimes no. I am deeply grateful for Shaner Sensei's clear transmission of Tohei Sensei's teachings, and his commitment to our growth. And, I look forward to countless more opportunities to practice! |
Shaner Sensei Seminar: April 26-28
 Shaner Sensei is a pianist, martial artist, and Yoga practitioner and instructor. She has trained Ki Aikido with her husband, David Shaner Sensei, Chief Instructor of the Eastern Ki Federation, for 24 years. She currently holds the rank of Godan (5th dan) in Shinshin Toitsu Aikido, the rank of Joden in the art of Shinshin Toitsudo, and is a Full Lecturer for the Shinshin Toitsu Aikido Kai (Ki Society Headquarters). In 1996, Ileana and her taigi partner, Eric Harrell, won the first International World Cup Taigi competition in Tochigi, Japan. Ileana lives with her husband and three children in Greenville, SC. Seminar Schedule: Friday, April 26 (Free) 6:00 – 7:30 Ki & Aikido Class 7:30 – 8:30 Kid’s Class 8:30 – 10:00 Social at the dojo Saturday, April 27 9:00 – 12:00 Ki & Aikido Class Lunch Break 1:30 – 4:30 Ki & Aikido Class 6:00 – 9:00 Dinner & Social Sunday, April 28 9:00 – 12:00 Ki & Aikido Class Download the seminar flyer and registration form here. |
| Attachments:
Shaner Sensei Seminar April 26-28 2019.pdf
Aikido in Daily Life
When we talk about Aikido as a martial art, it's easy to think of this as entirely "on the mat" practice, with the rare exciting exception of a real-life "take down the bad guy" scenario. 
I began training relatively recently, compared to many others in this art. Over just a few years, I have noticed radical, positive shifts in my daily life as a result of this training. And, the majority of those shifts occurred not from one intense practice on the mat, but from incorporation of these principles drop by drop into my daily life. For instance:
All of this is Aikido. Mind leads body. And, a stable, relaxed body can support a stable, free mind. Our new offering is based in this philosophy: Your life can be your training ground.
Curious? This is your invitation to try something different in the new year. Join us for four weeks. Learn something that will benefit you for a lifetime. Details:
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Positive & Grateful
by Shaner Sensei, Eastern Ki Federation Chief Instructor  You may recall many times
when I have shared that Tohei Sensei always taught us to be “Positive
and Grateful” every day. But maybe I have not shared his thinking,
reasoning, and logic per how this is possible and why this is important. I once asked Tohei Sensei, “Do you pray?” He looked at me, bowed his head, and simply said, “Hai”. [He knew enough about my inquisitive personality to know that “Hai”
alone would never do as a complete answer! He knew it and I knew it.
He was just playing with me and giving me just a little bait knowing
full well that I would ask a follow up question about something as
important as prayer and in the context of many other conversations about
philosophy, spirituality, and training.] With
that typical twinkle in his eye and a knowing smile, he looked up at me
(as I took the bait and asked the obvious follow up question). “How do you pray Sensei?”, I asked. Then
he took me outside to the family shrine taught me same the prayer I
used for the dedication and blessing of the Place of Peace, including Ki Irei and Ki Barai. This is the same meditation poem as written (actually carved) on the Shomen of the Tenshingosho meditation dojo at HQ in Japan as well as written (Tohei Sensei’s calligraphy) at the Shomen of Hei-Sei-Ji: The Place of Peace temple at Furman University. Sensei said, “Every morning I first calm myself deeply (breathing/meditation) and then repeat three times... 'Shinpo Uchurei Kanno Soku Genjo'. It
is very simple. You calm yourself deeply. Very deeply. And when you
do, you realize there is no separation. You are the Universe and the
Universe is you. You are One with the Universe. This
is natural. When you calm yourself deeply, then naturally you
experience directly the meaning of this poem. “Blessed Universe (Shinpo Uchurei), in this present moment (Soku Genjo), [I am] feeling/experiencing directly (Kanno) [this connection with the Universe Itself]." "Why is this important Sensei?”, I followed up. (BTW:
He always had answers to the “why” questions because he thought about
everything logically so he could clearly and concisely communicate his
lessons to anyone). Instead of answering directly, Sensei flipped the roles and responded to me with two questions of his own. “When
you wake up in the morning and experience this connection with the
Universe that supports your every breath and very existence, do you feel
positive or negative?” “And, when you wake up
in the morning and experience this connection with the Universe that
supports your every breath and very existence, do you feel grateful or
ungrateful?” I answered, “Hai Sensei, I feel both positive and grateful.” He chuckled, and said, “Of course, you answer this way because it is a universal principle! Everybody says
they feel “positive” when they experience deep connection. And just
imagine, it is such a wonderful thing that you are able to wake up and
live your life for another day! In the same way, we feel “grateful" to
have another day to experience the fullness of our connection to
friends, family, co-workers and the Universe Itself”. He
added, “When you pray this way each morning, naturally you start you
day feeling both positive and grateful. If you carry this feeling of appreciation and connection with you all day long, then you stop looking for what is wrong and bad and you start seeking out what is right and good.” And so we now know both how and why. We can all choose to be positive and grateful each day. During
this Holiday Season, I am especially positive and grateful for the
growth and development of EKF students and instructors over the last 15
years. I am looking toward the next 15 years with a positive mind and a
grateful heart. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year, des |
Supporting One Another: 2018 EKF Intensive Seminar
 Having no color, no odor, and no shape, the mind is not something that can be grasped by the senses. However, based on the principle that the mind and body are actually one, we can know the state of this ungraspable mind by testing the body, which is available to our senses. Ki Tests are not founded on the idea of testing for strength or weakness. The most important factor in Ki Testing is to accurately inform the person of the state of his or her mind. Thus the person performing Ki Tests must truly understand and exhibit oneness of mind and body from the outset, and then perform the test correctly. During the weekend of November 9-11, four of our yudansha traveled to Greenville, SC to participate in an intensive seminar with our Eastern Ki Federation Chief Instructor, David Shaner Sensei. During this weekend, Shaner Sensei shared how Tohei Sensei developed his clear, logical pedagogy for ki testing, from the early tests to the current ranks of shokyu, chukyu, and jokyu. The primary emphasis was how to assess a student’s stability of mind through ki testing, to help them see this, too. Aikido is founded on the principle and study of mind-body oneness. Mind leads body. Though we cannot read another’s mind, we can see a person’s physical posture and attitude (姿勢, “shisei”). We can notice their nonverbal cues to understand what is occupying their mind. This is not mystical! It’s simply common sense. And, as instructors, it is our responsibility to be a clear mirror for our students and friends, so they can practice well and deepen their experience and understanding. However, to see clearly, we must be practicing ourselves. We show up in a calm, relaxed way, without an agenda or intention. We relax our vision and calmly see our partner as part of the whole picture (集中”shuchu”), rather than boring into them with an intense, tunnel vision gaze (執着 “shuchaku”). We give them our full, relaxed attention, to notice little changes. And, we interact in a way that does not disturb our friends or draw their mind, that allows them to see themselves more clearly. All of this is available if we come with an attitude of supporting, “sasaeru” (支える). We can let go of our desires to be right, to judge, to fix, and simply show up with calmness, love, and care for our friends. We can notice their reactions and feel what they are feeling. We can choose to move with them, and be present to support them. And when we see misalignment, hesitation, or tension, we can move gently and confidently to help our partner see this, too. These insights were clearest when practicing giving and receiving the kyu-rank ki tests. However, Shaner Sensei also demonstrated that this approach is directly applicable to the other disciplines of Shinshin Toitsudo - our hitori waza exercises, arts, and taigi - as well as our lives outside the dojo. I look forward to continuing to practice these principles with friends in the dojo, and in my work and relationships. |
New Year's Training
 For the last three years, our dojo ohana has gathered on January 1st to celebrate our community and our opening to the experience of training. We'd be delighted if you joined us for this burgeoning tradition. Weather permitting, we will begin the day with senshin no gyo, River Misogi. Read more about this special training here. We will return to the dojo for a traditional New Year's blessing, senshin no gyo (Bell Misogi), and weapons training. In the afternoon, we will gather again for an early dinner and social. Tentative schedule: 8:00a: Meet at dojo 9:00a - 10:00a: River Misogi (weather dependent; site TBD) 10:00a - 1:00p: Bell Misogi and Weapons - Ken 1 & 2, cutting practice, suburi 1:00p - 2:30p: Break 2:30p - 6:00p: Potluck Dinner & Social. You can stay up to date as we finalize details and RSVP here on Facebook. |
Trauma-Informed Ki-Aikido
By Laurel Strand-Crawford  In simplest terms, the way I have come to see it, this world is a survivor of countless traumatic experiences. The world as we know it, including our individually-experienced bodies of awareness, is made up of multitudinous systems in various stages of trauma resolution. It occurs to me that everyone on the planet right now is connected to some aspect of trauma, and as such can be instrumental to the healing in process. As someone who has studied trauma for the last 15 years, I've built an awareness of the ways human systems, both individually & collectively experienced, reflect an intricate process of healing. As biological & social systems attempt to resolve traumatic experience, they undergo changes in biochemistry, language, perception, & availability, all which can be profound, intense, and overwhelming for the individual. In my own experience, the principles of Ki-Aikido assist this process monumentally. As we develop a stronger relationship with the very center of our living experience, we build our capacities to recognize our own stability, to access choices, to affirm our most natural freedom of movement. We practice allowing our mind to settle at the center of experience, welcoming the awareness of sensation & connection, and moving from where we're not being held. The dojo becomes a laboratory for the rest of our lives, helping us develop a new somatic baseline informed by a stable center. When I first came to the Center for Mind-Body Oneness in 2008, as a trauma survivor several years into active healing work, I found a safe container able to support me in developing my own awareness & stability. I found non-dogmatic tradition, designed with respect for individual exploration & authentic discovery. I found a good teacher dedicated to training in daily life, committed to applying these principles in ways that open doors for each student no matter where they come from. Learning from this example, I want to share this gift of opening doors. What I am able to offer is my own training in the universal principles we study in Ki-Aikido. As an expression of my own integration process, I offer a trauma-informed access to these principles, knowing that the availability & reflection of this work can make a world of difference in training & daily life. Trauma-Informed Ki-Aikido begins again on September 6th at 6pm. Wherever you are in the global conversation on trauma & healing, I hope you will consider joining us in this life laboratory. |
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