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Thursday, 31st July 2008
CONTENTS:
1. New DVD's added to the Dojo Library
2. Aikido in Everyday Life: Giving in to Get Your Way- Ben Hamley
3. My Experiences with Reiki - Fleur
4. Know Someone Who would like to live in
1. New DVD's added to the Dojo Library
Our latest order has started coming in. New to the library is a 5 DVD set about O'Sensei. Titles are:
Aiki Budo
Takemusu Aiki
Rendez-Vous with
Way
Founder of Aikido
Also new is the "Aikido Yuishinkai: Aikido Arts" DVD. This covers all the fundamentals of the Aikido Yuishinkai syllabus including Lizard legs, the 10 basic forms, weapons katas and much more. These are demonstrated and explained by Maruyama Sensei himself. An excellent reference for students and instructors of all levels.
These are available for a week long loan, so get them before someone else does!
I'm still in the process of updating the borrowing system and Ben Hamley has kindly offered to assist in the weekly loans process, so if you would like to borrow something, please see me or Ben after class.
Gabby
2. Aikido in Everyday Life: Giving in to Get Your Way- Ben Hamley
By Terry Dobson and Victor Miller.
(North Atlantic Books, 1993; softcover)
In a nutshell:
“Everybody wants approval and needs love. But the fastest way to fool yourself that you’ve gotten both is to win something by destroying someone else in the process.
The purpose of Attack-tics is, in part, to get us all to be able to stand outside the arena of win-and-lose so that we can decide, as objectively as possible, what is really happening in the conflicts we face…”
The big picture:
Dobson and Miller’s treatise on the geometry of conflict is not so much about Aikido as Aikido is about the geometry of conflict. Their system was one of the first to adapt it to the realm of everyday business and personal relationships in the West and although the vernacular style of the authors may seem dated to some ears (particularly younger ones) there are gems to be found in this reprint of the 1978 aikido classic.
Not the least of them is the preface to the second edition, penned in 1992. Dobson was the first white man to become a live-in student of Morihei Ueshiba Sensei and was mandated by him to bring the principles of aikido to western audiences. He tells how at the behest of the publisher, they reluctantly came up with a “system” based on O-Sensei’s “incomparable model of conflict resolution” that would suit the tastes of a triumphalistic American readership culturally unprepared for the notion of Aikido. Now, as Dobson Sensei himself says “…Attack-tics” is unknown and Aikido is a household word. It is as it should be.”
It could be cynically viewed as just one in an avalanche of pop-psychology books produced since the seventies, co-opting eastern philosophies (particularly martial arts) in the name of success and fulfillment for disaffected western consumers. But in this reviewer’s opinion its focus on the nature and resolution of inter-personal conflicts elevates it from the status of mere self-help manual to that of genuine (if somewhat idiosyncratic) pioneering work in an area of real and increasing importance for modern society.
Look out for:
· A terrifying hypothetical attack by a highly trained six year old
· Advice for backsliders in “But Isn’t It Hard to Change?”
Links:
http://www.aikidoofalamo.com/dobson.html
http://www.randomhouse.com/author/results.pperl?authorid=76964
3. My Experiences with Reiki - Fleur
I was asked to share some of my experiences as a Reiki practitioner with the dojo as Reiki like Aikido utilises Ki energy in its practice.
Reiki is an ancient form of hands-on healing that is thought to be thousands of years old. Rei is defined as 'sacred' or 'spiritual' and Ki is described as 'energy' or 'life force energy'. So Reiki can be defined as sacred energy or spiritual energy. When you experience Reiki, the Reiki energy pours through the body of the giver and out through their hands into the body of the recipient. The energy feels warm and sometimes tingly.
Reiki provides the recipient with a deeply relaxing and soothing experience. It is holistic, working with the mind, body and spirit to restore balance. Reiki de-stresses and detoxifies painlessly filling the recipient with glowing energy and calm. Studies have shown that it speeds wound healing time, lowers bloody pressure, reduces stress and is effective as part of a regime to manage pain.
In my experience as a Reiki practitioner, clients have experienced many benefits. One client felt a pleasant tingly sensation running up and down their body during the treatment. In the weeks after the treatment they felt relaxed, calm and balanced. Others have come to me with more specific physical complaints such as sore feet and tight hips. The results felt from the Reiki included a reduction in pain and increases in movement. Reiki also provides great benefits to those people who feel emotionally drained or even depressed.
I use Reiki personally in my own self healing and have found that it assisted in my giving up smoking and taking up a healthier lifestyle which lead me to Aikido. My husband uses it as a first aid, so when he hurt his finger the other day he came to me for Reiki rather than take a panadol.
Energy or Ki certainly exists, you can’t help but realize this as you experience the warm flowing energy flowing from your hands and see the benefits that clients experiences. Like all arts, Reiki also needs to be practiced and respected to cultivate the Ki and maintain clear and open channels for the energy to flow.
Fleur
4. Know Someone Who would like to live in
Hey everyone.
My friend Sally is living in
for a year (the one she had organised is having visa problems). Sally
is a New Zealander (so obviously speaks perfect English) while her
husband Werner is German (perfect opportunity to learn or practice
German). The best part is Sally and Werner have 15 month old TRIPLETS.
The restrictions are that the person needs to be between 18 and 26 and
can't be either a New Zealander or German.
If you know of someone who'd be interested, get them to contact me and
I'll pass on details.
Cheers,
Charlie
Shirin Mohebbi
Email: shirin(AT)internode.on.net
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