🐉 Happy New Year 2024! As we closed out the year with our Keiko Osame and welcomed the new year, we embraced the practice of Misogi, letting go of the unnecessary and opening ourselves to humility, receptivity, and the exciting possibilities that 2024 holds. This year, the Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac,…
“Keiko Osame” holds profound significance in Aikido and Japanese martial arts, marking the culmination of a year’s practice and training. In Japanese, “Keiko” signifies practice, while “Osame” means conclusion. Therefore, Keiko Osame represents the pivotal final training session of the year, offering a moment for both the dojo and its students to embrace the full…
When we start Aikido, we have the absolute joy of being a beginner. We can’t be good at this stuff. We have no idea what we’re doing, and we can’t possibly understand the movements and how to connect brain, hands, feet, and body in a flowing technique. That’s just the way it is, and no…
What if the more important part of learning Aikido isn’t natural talent, athleticism, or a certain body type, but instead a long-term learning mindset that’s within the reach of every student? This approach was discovered by Angela Duckworth, Ph.D., professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, who began her career as an elementary school…