Shintaido of America

September 2022

by Connie Borden

From 16 September to 18 September 2022, fourteen of us gathered in Quebec City, Canada for a Gasshuku. Now that it has ended, we have returned home with a sense of enrichment. Here are some impressions and remembrances. 

First Carole and Herve as the organizers did the preparations of planning the Gasshuku with Rob Gaston, myself, and Ito sensei. We heard from people in California, Vermont, Florida, and Washington D.C. who planned to attend. Seven people planned to attend from Quebec. Ito Sensei and Nicole Beauvois were to travel from their new home in France.  With both excitement and trepidation, we committed ourselves to this adventure and started our travels by plane, and by car. The Gasshuku was going to happen!

We arrived in Quebec City to the hospitality of Herve who housed many of us and provided the evening dinners and gatherings. Ito Sensei started Friday morning with a study of Muso-I, the stage of “Non-Phenomenon”. Followed by Ki-ichi-I the stage of “Returning Oneness.” Ito sensei mentioned these poses have been his major study over the preceding year and shared his deep reflections.

Friday afternoon, Ito Sensei provided advanced instruction on the roots of Taimyo from three Karate kata, Meikyo, Hangetsu and Kanku. Mark Bannon and Chris Ikeda-Nash demonstrated their knowledge of these three kata. Then, Ito sensei lead us through the movements linked to Taimyo.

Ito spoke of Kan-Ki, the sequence at the beginning of Taimyo as viewing Universal “Qi” energy.  

Reppaku are the layers of energy, much like the movement of oceans waves. Sai-Zan is to break through the mountains to provide support even during a retreat. Ito spoke of Aoki-sensei’s inspiration for Taimyo Part 1 coming from symphony #9 written by Beethoven, Kan-Ki “Ode to Joy.”

We finished the morning and afternoon keikos with Taimyo meditation. People expressed feelings of interconnectedness with others and nature, and feelings of expansion and extending beyond their skins. Ito sensei described the floating feeling of the meditation grounded by the kata to keep connection with the earth.

Saturday morning keiko was taught by Rob Gaston. He focused on Kiri-o-roshi kumite. He led us to open ourselves with our partner to the beginning stages of “Ah”. Gradually we opened our partners and ourselves to Ten and then slowly cut Shoko.

Ito Sensei stressed the importance of continually moving from the very start of Kiri-o-roshi and at first, stepping back to pull our partner into ourselves, followed by reaching Tenso higher and higher to cut over and beyond our partner.

In the afternoon, Connie Borden reviewed Diamond eight Kaishoken (open hand) to focus on the three connecting cuts of Chudan Kiri Harai, Gedan Kiri Harai, and Jodan Kiri Harai. This was followed by practice of cutting one person as the target, holding center, while people practicing the precision of the cut while moving in a line. The opportunity to practice in pairs using the full gym for Eiko Dai no Kumite (open hand) was then offered. Ito sensei lead the group in Eiko Dai no Kumite with Boktoh. The Quebecois faced the Americans from opposite ends of the gym and practicing cutting large groups of people.

Ito sensei did a special request keiko on Saturday to review Kasumi and then Aikiken. In this advanced kumitachi, he taught Daijodan Kirikomi or Kiroroshi versus Kasumi and then Daijodan Kirikomi or Kirioroshi versus Aiki-Ken. He then taught the four stages with Renki-kumite.

Sunday morning Rob Gaston taught Boktoh to deepen our concentration through the drawing technique, stepping and turning. Then, he taught wakame to receive jodan and daijodan (both open hand) and this was repeated by many pairs. 

Tenshingoso Dai concluded the morning keiko. 

Connie Borden followed with teaching to receive dai jodan and jodan with boktoh while keeping wakame feeling. One side first did dai jodan with boktoh while to other side received into their body using wakame. This progressed to standard kumite of both partners cutting simultaneously dai jodan and jodan. 

Ito sensei finished the Sunday keiko by asking Carol and Denis to demonstrate three cuts from Shintaido Kenjutsu. The basic Kyu-ka-jo Kumitachi with three cuts of Jodan-Kirikomi-Chudan Kirikomi-Gedan Kirikomi showing them as one cut with 3 movements. The second round was Chudan-tzuki- Jodan Tzuki and Jodan-Kiriharai again as one count with 3 movements. 

Here is a list of various impressions from people who attended the gasshuku:   

We made deeper connections with one another

Felt open further than before (Chris Ikeda- Nash)

Recommitted to practicing boktoh (Melanie Marin)

Expressed gratitude to being in community

Love of practicing Shintaido and remembering why he started 30 years ago ( Dany Simard)

Enjoyed the experience of being in a group to see the movements to help refine their stepping 

Learning to allow the boktoh to lead the cut

Body movement speaking louder than words

Joyous

Many smiles

Arrived at a deep emotional shared space/connection that transcended words. 

Felt many emotions of love, sorrow, happiness, and sadness without the desire to block the emotions.

Here is Denis’s impression:

He felt a beautiful sharing of emotions during the weekend. The energy that flowed between the participants was a connection that allowed him to communicate without worrying too much about the language spoken.

As Maya Angelou said

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”

Ito sensei spoke during the closing ceremony of his gratitude to Carole and Denis and their dojo. He presented them with a framed calligraphy for their dojo. This is a name that Ito Sensei created specifically for their dojo. 

The name of the building:
Tai-Kan-Do >>> 大観堂 >>> the Hall of the Great OverLook

Calligraphy:
Tai-Kan >>> 大観（体感）>>> Great Overlook/Great Overview/Great Anticipation (Bodily Sensation)

Carole and Denis expressed this: We are moved and honored that Ito Sensei came to our dojo in 2021 and that he also gave us a name for this dojo.  It is thanks to him that we have built it, because it is following his invitation to travel to Japan and our attraction to the practice with the sword that we had the energy to build it. We feel a lot of gratitude towards him. 

Everyone in attendance gave thanks and gratitude to the organizers – Carole, Herve, and Melanie. We also remembered Anne Marie and her love of Shintaido. With the closing ceremony complete, we returned to our homes more enriched, more open, and more human.

by Connie Borden, 9 March 2022

en français ci-dessous / 以下日本語で

Introduction
Tomi Nagai-Rothe and Connie Borden, both Shintaido Instructors, are also active with HF Ito, Sarah Baker, Rob Gaston and many others in the Global Taimyo Community (GTC). GTC formed after September 11 in 2001 and re-formed on the 20^th anniversary in 2021. GTC believes that Taimyo Kata can function like a ritual form through which we can search and/or heal our inner world as well create better relationships with our outer world — including neighbors, community, and Nature.

This is the second of two articles written for the 2022 gatherings on the theme of Kintsugi (金継ぎ, “golden joinery”), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, “golden repair”). Mending is one way to transform objects and ourselves. Yet before we can mend or make amends, we need to feel the brokenness fully, be it a personal weakness or the violence of war. Deeply feeling the brokenness is a personal responsibility and a collective responsibility that is painful and necessary. 

These articles were written to help open conversations. Our hope is to create a brave space rather than a “safe space.” The keiko analogy would be a perspective-altering kirioroshi kumite as opposed to an enjoyable keiko where you leave the same way as you arrived. It’s not that we feel unsafe in an incredible kirioroshi kumite – quite the contrary – we feel so safe with our partner that we can open ourselves to them.

Please reflect and share your comments on these articles being shared with the Shintaido audience via Body Dialogue.

My understanding of feelings of grief and loss stem from my experience working in the hospice field starting in 1994 and the death of my father in 1998. Later my professional experience expanded into palliative and hospice care.

Each person is different, and feelings of grief can vary in intensity. Feelings of grief and grieving can be cyclical. This process can often feel like one step forward and two steps back. Anniversaries and special occasions can bring back these feelings of grief. 

What have I experienced? The first step was becoming vulnerable enough to experience these emotions. It’s much easier to deflect and deny them. Due to our fear of being controlled by our emotions, it is common to hide these feelings. My own experience at my father’s death was numbness. I recall seeing a poster showing faces of 32 emotions. I could only identify two or three of the emotions at that time. I was that numb. Over time through therapy and doing more Shintaido, I could also experience anger, sadness and gradually remembering more of the many facets of my father’s life. 

Perhaps you remember something similar? Perhaps you too can recall the impact of opening your hands, opening your body and then opening your mind through Shintaido movements? And did you wonder what was happening? I believe these movements of raising our arms overhead, opening the center of our body and using our voices can result in feelings of vulnerability.

How did I experience doing some of these movements? The first was centering, finding where I feel my emotions, where I hold tension, where I block to avoid joining with others. One way to center is the seated, rocking motion where we rock from one hip to the other hip. Rocking itself is soothing. Rocking side to side draws our attention to where the center of our being is and when we are off center. Being centered, I could be aware of my emotions, thoughts and feelings. Another movement was raising my arms overhead and relaxing to allow my partner to cut me during Tenshingoso kumite. As I opened my arms overhead, leaned backwards from my center and received the overhead cut, I found my center – often the heart area – being opened. This life exchange of energy through kirioroshi kumite can be supportive as each person is cut and then cuts their partner. When I opened and was cut, I was then softer and more receptive to the energies of the environment. This cathartic type of movement allowed me to cry. Early in my practice at gasshukus amongst the beautiful, strong, enduring redwood trees. I would find myself crying and hugging the redwood trees. At another gasshuku on Ocean Beach with sand below my feet, I found myself crying when being cut and rolled. Over time these reactions to being opened during practice have been less startling, and more familiar so I can say “Oh this is happening again, what can I learn from this?”

Photo by Tomi Nagai-Rothe

Death is one of the most obvious reasons for grief. What else might constitute times of grief from loss? Sometimes it comes with the diagnosis of a medical condition that results in loss of physical mobility. At other times it might be from a change in a significant relationship with resulting feelings of loss of a promised future. A job loss, change in a living situation or a loss of income are others. Even what we consider to be happy events – a child’s high school graduation or a marriage – can bring tears that are a mixture of happiness and sadness. These emotions seem to reflect a clear demarcation of a change we are experiencing from one state of being to another state of being.

What are some ways people can begin to acknowledge feelings? For some it is focused talk therapy, for others journaling, for others listening to music, and for others doing art, gardening, or body movement. Where and how to acknowledge feelings with others is also critical. Where and how require a space that provides love and is non-judgmental. One of the common experiences for a person who has had a recent event such as death is they report that people grow tired of hearing about their loss. Some people find it helpful to join a focused support group on loss, such as a bereavement group. For others, the sacred space of a dojo provides the place to explore and acknowledge feelings, thoughts and emotions. 

Suffering is present for us all. I am reminded of the saying “be gentle with others, you do not know what they are experiencing.” To open and be aware of one’s emotions including grief, anger, and sadness, is the first step. Sharing with others as a next step keeps us human and open. These upcoming Global Taimyo Community gatherings can be one place to practice vulnerability. Our gatherings can be a place to gather, to build peace within ourselves and to support each other by being in community. Our gatherings can be a community to foster mending and finding ourselves more human.

Les sentiments de deuil

par Connie Borden

9 mars 2022

Ma compréhension des sentiments de deuil et de perte provient de mon expérience de travail dans le domaine des soins palliatifs depuis 1994 et du décès de mon père en 1998. Plus tard, mon expérience professionnelle s’est étendue aux soins palliatifs et aux soins en hospice. 

Chaque personne est différente, et les sentiments de deuil peuvent varier en intensité. Les sentiments de chagrin et de deuil peuvent être cycliques. Ce processus peut souvent donner l’impression d’un pas en avant et de deux pas en arrière. Les anniversaires et les occasions spéciales peuvent faire resurgir ces sentiments de deuil. 

Qu’est-ce que j’ai vécu ? La première étape a été de devenir suffisamment vulnérable pour vivre ces émotions. Il est beaucoup plus facile de les détourner et de les nier. Par peur d’être contrôlé par nos émotions, il est courant de cacher ces sentiments. Lors du décès de mon père, j’ai moi-même ressenti un engourdissement. Je me souviens avoir vu une affiche montrant les visages de 32 émotions. Je ne pouvais identifier que deux ou trois de ces émotions à ce moment-là. J’étais à ce point engourdie. Avec le temps, grâce à la thérapie et à la pratique du Shintaido, j’ai pu ressentir de la colère, de la tristesse et, progressivement, me souvenir des nombreuses facettes de la vie de mon père. 

Peut-être vous souvenez-vous de quelque chose de similaire ? Peut-être vous souvenez-vous aussi de l’impact de l’ouverture des mains, de l’ouverture du corps et de l’ouverture de l’esprit par les mouvements du Shintaido ? Et vous êtes-vous demandé ce qui se passait ? Je crois que ces mouvements consistant à lever les bras au-dessus de la tête, à ouvrir le centre de notre corps et à utiliser notre voix peuvent entraîner des sentiments de vulnérabilité.

Comment ai-je vécu l’exécution de certains de ces mouvements ? Tout d’abord, en me centrant, en trouvant où je ressens mes émotions, où je maintiens des tensions, où je bloque pour éviter de me joindre aux autres. L’une des façons de se centrer est le mouvement de balancement assis, où l’on se balance d’une hanche à l’autre. Le balancement en soi est apaisant. Se balancer d’un côté à l’autre attire notre attention sur l’endroit où se trouve le centre de notre être et sur les moments où nous sommes décentrés. En étant centrée, je pouvais être consciente de mes émotions, de mes pensées et de mes sentiments. Un autre mouvement consistait à lever les bras au-dessus de ma tête et à me détendre pour permettre à mon partenaire de me couper pendant le Tenshingoso kumite. Lorsque j’ouvrais les bras au-dessus de ma tête, que je me penchais vers l’arrière à partir de mon centre et que je recevais la coupe au-dessus de ma tête, je découvrais que mon centre – souvent la région du cœur – était ouvert. Cet échange d’énergie vitale à travers le kumite kirioroshi peut être un soutien car chaque personne est coupée et coupe ensuite son partenaire. Lorsque je me suis ouverte et que j’ai été coupée, j’étais alors plus douce et plus réceptive aux énergies de l’environnement. Ce type de mouvement cathartique m’a permis de pleurer. Au début de ma pratique à Gasshukus, parmi les beaux, forts et durables séquoias. Je me surprenais à pleurer et à étreindre les séquoias. Dans un autre gasshuku sur Ocean Beach, avec du sable sous les pieds, je me suis retrouvée à pleurer quand on me coupait et me roulait. Au fil du temps, ces réactions à l’ouverture pendant la pratique sont devenues moins surprenantes et plus familières, ce qui me permet de dire : “Oh, cela se reproduit, qu’est-ce que je peux apprendre de cela ?”.

La mort est l’une des raisons les plus évidentes du deuil. Qu’est-ce qui pourrait constituer d’autres moments de deuil à cause d’une perte ? Parfois, il s’agit du diagnostic d’un problème médical qui entraîne une perte de mobilité physique. Dans d’autres cas, il peut s’agir d’un changement dans une relation importante, qui entraîne un sentiment de perte d’un avenir promis. Une perte d’emploi, un changement dans les conditions de vie ou une perte de revenus en sont d’autres. Même ce que nous considérons comme des événements heureux – l’obtention du diplôme d’études secondaires d’un enfant ou un mariage – peut provoquer des larmes qui sont un mélange de de bonheur et de tristesse. Ces émotions semblent refléter une démarcation claire d’un changement que nous vivons d’un état d’être à un autre état d’être.

De quelle manière les gens peuvent-ils commencer à reconnaître leurs sentiments ? Pour certains, il s’agit d’une thérapie par la parole, pour d’autres de la tenue d’un journal, pour d’autres encore d’écouter de la musique, et pour d’autres de faire de l’art, du jardinage ou des mouvements corporels. Le lieu et la manière de reconnaître ses sentiments avec les autres sont également essentiels. L’endroit et la manière nécessitent un espace qui offre de l’amour et ne porte pas de jugement. L’une des expériences les plus courantes pour une personne qui a vécu un événement récent comme un décès est que les gens se lassent d’entendre parler de leur perte. Certaines personnes trouvent utile de se joindre à un groupe de soutien axé sur la perte, comme un groupe de soutien aux personnes en deuil. Pour d’autres, l’espace sacré d’un dojo permet d’explorer et de reconnaître les sentiments, les pensées et les émotions. 

La souffrance est présente pour nous tous. Je me souviens du dicton “soyez doux avec les autres, vous ne savez pas ce qu’ils vivent”. S’ouvrir et prendre conscience de ses émotions, y compris le chagrin, la colère et la tristesse, est la première étape. L’étape suivante consiste à partager avec les autres, ce qui nous permet de rester humains et ouverts. Les prochains rassemblements de la communauté mondiale Taimyo peuvent être un lieu de pratique de la vulnérabilité. Nos rencontres peuvent être un lieu de rassemblement, pour construire la paix en nous-mêmes et pour nous soutenir mutuellement en étant en communauté. Nos rassemblements peuvent être une communauté qui favorise la réparation et la découverte de notre humanité.

悲しみの感情

コニー・ボーデン著

2022年3月9日

悲しみや喪失感についての私の理解は、1994年からホスピスで働いた経験と、1998年の父の死からきています。その後、私の職業経験は緩和ケアとホスピスケアに広がりました。

人はそれぞれ異なり、悲しみの感情も強弱があります。悲しみの感情や悲嘆は循環していることがあります。このプロセスは、しばしば一歩進んで二歩下がるように感じられることがあります。記念日や特別な日には、このような悲しみの感情がよみがえることがあります。

私は何を経験したのでしょうか。最初のステップは、このような感情を経験できるほど無防備になることでした。そのような感情を無視したり、否定したりするのはずっと簡単なことです。感情に支配されることへの恐れから、これらの感情を隠すことはよくあることです。私自身、父の死後は無感覚でした。私は、32の感情の顔を示すポスターを見たことを思い出します。その時、私はその中の2つか3つの感情しか認識することができませんでした。それほど無感覚だったのです。やがて、セラピーや新体道を通じて、怒りや悲しみも経験できるようになり、次第に父の人生のさまざまな面を思い出すようになりました。

おそらく、あなたは同じような何かを覚えていますか？あなたも、新体道の動きによって、手を開き、体を開き、そして心を開くことの衝撃を思い出すことができるのではないでしょうか？そして、何が起こっているのか不思議に思いませんでしたか？私は、両手を上げ、体の中心を開き、声を出すという動作は、結果的に弱さを感じさせることになると考えています。

これらの動作のいくつかを行ってみて、私はどうだったでしょうか。まず、自分の感情をどこで感じているか、どこで緊張しているか、どこで他人と一緒にならないようにブロックしているかを見つける、センタリングでした。センタリングする方法のひとつに、座って片方の腰からもう片方の腰へ揺らす動きがあります。揺れること自体が癒しになります。左右に揺らすと、私たちの存在の中心がどこにあるのか、そしていつ中心から外れているのかに注意を向けることができます。中心があることで、私は自分の感情や思考、感覚に気づくことができました。もう一つの動きは、天真御祖組手において、パートナーが私を切るために腕を頭上に上げ、力を抜いたことである。両手を頭上に広げ、自分の中心から後方に傾き、頭上で切り込みを受けると、自分の中心（多くの場合、心臓のあたり）が開かれるのが分かりました。切落し組手を通してのこのような生命のエネルギーの交換は、各人が切られ、そして相手を切るというように、支え合うことができる。自分が開き、切られることで、より柔らかく、より環境のエネルギーを受け入れることができるのです。このカタルシス的な動きによって、私は泣くことができたのです。合宿所での練習の初期、美しく、強く、耐久性のあるレッドウッドの木々の中で、私は泣いていました。私は泣きながらアカギの木を抱きしめていました。また、オーシャンビーチにある合宿所では、足元に砂が広がる中、切り返されたり、転がされたりしているうちに涙があふれてきました。時間が経つにつれて、練習中に開かれたときのこれらの反応は、驚くようなものではなく、より身近なものになってきました。

死は、悲しみの最も明白な理由の一つです。では、喪失感からくる悲しみは、他にどのようなものがあるでしょうか。あるときは、病気が診断され、その結果、体が動かなくなることです。また、ある時は、重要な人間関係が変化し、約束された未来を失ったという喪失感から来るかもしれません。失業、生活環境の変化、収入の減少などもあります。子供の高校卒業や結婚など、私たちが幸せだと思う出来事でさえ、さまざまな感情が入り混じった涙を流すことがあります。

写真提供：トミ・ナガイ＝ローテ

幸せと悲しみが入り混じった涙。これらの感情は、ある状態から別の状態への変化を明確に区分して反映しているように思います。

感情を認めるために、どのような方法があるのでしょうか。ある人はトークセラピーに集中し、ある人は日記を書き、ある人は音楽を聴き、ある人はアートやガーデニング、体の動かし方をします。どこで、どのように他の人と感情を認め合うかも重要です。どこで、どのようにするかというと、愛と偏見のない空間が必要です。死のような最近の出来事を経験した人に共通することのひとつは、人々が自分の喪失について聞くのにうんざりしてしまうという報告です。死別のグループなど、喪失に焦点を当てた支援グループに参加することが役に立つと感じる人もいます。また、道場の神聖な空間は、気持ち、考え、感情を探求し、認める場を提供してくれる。

苦しみは誰にでもあるものです。私は、”他人を思いやること、その人が何を経験しているかわからない “という言葉を思い出します。悲しみや怒り、喜びなど、自分の感情を開いて自覚することが、最初のステップです。次のステップとして、他者と分かち合うことで、私たちは人間らしく、オープンであり続けることができるのです。このグローバルタイミョーコミュニティーの集まりは、脆弱性を実践する一つの場となり得る。私たちの集まりは、自分自身の中に平和を築き、コミュニティに参加することでお互いをサポートする場となりえます。私たちの集まりは、修復を促進し、より人間らしい自分を見つけるためのコミュニティとなり得るのです。

by Tomi Nagai-Rothe

en français ci-dessous / 以下日本語で

Introduction
Tomi Nagai-Rothe and Connie Borden, both Shintaido Instructors, are also active with HF Ito, Sarah Baker, Rob Gaston and many others in the Global Taimyo Community (GTC). GTC formed after September 11 in 2001 and re-formed on the 20 th anniversary in 2021. GTC believes that Taimyo Kata can function like a ritual form through which we can search and/or heal our inner world as well create better relationships with our outer world — including neighbors, community, and Nature.

This is the first of two articles written for the 2022 gatherings on the theme of Kintsugi (金継ぎ, “golden joinery”), also known as kintsukuroi (金繕い, “golden repair”). Mending is one way to transform objects and ourselves. Yet before we can mend or make amends, we need to feel the brokenness fully, be it a personal weakness or the violence of war. Deeply feeling the brokenness is a personal responsibility and a collective responsibility
that is painful and necessary.

These articles were written to help open conversations. Our hope is to create a brave space rather than a “safe space.” The keiko analogy would be a perspective-altering kirioroshi kumite as opposed to an enjoyable keiko where you leave the same way as you arrived. It’s not that we feel unsafe in an incredible kirioroshi kumite – quite the contrary – we feel so safe with our partner that we can open ourselves to them.

Please reflect and share your comments on these articles being shared with the Shintaido audience via Body Dialogue.

Preface
I spent the Covid period wondering how to bridge the gaps of physical and social separation — from differences in vaccination status and masking, to beliefs about climate change, to warfare in many parts of the world, to the war being waged against Black and Brown people on the streets of Turtle Island (the USA).

I am an activist by nature and have been working for positive change since age 12. Over the past two years I spent time co-organizing Black Lives Matter car caravans, examining my city’s decision to cut a position at the public library while the police department was asking for more than three times that amount in new patrol cars, and writing about the need to support our local indigenous tribe’s request that all settlers pay an honorary land tax to support the reclamation of their stolen land.

And yet, it felt like more was needed. Not more of the same, but activism on another level. I am not one to only pray and practice Taimyo, so I have started working with Ito’s practice of creating peace by being more peaceful, combined with the concept of radical self-responsibility. Though it is still very much a work in progress, I think of this as a form of spiritual activism. This article is my current thinking about using Taimyo and other tools for spiritual activism – in pursuit of peace.

My family defines peace as actively building connections among people, animals, and the natural world. We feel that those connections foster safety, healing, and growth. We host Peace Potlucks to bring together our community, and my extended family lives together in a place we call Pear Tree Village as an example of sustainable co-living and daily connection (our pear tree and tree house are pictured above).

In Shintaido and Life Exercise* , we similarly invest in creating deep connections (Ma 間 = space) with our partners and others with whom we are practicing. We value and foster these connections in and outside of the dojo, including via Zoom. Every evaluation and examination I’ve taken looked deeply into my connection with my partner and whether I affected them positively. As instructors, our goal is to create a unified experience through our gorei (instruction). The North Star** of our practice is trying to embody Ten-chi-jin-ware-ittai — the unification of ourselves, society, heaven and earth: the ultimate form of connection.

Taking this principle past the dojo and into our lives can be both intriguing and very challenging because our practice can’t just be about people we like or with whom we make easy connections. For example, I can’t go to keiko and decide who I will or won’t have as a kumite partner. I need to bow to the next person, whoever that is, and start building that kumite relationship immediately.

The importance of taking our practice beyond the dojo is illustrated in the five step process:

Nuke Nobi Kiki Sae Jizai
抜け 〜 伸び 〜 利き 〜 冴え 〜 自在
release expansion effectiveness clarity freedom
(my translation)

Ito explained that one way to understand this is through our practice:
Warm-ups Break out Kihon Kumite Our keiko and life outside the dojo

In the bigger world our keiko becomes real and hard when we understand the need to do kumite with people we dislike – or even fear and hate – if we want to create positive change in the world. When I say “do kumite” I mean, energetically and imaginatively interacting with them – not necessarily confronting them in real life. Even this imaginary encounter can be very difficult.

I believe this means using our practice to grow and attempt to get beyond the natural tendency to take sides, e.g. “I disagree with these people so they must be wrong.” There is much written about how divisive and violent public life has become – even to the point of warfare. So where do we, as articipants in the Global Taimyo Network, start if we really want to nudge the world toward reconnecting broken connections and peace?

A great example from Shintaido is the sagari iirimi practice that Ito calls, “Welcome, this way please.” You can see it in this 7 second video. In the kumite we reach out as an opponent steps toward us, as if opening our front door. We open the door and draw them toward and beside us. Both of us end up facing the same direction: seeing the world from a similar vantage point. When Ito teaches this he makes the point that when we face one another we are looking in different directions, i.e. I am looking west while my partner is looking east. In contrast, taking the effort to see the same landscape from the same direction is, at the very least, a place to begin building understanding and connection.

My personal belief is that I first need to model this – to dig deep and do energetic kumite with those I really would rather avoid – if I want the world around me to change.

Jennifer McLean – teacher and international prayer leader – believes that holding a negative thought about someone can hold them in a negative pattern. Multiplied by thousands or millions of people it can become a real negative force. You may not believe this example, but in the Global Taimyo Community we practice the inverse – doing Taimyo Kata and holding people and the planet in peace. So couldn’t the same be true in the negative form?

I am really taken with the story of Dr. Hew Len and his work at the Hawaii State Hospital in the high security ward for the criminally insane. The staff and patient environment was extremely chaotic when he arrived.

He spent four years at the hospital, full-time, occasionally reviewing patient files but mostly doing a continual Hawaiian Ho’oponono prayer. Almost all patients improved and were discharged and the staff dynamic improved greatly. The ward closed after four years due to lack of patients. Whether or not you believe this shift came about as a result of Dr. Len’s prayers, the idea of creating this type of change through the Global Taimyo Community is really intriguing to me.

If you are open to trying out this approach, I think there are several ways to practice this inward-outward reconnection:

1. Imagine a person (or group of people) on a different “side” than you are. This could be a social, cultural or political issue or just someone you dislike or fear – living or dead. Hold them far from you at a safe distance and spend time being curious about their childhood and formative years, their hurts and fears, and their basic needs. How does this feel standing across from them in your imagination?
2. For someone less threatening, imagine you are doing the “Welcome, this way please” kumite with them. What do you both see, facing the same direction? How does that feel?
3. If either of these is too difficult, ask yourself, ” If I could do it, what might it feel like?”

Jennifer McLean has shared an adaptation of the traditional Hawaiian Ho’oponono reconciliation and forgiveness process*** in the form of a guide prayer/meditation. It is a healing approach that simultaneously addresses those we fear or hate, and the unacknowledged parts of ourselves that those people trigger. It is a longer version of what I have outlined above. You have probably encountered other forms of prayer, meditation and healing that function in this way.

Regardless of the approach, I think all of them require grounding in one’s own safe space with support from friends and family. Pear Tree Village is one source of support for me to do this connection work, along with spiritual friends in the Friends (Quaker) community. For Buddhists this community is found in the sangha, for churchgoers it is the fellowship. Whether you follow a faith tradition or find your grounding in Shintaido, my hope is that we can support one another in the Global Taimyo Community as we follow the path of peace together.

* A term created by Lee Seaman and H.F. Ito to describe the combination of Yokikei Shintaido – including Taimyo Kata – and Tai Chi
that Ito uses in his teaching.

** North Star – Many non-governmental organizations and individuals in Turtle Island (USA) use this term to indicate their ultimate destination and vision. It comes from the work of abolitionist Harriet Tubman who led enslaved people to freedom, traveling at night and navigating by the light of the North Star.

*** Listen to the adapted Ho’oponono prayer here in full: https://www.annualprayercircle.com/pc-listening-salon-2022
Scroll down to March 2022 (1:24:40-1:00:04 on the countdown timer – 24.5 minutes).

Radical self-responsibility
https://www.onewithnow.com/radical-responsibility/

Spiritual activism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_activism#:~:text=Spiritual%20activism%20is%20a%20practice,the%20material%20or%20physical%20world

7 second video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9ioXFcB6iA

Annual prayer circle
https://www.annualprayercircle.com/pc-listening-salon-2022

Français

Préface
J’ai passé la période du Covid à me demander comment combler les écarts de séparation physique et sociale des différences de statut vaccinal et de masquage aux croyances sur le changement climatique, en passant par les guerres dans de nombreuses régions du monde et la guerre menée contre les Noirs et les Marrons dans les rues de Turtle Island (États-Unis).

Je suis un activiste par nature et je travaille pour un changement positif depuis l’âge de 12 ans. Au cours des deux dernières années, j’ai passé du temps à coorganiser des caravanes Black Lives Matter, à examiner la décision de ma ville de supprimer un poste à la bibliothèque publique alors que le service de police demandait plus de trois fois ce montant pour de nouvelles voitures de patrouille, et à écrire sur la nécessité de soutenir la demande de notre tribu indigène locale, qui souhaite que tous les colons paient une taxe foncière honoraire pour soutenir la récupération de leurs terres volées.

Et pourtant, j’avais l’impression qu’il fallait faire plus. Pas plus de la même chose, mais de l’activisme à un autre niveau. Je ne suis pas de ceux qui se contentent de prier et de pratiquer le Taimyo, j’ai donc commencé à trravailler avec la pratique d’Ito qui consiste à créer la paix en étant plus pacifique, combinée au concept d’auto-responsabilité radicale. Bien que ce soit encore un travail en cours, je considère cela comme une forme d’activisme spirituel. Cet article présente mes réflexions actuelles sur l’utilisation du Taimyo et d’autres outils d’activisme spirituel – dans la poursuite de la paix.

Ma famille définit la paix comme la création active de liens entre les personnes, les animaux et le monde naturel. Nous pensons que ces liens favorisent la sécurité, la guérison et la croissance. Nous organisons des “Peace Potlucks” pour rassembler notre communauté et ma famille élargie vit ensemble dans un endroit que nous appelons le “Pear Tree Village” (village des poiriers), un exemple de coexistence durable et de connexion quotidienne (notre poirier et notre cabane dans les arbres sont illustrés ci-dessus).

Dans le Shintaido et les exercices de vie, nous investissons de la même manière dans la création de connexions profondes (Ma 間 = espace) avec nos partenaires et les autres personnes avec lesquelles nous pratiquons. Nous valorisons et encourageons ces connexions à l’intérieur et à l’extérieur du dojo, y compris via Zoom. Toutes les évaluations et tous les examens que j’ai passés ont examiné en profondeur ma connexion avec mon partenaire et ont cherché à savoir si j’avais un effet positif sur lui. En tant qu’instructeurs, notre objectif est de créer une expérience unifiée à travers notre gorei (enseignement). L’étoile polaire de notre pratique consiste à essayer d’incarner le Ten-chi-jin-ware-ittai – l’unification de nous-mêmes, de la société, du ciel et de la terre : la forme ultime de connexion.

Transposer ce principe au-delà du dojo et dans nos vies peut être à la fois fascinant et très difficile, car notre pratique ne peut pas se limiter aux personnes que nous aimons ou avec lesquelles nous établissons facilement des liens. Par exemple, je ne peux pas aller au keiko et décider qui sera ou ne sera pas mon partenaire de kumite. Je dois m’incliner devant la personne suivante, quelle qu’elle soit, et commencer immédiatement à construire cette relation de kumité.

L’importance d’amener notre pratique au-delà du dojo est illustrée par le processus en cinq étapes:
Nuke Nobi Kiki Sae Jizai
抜け 〜 伸び 〜 利き 〜 冴え 〜 自在
libération expansion efficacité clarté liberté
(ma traduction)

Ito a expliqué que l’une des façons de comprendre cela est à travers notre pratique:
Échauffements Break out Kihon Kumite Notre keiko et la vie en dehors du dojo.

Dans le grand monde, notre keiko devient réel et difficile lorsque nous comprenons la nécessité de faire du kumite avec des personnes que nous n’aimons pas – ou même que nous craignons et détestons – si nous voulons créer un changement positif dans le monde. Quand je dis “faire du kumite”, je veux dire interagir énergétiquement et imaginairement avec eux – sans nécessairement les affronter dans la vie réelle. Même cette rencontre imaginaire peut être très difficile.

Je crois que cela signifie utiliser notre pratique pour grandir et tenter de dépasser la tendance naturelle à prendre parti, par exemple : “Je ne suis pas d’accord avec ces gens, donc ils doivent avoir tort.” Il y a beaucoup d’écrits sur la façon dont la vie publique est devenue divisée et violente – jusqu’à la guerre. Alors, par où commençons-nous, en tant que participants au Réseau Global Taimyo, si nous voulons vraiment pousser le monde vers la reconnexion des liens brisés et la paix ?

Un excellent exemple tiré du Shintaido est la pratique sagari iirimi qu’Ito appelle “Bienvenue, par ici s’il vous plaît”. Vous pouvez le voir dans cette vidéo de 7 secondes. Dans le kumite, nous tendons la main lorsqu’un adversaire s’avance vers nous, comme si nous ouvrions notre porte d’entrée. Nous ouvrons la porte et l’attirons vers nous et à côté de nous. Nous finissons tous les deux par faire face à la même direction : nous
voyons le monde depuis un point de vue similaire. Lorsque Ito enseigne cette technique, il souligne que lorsque nous nous faisons face, nous regardons dans des directions différentes, c’est-à-dire que je regarde
vers l’ouest et que mon partenaire regarde vers l’est. En revanche, faire l’effort de voir le même paysage depuis la même direction est, à tout le moins, un point de départ pour la compréhension et la connexion.

Ma conviction personnelle est que je dois d’abord modeler cela – creuser profondément et faire du kumite énergétique avec ceux que je préférerais vraiment éviter – si je veux que le modèle de l’art du kumite se développe.

Jennifer McLean – enseignante et chef de file international de la prière – pense que le fait d’avoir une pensée négative sur quelqu’un peut le maintenir dans un schéma négatif. Multipliée par des milliers ou des
millions de personnes, elle peut devenir une véritable force négative. Vous ne croyez peut-être pas à cet exemple, mais dans la Communauté mondiale Taimyo, nous pratiquons l’inverse – faire le Taimyo Kata et maintenir les gens et la planète en paix. Ne pourrait-il pas en être de même pour la forme négative ?

Je suis très impressionné par l’histoire du Dr Hew Len et son travail à l’Hôpital d’Etat d’Hawaï dans le service de haute sécurité pour les fous criminels. L’environnement du personnel et des patients était extrêmement
chaotique à son arrivée.

Il a passé quatre ans à l’hôpital, à plein temps, examinant occasionnellement les dossiers des patients mais faisant surtout une prière hawaïenne Ho’oponono continuelle. Presque tous les patients se sont améliorés et sont sortis de l’hôpital, et la dynamique du personnel s’est grandement améliorée. Le service a fermé au bout de quatre ans par manque de patients. Que vous croyiez ou non que ce changement soit le résultat des prières du Dr Len, l’idée de créer ce type de changement à travers la Communauté Globale Taimyo m’intrigue vraiment.

Si vous êtes ouvert à l’idée d’essayer cette approche, je pense qu’il y a plusieurs façons de pratiquer cette reconnexion intérieur-extérieur :

1) Imaginez une personne (ou un groupe de personnes) d’un “côté” différent du vôtre. Il peut s’agir d’un problème social, culturel ou politique ou simplement d’une personne que vous n’aimez pas ou craignez – vivante ou morte. Tenez-la à une distance sûre de vous et passez du temps à être curieux de son enfance et de ses années de formation, de ses blessures et de ses peurs, et de ses besoins fondamentaux. Que ressentez-vous en vous tenant en face d’elle dans votre imagination ?
2) Pour une personne moins menaçante, imaginez que vous faites le kumite “Bienvenue, par ici s’il vous plaît” avec elle. Que voyez-vous tous les deux, face à la même direction ? Comment vous sentez-vous ?
3) Si l’une ou l’autre de ces situations est trop difficile, demandez-vous : ” Si je pouvais le faire, qu’est-ce que cela pourrait me faire ? “.

Jennifer McLean a partagé une adaptation du processus traditionnel hawaïen Ho’oponono de réconciliation et de pardon sous la forme d’une prière/méditation guide. Il s’agit d’une approche de guérison qui s’adresse
simultanément à ceux que nous craignons ou détestons, et aux parties non reconnues de nous-mêmes que ces personnes déclenchent. Il s’agit d’une version plus longue de ce que j’ai décrit ci-dessus. Vous avez probablement rencontré d’autres formes de prière, de méditation et de guérison qui fonctionnent de cette manière.

Quelle que soit l’approche, je pense qu’elles nécessitent toutes de s’ancrer dans son propre espace de sécurité avec le soutien de ses amis et de sa famille. Le village de Pear Tree est une source de soutien qui me permet de faire ce travail de connexion, ainsi que des amis spirituels de la communauté des Amis (Quakers). Pour les bouddhistes, cette communauté se trouve dans la sangha, et pour les pratiquants de l’église, dans la fraternité. Que vous suiviez une tradition religieuse ou que vous trouviez votre fondement dans le Shintaido, mon espoir est que nous puissions nous soutenir mutuellement dans la Communauté mondiale Taimyo, alors que nous suivons ensemble le chemin de la paix.

壊れているものを再び繋ぐ
トミ・ナガイ＝ローテ

序文
予防接種の有無やマスクの違い、気候変動に対する考え方、世界各地での戦争、タートルアイランド（アメリカ）の路 上で黒人や褐色人種に対して行われている戦争など、物理的・社会的な隔たりをどう埋めるか、私はコビット期を過
ごしました。

私は生来活動家であり、12歳のときからポジティブな変化を求めて活動してきました。この2年間は、Black Lives Matterのキャラバンを共同開催したり、警察署がその3倍以上の新しいパトカーを要求しているのに、公立図書館の 職員を削減するという私の市の決定を検討したり、地元の先住民族が、すべての入植者に名誉土地税を払って、奪 われた土地の再生を支援するよう求めていることについて書いたりしていた。

それでも、もっと必要なことがあるように感じました。同じことを繰り返すのではなく、別の次元での活動です。私はた だ祈りや太極拳の練習をする人間ではないので、より平和であることによって平和を作り出すという伊藤の練習と、 過激な自己責任という概念を組み合わせて取り組み始めました。まだまだ未熟な私ですが、これは精神的な活動だ と考えています。この記事は、平和を追求するための精神的活動として、太虚やその他のツールを使用することに ついての私の現在の考えである。

私の家族は、平和とは人間や動物、自然界とのつながりを積極的に築くことだと定義している。そうしたつながりが 安全や癒し、成長を促すと信じているからだ。私たちは地域社会をまとめるためにピース・ポットラックを開催し、大 家族は持続可能な共同生活と日々のつながりの例として、「梨の木村」と呼ぶ場所で一緒に暮らしています（上の写 真は梨の木と木の家です）。

新体道やライフエクササイズでも、パートナーや一緒に練習する人たちと深いつながり（間合い）を作ることに投資し ています。道場の中でも外でも、Zoomを使ってでも、こうしたつながりを大切にし、育てていきます。私が受けたすべ
ての評価や審査では、パートナーとのつながり、そして私がパートナーにポジティブな影響を与えたかどうかを深く見 ています。私たち指導者の目標は、御霊（ごりょう）を通して一体感を生み出すことです。稽古の北極星は、天地人和
合体、つまり自分自身と社会、天と地が一体となった究極のつながりを体現しようとすることです。

この原則を道場から生活の中に取り入れることは、興味深いことであると同時に、非常に困難なことでもあります。例えば、稽古場に行って、組手相手として誰を選ぶか、選ばないかを決めることはできない。次の人に頭を下げて、すぐに組手関係を構築する必要があります。

道場の外に出て稽古をすることの大切さが、この5つのステップに表れている。

ぬけのび ききさえ じざい
抜け 伸び 利き 冴え 自在
解放 伸び 効果 明確 自由

伊藤は、このことを理解する一つの方法は、私たちの練習を通してであると説明した。防寒対策 脱力系組手 私たちの稽古と道場の外での生活

大きな世界では、私たちの稽古は、世界に肯定的な変化をもたらしたいなら、嫌いな人、あるいは恐怖や憎しみのある人とも組手をする必要があることを理解したとき、現実的で厳しいものになるのである。私が「組手をする」と言ったのは、精力的に、想像力を働かせて相手と接するという意味であり、必ずしも現実に相手と対峙する必要はない。この想像上の出会いでさえ、とても難しいことなのです。

このことは、「私はこの人たちと意見が違うから、この人たちは間違っているに違いない」というような、どちらかの側 に立ってしまう自然な傾向を超えて、成長するために稽古をすることを意味すると私は考えています。公共の場がい
かに分裂的で暴力的になっているか、戦争にさえなっているかについては、多くのことが書かれています。では、グ ローバルタイミョーネットワークに参加する私たちは、壊れたつながりをつなぎ直し、世界を平和に導くために、何か ら始めればいいのでしょうか。

新体道の素晴らしい例として、伊藤が “ようこそ、こちらへ “と呼んでいるサガリ・イリミの稽古があります。この7秒間 のビデオで見ることができます。組手では、相手がこちらに歩み寄ってきたときに、玄関のドアを開けるように手を伸
ばします。ドアを開け、相手をこちらに引き寄せ、横に置く。お互いに同じ方向を向き、同じような視点から世界を見 ることができるのである。伊藤は、「向かい合うと、自分は西を、相手は東を向いていることになる」と指摘する。それ
に対して、同じ風景を同じ方向から見ようとする努力は、少なくとも理解とつながりを築くための出発点となるもので す。

私の個人的な信念は、私の周りの世界を変えたいのであれば、まず私がそのモデルになること、つまり、本当は避 けたい相手と深く掘り下げて精力的に組手をすることが必要だということです。

ジェニファー・マクリーン（教師、国際的な祈りの指導者）は、誰かについて否定的な考えを持ち続けると、その人を 否定的なパターンに閉じ込めてしまうと信じています。それが何千人、何百万人という人たちに伝わると、本当の意 味で負の力になるのです。この例は信じられないかもしれませんが、世界の太極拳コミュニティでは、太極拳の型を 行い、人々や地球を平和に保つという逆のことを実践しているのです。ですから、ネガティブな形でも同じことが言え るのではないでしょうか？

私は、ヒュー・レン博士がハワイ州立病院の精神異常犯罪者用高セキュリティ病棟で働いていた時の話をとても気 に入っています。博士が着任した当時は、スタッフも患者も非常に混沌とした環境でした。

彼はこの病院で4年間フルタイムで働き、時には患者のファイルを見たりもしたが、ほとんどはハワイのホ・オポノノ の祈りを継続的に行っていた。ほとんどすべての患者が改善されて退院し、スタッフの行動力も大きく改善されまし た。病棟は4年後、患者不足のため閉鎖された。レン博士の祈りがこのような変化をもたらしたと信じるかどうかは別 として、グローバルタイミョーコミュニティを通じてこのような変化を生み出すという考え方は、私にとって実に興味深
いものである。

もし、あなたがこの方法を試してみたいなら、この「内と外のつながり」を実践する方法がいくつかあると思います。自分とは違う「側」にいる人（またはグループ）を想像してください。これは社会的、文化的、政治的な問題かもしれま
せんし、単にあなたが嫌いな人、恐れている人（生きているか死んでいるかは問いません）かもしれません。その人を安全な距離で遠くに抱きかかえ、その人の子供時代や形成期、傷や恐怖、基本的なニーズについて好奇心をもって過ごしてください。あなたの想像の中で、その人の向かいに立つと、どのように感じますか？あまり脅威を感じない相手には、「いらっしゃいませ、こちらへどうぞ」の組手を一緒にしていると想像してください。同じ方向を向いているあなたには何が見えますか？それはどのように感じますか？どちらかが難しければ、「もし、それができたら、どんな感じだろう」と自分に問いかけてみてください。

ジェニファー・マクリーンは、伝統的なハワイのホ・オポノノの和解と許しのプロセスを、ガイドの祈り/瞑想の形にアレンジしたものを共有しています。これは、私たちが恐れたり憎んだりしている人たちと、その人たちが引き金となって
いる自分自身の無意識の部分に同時に取り組む癒しのアプローチなのです。これは、私が上に概要を述べたものの、より長いバージョンです。このように機能する他の祈りや瞑想、癒しの形態に出会ったことがあるのではないでしょうか。

どのようなアプローチであっても、友人や家族のサポートを受けながら、自分自身の安全な空間でグラウンディングすることが必要だと思います。梨の木村は、フレンズ（クエーカー）コミュニティのスピリチュアルな友人たちとともに、
私がこのコネクションワークを行うためのひとつの支援源となっています。仏教徒にとってはサンガ、教会に通う人々にとってはフェローシップがこのコミュニティです。あなたが信仰の伝統に従っているか、新体道に基盤を置いているかにかかわらず、平和の道を共に歩むために、グローバル大名コミュニティの中で互いに支え合うことができればと願っています。

by Connie Borden

Rob Gaston, Senior Instructor, ranked Sandan in Shintaido bojutsu had an inspiration to hold a Shintaido of America boh workshop in 2022. Post COVID, it would be an in-person gathering in the San Francisco Bay Area open to all Shintaido bojutsu practitioners. The theme would be “Connections in Nature”.  Charles Burns, from the United Kingdom, accepted the invitation to be a guest instructor.  Charles holds the ranks of Shintaido General Instructor and Sandan in bojutsu.  Shin Aoki, ranked Yondan in bojutsu and Senior Instructor in Shintaido, graciously agreed to join the teaching staff.

As a Nurse Practitioner trained within western medicine, I reflected on this theme, and thought of the recent health-focused activities that recommend including nature in our lives. This is a growing trend of so-called “park prescriptions,” which have increased in popularity over the last decade along with research into the benefits of spending time in nature. In these programs, physicians strongly encourage patients young and old to spend more time outside to improve their mental and physical health. In Japan, this has been called “forest bathing.” Thich Nhat Hanh spoke of the healing capacity of the natural world. 

“When we suffer, the Earth embraces us, accepts us, and restores our energy, making us strong and stable again. The relief that we seek is right under our feet and all around us.”

So, I reflected on my good fortune to be introduced to Shintaido in 1984 and the many opportunities to practice in nature. I was eager to see the impact from our outdoor boh workshop.

Charles Burns arrived from the UK on Tuesday to allow for two days of keiko with Rob and Connie and to explore our keiko sites of Golden Gate Park and Ocean Beach. Charles shared his inspirations of study of a Boh Kata called “Karei no Kon,” which translates into ‘Spirit of the Flower.’ Those who visited Japan in 2004 for the Matsuri international event may recall this long kata, introduced there by Oi sensei. Charles shared his inspiration to use segments from this kata throughout his keiko during warmups and kumite. Hoshi o Toshi was shared from this kata to take our eyes and vision to the horizon for greater awareness of nature. Charles then visited Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park and the majestic redwood trees in Muir Woods. Friday the 29^th of July, Shin joined Charles, Rob, and me for a collegial keiko in Upper Noe Park for a study of yondan and godan kumibo and Hakuson Kata.

On Saturday 30 July, the workshop began at 8 AM in Golden Gate Park with Rob Gaston, teaching the first keiko. Nature provided heavy fog and drizzle. Rob taught a gentle ten-nage (catch boh – literally “throwing to heaven”) sequence which developed from mochikae to feel like doing eiko dai. We sent energy high into the sky/heavens as we pulled the boh up through our bodies to pass it overhead to our partners. We held shoko to shine brightly for our partners. Next, we explored the same idea using chudan Tsuki; receiving directly into our stomachs, tightening the ma, and then moving to one side to allow the boh to pass. We were taught to take hold of our partner’s boh and lift it skyward into age-oroshi. This transformed the horizonal chudan attack into a peaceful dissolving of energy. 

Rob closed with repetitions of Hi No Kata sharing the imagery of a brightly burning fire. Nature provided sunshine to break through the clouds to create focused areas of bright light on field. We did larger and free movements and closed with one synchronized kata.  

The second keiko, at Ocean Beach, was taught by Charles Burns. We arrived in light fog and mixed visibility of the ends of the beach, and the windmill above the sand dunes. Pelicans flew overhead in formation several times. Charles had us tie green flags on the end of our bohs asking us to use it like a paintbrush.  He began with a warm-up sequence based on mochikae in which the side-to-side movement of the boh gradually morphed into various basic kihon.

Charles then described the experience of being inside Millennium Dome in London, a building visible from space. He wanted us to visualize painting the inside of this vast dome with our boh. We painted from side to side, from top to bottom and all around this dome as we moved our bohs to his gorei. Charles then led the group into kumite with neriai. We started one to one with our partners, then in groups of three and finally with much amazement we became a group of six. It felt as if we formed a large teepee with our bohs, moving in unison with everyone and nature.

Our second kumite was Dai-jodan versus ichi-monji receive and then jodan to jodan kumite to create a simple kihon kumibo sequence. Charles moved us into kata to face the ocean and do Kaze no Kata, repeating it several times going faster and faster, then one slow kata. We closed with Hoshi o Toshi as we stirred the clouds and the stars beyond the clouds.

Sunday 31 July started our second day and third keiko at Golden Gate Park taught by Shin Aoki. Shin taught stepping with boh movements so that when we moved into kumite, we did a soft yet direct jodan into our partners center/their heart. We repeated this movement twice and then our partner descended energically deep in the earth to hook, turn and raise our partner up into the heavens – wakimuso.  Shin taught about the flow of energy in circles, moving the energy inward and moving the energy outward. The next kumite was daiheigen against chudan tsuki, so we began to move energy at the level of the horizon. Shin concluded the practice with Mizu no Kata, completing the sequence of three basic boh katas which we practiced throughout this event.

The Fourth Keiko was at Golden Gate park taught by Charles Burns. With instinctual awareness of the group energy after three Keiko, he led a boh massage warmup. He then reviewed aspects of the first three Keiko so our bodies could remember the richness of the teachings.  First, we reviewed the neriai / ten-nage combination introduced by Robert in keiko one, developing it into Shoten. Next, we practiced the Daiheigen movement shown to us by Shin in keiko three, developing it into Eiko. Charles encouraged us to cry “look at the beautiful horizon!” as we opened our arms to send our partner rolling backwards with their boh.

Finally, Charles reshared the Millennium Dome image to combine the three basic boh kata into one kata. Through the apex of the dome, energy came down above to the ground, igniting our world in fire. We did Hi No Kata. Then water fell from above to extinguish the fire and as the world filled with water, we did Mizu no Kata.   The ground was now wet, however fire and water created stream, and this created a wind – a vortex and we started Kaze no Kata. We closed with a large horizontally encompassing Hoshi o Toshi.

We finished with deep gratitude for the teachings and for our community. I felt content, my mind was calm, and my heart felt wide open. Charles expressed his appreciation to teach within his new role of General Instructor. Shin expressed his learnings of more imagery work with kata. Rob expressed his gratitude the workshop was successful to connection further with nature while building a story across the boh kata.