It is natural to be hungry for more kata.
This hunger must be resisted, I think.
This hunger represents our culturally influenced desire to have more, and more, and more.
We never seem satiated, satisfied, content with what is.
What is, is what one should dwell within.
The first kata should be a dwelling place for life.
Strive to dwell within the infinite possibilities inherent in one patterned form.
Strive to recognize those infinite possibilities within the confines of a life limited by space and time.
This recognition should help us gorge on one kata, or a handful. Our finitude should
help us to dwell within what is, rather than constantly seek more.
Anticipation flows within the structure of how we experience the world.
We always anticipate what is next. Turn this anticipation from volume to possibility within.
In this way, Iaido can be training for stillness within movement, for contentedness within the singular, or the few, for seeking more from what is.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Niten Night Feb. 27 is a Go!
Nathan has booked the room at the VRRI from 6-8 pm for another Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu study group practice. We are also going to have a short discussion about the Summer Seminar.
Alex will not be able to attend due to scheduling conflicts.
Cost of renting the room will be divided up among those who attend.
The address for The Vocational & Rehabilitation Research Institute (VRRI) is 3304 - 33rd Street NW Calgary.
Hope to see you there!
Joe
BTW, the picture to the right is the famous self-portrait of Miyamoto Musashi, founder of HNIR, circa 1640.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Breaking habits and building new ones
Call it Pavlovian in method.
If you want to break a habit in your training, isolate it, focus on it, and do it repetitively until and beyond it bores you and it hurts. You need to sweat in this stuff.
Then re-apply the isolated technique into the overall form and the newly formed habit should be there.
You must revisit this isolation and intentionality with repetition if you want the new habit to truly deserve the word.
This is iaido. Breaking old habits and making new ones!
Thanks Joe for this conversation last night during training!
Chris
If you want to break a habit in your training, isolate it, focus on it, and do it repetitively until and beyond it bores you and it hurts. You need to sweat in this stuff.
Then re-apply the isolated technique into the overall form and the newly formed habit should be there.
You must revisit this isolation and intentionality with repetition if you want the new habit to truly deserve the word.
This is iaido. Breaking old habits and making new ones!
Thanks Joe for this conversation last night during training!
Chris
Grading and CKF fees
CKF online registration and yearly fee payment system is running once again.
I have released, or given permission electronically for members registered and eligible, to grade.
You should be able to apply for gradings when forms become available online.
Please pay your CKF fees to be in good standing for gradings.
I have released, or given permission electronically for members registered and eligible, to grade.
You should be able to apply for gradings when forms become available online.
Please pay your CKF fees to be in good standing for gradings.
Monday, February 22, 2010
School opportunities
Thanks to the efforts of current students our Calgary club is able to teach Jodo to the students at both the Waldorf School and the Delta West Academy.
The money being earned through this instruction goes directly into our club account, keeping Ka Muso Kai a healthy organizaton financially.
In turn, we get to expose more Calgarians to this exciting traditional art.
Thanks to Sohail and Jean-Matisse for this extra effort to support the organization!
Also, thanks to Joe and Nathan for volunteering their time to help with instruction!
And great thanks to both schools for giving us the priviledge of sharing our art with their students!
Chris
The money being earned through this instruction goes directly into our club account, keeping Ka Muso Kai a healthy organizaton financially.
In turn, we get to expose more Calgarians to this exciting traditional art.
Thanks to Sohail and Jean-Matisse for this extra effort to support the organization!
Also, thanks to Joe and Nathan for volunteering their time to help with instruction!
And great thanks to both schools for giving us the priviledge of sharing our art with their students!
Chris
Next volunteer night
Tuesday, March 9th
6-8 pm.
Calgary Interfaith Foodbank
Contact Chris or post here for more information.
Carpooling available.
Chris
6-8 pm.
Calgary Interfaith Foodbank
Contact Chris or post here for more information.
Carpooling available.
Chris
Summer Seminar
It is an unofficial announcement here and now:
Our third annual summer seminar is a go.
We will once again have Colin Watkin, Menkyo of the Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu here to instruct us in that art as well as Kage ryu! This is a singularly exceptional opportunity for those who attend!
Kim Taylor sensei will be here for Jodo and I think we'll ask him to show us the two person or kumitachi set for iaido again. Again, these guys are our wise elders in the arts. It is completely to our benefit to receive their wisdom while they are here!
The dates also look like August 12, 13, 14, and 15.
More details to come officially in late March.
Chris
Our third annual summer seminar is a go.
We will once again have Colin Watkin, Menkyo of the Hyoho Niten Ichi Ryu here to instruct us in that art as well as Kage ryu! This is a singularly exceptional opportunity for those who attend!
Kim Taylor sensei will be here for Jodo and I think we'll ask him to show us the two person or kumitachi set for iaido again. Again, these guys are our wise elders in the arts. It is completely to our benefit to receive their wisdom while they are here!
The dates also look like August 12, 13, 14, and 15.
More details to come officially in late March.
Chris
Website updates
I've linked the new Niten demo video to our main website.
Bob of Sunergos made us a new brochure which is absolutely amazing. With his permission we have posted it on our site as a downloadable pdf. Thanks Bob and Dana!
I have also corrected the email links to myself, Alex and Colin.
Alex's club in Saint John is up and running: days and time posted on the website.
More updates will continue as I find the time!
Bob of Sunergos made us a new brochure which is absolutely amazing. With his permission we have posted it on our site as a downloadable pdf. Thanks Bob and Dana!
I have also corrected the email links to myself, Alex and Colin.
Alex's club in Saint John is up and running: days and time posted on the website.
More updates will continue as I find the time!
Kagemusha
Joe hosted a movie night at his place this past Saturday.
Thanks Joe for the chips, pop and pizza!
Kagemusha, one of Kurosawa's great epics, seems to be a movie worth watching in its entirety.
The gang present were hungry for battle so we skipped a great deal of the movie.
Fortunately, the gang present are quite knowledgable in Japanese history so there running - literally - commentary was very educational. Thanks guys!
I think Joe should add more to this post...so we can learn more about that movie, which we watched in blue-ray by the way - crazy real!
I don't even want to talk about that silly Lady Snowblood movie...
Chris
Thanks Joe for the chips, pop and pizza!
Kagemusha, one of Kurosawa's great epics, seems to be a movie worth watching in its entirety.
The gang present were hungry for battle so we skipped a great deal of the movie.
Fortunately, the gang present are quite knowledgable in Japanese history so there running - literally - commentary was very educational. Thanks guys!
I think Joe should add more to this post...so we can learn more about that movie, which we watched in blue-ray by the way - crazy real!
I don't even want to talk about that silly Lady Snowblood movie...
Chris
February volunteer night at the foodbank
Our February volunteer night had a great turn-out. Thank you Joe, Nathan, Sohail, Arjun and Mai for your two hours of volunteering. There were many volunteers besides ourselves that night and so we were able to put together quite a formidable number of food hampers for the needy. At the end of the night we were told we had provided food for 690 people!
It's solid work for the time we are there and afterwards, I find it feels just amazing to know I've helped those in need this way. Volunteer work is giving to others while giving to one's own soul, I think.
I look forward to the next one and hope we can have another fantastic turn-out!
Chris
It's solid work for the time we are there and afterwards, I find it feels just amazing to know I've helped those in need this way. Volunteer work is giving to others while giving to one's own soul, I think.
I look forward to the next one and hope we can have another fantastic turn-out!
Chris
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