Aikido'Ka

Grass Valley's Family Martial Arts School -- Focus, Fitness & Fun

Sensei

Silence

From Tom Gambell Sensei’s blog:

These are some of the guidelines regarding talking on the mat that I use in my own training:

If I’m talking, I’m not training.

If it’s more than three words, it’s a conversation.

Is what I’m about to say more important than maintaining the silence.

Rumi says:

There is a way
between voice and presence
where information flows.
In disciplined silence it opens.
With wandering talk it closes.

Pema Chodron says:

It’s a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately filling up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as well as fundamental spaciousness.

Reduce Disposable Bag Use Now!

In January, Washington DC instituted a 5 cent tax on disposable bag use (paper and plastic).  Since then disposable bag use has dropped from 22,000,000 to 3,000,000 a month!  That’s absolutely fantastic.  Not only has DC raised its tax revenues by supporting the environment, the tax is actually helping the environment in a big way.

Let’s institute the tax here in Nevada County. Contact your representative and let’s get this to happen.

Here’s an article about this successful environmental effort.

California Aikido Association Dojos

I have added a link page to all of the California Aikido Association dojos that have websites.  The dojos are all over the world.  If you want to practice aikido, these are the places to train!