December 21, 2021. In the face of the current Covid surge in NYC, we wanted to republish information about our evidence-based Covid prevention equipment and strategies.
Starting September 8, 2020, we are adding limited-attendance indoor classes to our schedule! We will continue offering on-line and outdoor classes, as well as private individual and group instruction to our active members.
Thank you. It is because of you that we’ve been here for a decade and expect to be here for many more years. Ten years is a huge accomplishment for a small business—only 35% reach this milestone. And, of course, a dojo is only part business. It is a business because it costs money to exist, but it is also, and perhaps even more so, an ideal. It is a place where likeminded people congregate to pursue a path.
Opportunity is not an infinite resource. Opportunities lost, and the consequent regret, is perhaps more terrifying than a kaiju and a crowd. Don’t tell yourself you’ll train tomorrow. Train today and again tomorrow. The adage, “Don’t put off until tomorrow…,” is a cliche. That doesn’t lessen its import. And with that terrifying thought in mind, be sure to checkout these terrifying images from past Halloweens.
We’d like to start this month’s issue of In the Dojo by congratulating senior dojo member Greg Schneiderman (aka Greg Squared) on his promotion to sandan (third-degree black belt). Greg began training in 2007 and has cultivated and maintained a dedication to the art and our dojo that has withstood dojo changes and moves, graduate school, becoming a parent, career changes, and of course the pandemic. Amidst these many life changes and challenges, and preparing for his demonstration, Greg also launched his own woodworking and cabinetry company called Great Circles Woodworking. AOSB is fortunate to have such a student, and we are very pleased to share the essay he wrote as part of his sandan application.
This month, we’re very excited to announce our plans for autumn 2021. In addition to a full class schedule for members, free weekly trial classes for prospective students, and a new soto deshi program, we also have some exciting instructor updates, promotions, and…wait for it…our 10-year anniversary.
This is the 19th consecutive issue of In the Dojo since its revival in December 2019. Now, I’m out of ideas! I have complete and total writer’s block. So, instead of an article, I offer you some of my favorite pictures from the first half of 2021. You’ll recall, we began the year with masked, socially distanced practice. And then we got vaccinated! Let’s hope we can maintain our trend towards a better normal. In the meantime, if these pictures inspire a feeling that you missed out, it’s because you did
As we rush to reestablish routines, reopen businesses, and reunite with friends and family, it is understandably easy to forget that prepandemic normalcy was frequently a morass of mediocrity. Compared to the trauma of the last 15 months, mediocrity might be appealing. However, let’s remember that prepandemic life was often characterized by chronic work-life imbalances that interfered with, among other things, aikido, as well as ambient anxiety and stress, rushing, noise, and malaise. As we reopen, reestablish, and recommit, we have an opportunity to not merely return to normal, but to actually create something better.
In this month’s issue of In the Dojo, we pleased to feature an article about gender equality in aikido by AOSB co-founder Courtney Paul. This piece was originally submitted to the Aikido World Alliance’s Technical Committee in 2017 as part of Courtney’s nidan application. The issues and questions Courtney raises remain relevant today, especially as dojo’s reopen and there is the opportunity to do something better than merely returning to pre-pandemic normalcy.
In this issue of In the Dojo, we invited 5th kyu student Anna Gibertini to interview Josh Paul Sensei, AOSB’s cofounder and dojo-cho. For over 20 years, Paul Sensei’s aikido practice has evolved from simply a means to get some exercise, to a lifelong dedication, and finally into a family-run business. Here, Paul Sensei shares his aikido history, as well as his thoughts on how this traditional art is faring in the digital present.
Meditation and aikido, as well as other martial arts, have a long, intertwined history. My first aikido teacher, Joseph Jarman sensei, was a Zen Buddhist priest, and regularly led zazen (seated meditation) and kinhin (walking meditation) sessions after class. Aikido and meditation may be practiced independently or as complements to one another. Or one can pursue aikido as a form of meditation unto itself.
