Center for Aikido and Tangsoodo Studies

Welcome also to Marc Gaechter and Mark Soppe. Welcome also to Brad Pierso, who comes to us from the Loveland Aikido dojo. It’s great to have yet another shodan to toss Jack Hoyt and me around during testing!

Paige Lewis showed her shining face in the dojo again after a short sabbatical. Oldtimers have returned after years of absence. Prodigal son Allen Coons is back, after years of absence. Even Phil Ranger stopped by to say hi! Welcome back!

Paige introduced me to an excellent book about ki, and the life of Koichi Tohei Sensei, entitled, A Road That Anyone Can Walk: Ki, by William Reed. If you want to borrow it, let Paige or me know. I also found a book entitled Ki: A Practical Guide to the Healing Principles of Life Energy, by Mallory Fromm, which I will be glad to lend out. (Tim Speaks has first dibs.)

Belated congratulations are in order. Ryan and Debby’s baby Mason (think of the jar) was born November 14th. And congratulations on the wedding, Tim and Gloriana!

I will be gone on a three-week vacation, January 22nd through February 15^th(possibly longer). I will meet 6^th dan Rodney Grantham, who trained with Koichi Tohei, and in Japan, and now lives in Scaly Mountain, North Carolina. His wife Janet is a 3rd dan. If you are good to me, I might share some of Rodney and Janet’s videotapes and “war stories” with you when I return!

THE SAMURAI

By Ryan Goettsche

The History Channel recently broadcast an interesting program on the samurai. I found it very informative about their perceptions about who they were and what they were about. These are some of the points made by the program.

The samurai originally started as a band of warriors employed by the emperor to go from village to village and collect taxes. After they realized how powerful they were, the samurai began to create their own pseudo-governments, controlled by a warlord samurai. The emperor became a figurehead with no real power over the country. With the separation of clans came civil wars, which lasted for hundreds of years. By no means was the civil war era a wonderful time to live. There was always a power struggle among the clans, and the commoners paid the price.

Portuguese explorers then came to Japan and introduced gunpowder and firearms. Japan became the highest manufacturer of firearms for the time. At first, most samurai rejected the new weapons, as people tend to do with any new technology. Eventually the samurai did start using firearms.

With the civil wars continuing, one leader finally managed to close Japan off from all outsiders, and banned the production of firearms. Japan then became united under one leader and moved into a time of relative peace. Since there were no more wars, the samurai became heads of states and leaders in the community. They found it necessary to apply their philosophies and codes of conduct toward a different purpose. The concept of Bushido was born.

This period of peace and solitude lasted until the mid 19^th century when the United States came in and regarding-opened trading by threat of military force. The United States told Japan to open its doors to world trade of suffer the consequences. So ended the days of the samurai.

For the samurai, everything revolved around honor. Whenever they entered a challenge they would state their names and their lineage. If they were ever disgraced they would have to commit suicide to save the honor of their lineage. The samurai always had somebody there beside him to behead him in case he couldn’t go through with it. During battle they would behead their enemies to take to their lord as proof that the enemy was dead and they would receive gifts for their work.

There was also a political game going on between the clans, which were played out by marrying between the clans. The marriages and alliances were almost always shaky at best. Once a woman entered into the samurai lineage, she was also granted the same status as the samurai himself though for the most part never becoming a warrior. Whenever the samurai were away for battles, the women were expected to be able to defend the home.

During the civil war era, Japan endured bloodshed and pain with so much life wasted for the taste of power. I think that the period of time when Japan was closed off from outsiders was when the final lesson was learned. Not to say that it became a utopian society, but compared to where it was they made major changes. Then we entered the picture. Go figure.

The Useless Tree

By Hal Render

[Note from Hal San: This is a chapter from Thomas Merton’s The Way of Chuang Tzu, a translation of the writings of Chinese Taoist philosopher Chuang Tzu. Chuang Tzu was the second (after Lao Tzu) of the great Taoist philosophers of China. Taoism is the philosophy that studies tao, “The Way.” Taoism influenced many branches of Asian philosophy and religion. Its influence on Buddhism produced the branch known in China as Ch’an and in Japan as Zen. As such, Taoism is one of the core philosophies that informs traditional Asian martial arts. One should note that the Japanese word for tao is do, as in Aikido.]

Hui Tzu said to Chuang:

I have a big tree,

The kind they call a “stinktree.”

The trunk is so distorted,

So full of knots,

No one can get a straight plank

out of it. The branches are so crooked

You cannot cut them up

In any way that makes sense.

There it stands beside the road.

No carpenter will even look at it.

Such is your teaching –

Big and useless.

Chuang Tzu replied:

Have you ever watched the wildcat

Crouching, watching his prey –

This way it leaps, and that way,

High and low, and at last

Lands in the trap.

But have you seen the yak?

Great as a thundercloud

He stands in his might.

Big? Sure,

He can’t catch mice!

So, for your big tree. No use?

Then plant it in the wasteland

In emptiness.

Walk idly around,

Rest under its shadow;

No axe or bill prepares its end.

No one will ever cut it down.

Useless? You should worry!

A Moment in Time

By Sam George

When I bow at the door of the dojo it centers me as to why I practice.

When I bow to Ryan San it is to say: How are you, glad you’re here, thanks for spending your time with us.

When I bow to a beginner, it is to say: Thank you for being here. I hope we can share this time and learn from it.

When I bow to my partner after a difficult time it is to say: All is okay. We begin anew next time. Go in peace.

When I am waiting to get onto the mat and I’m late, it is to say: I know I am late, but I choose to train today anyway.

When bowing to O’Sensei at the beginning of the class, it is to say: Thank you for giving us this art to practice in this holy place.

Some things to think about when you bow might be:

1. Take time to bow.

2. Be centered when you bow.

3. Be sincere when you bow.

4. Be in your one point.

5. Weight underside.

6. Breathe.

7. Extend.

8. Bow four directions at once.

9. Be mindful of your intention when you bow.

In conclusion, I find that when I bow to another person, time slows down. I feel the moment, as does the other person does. It is so hard to explain what is shared that I must assume the feeling is mutual. That is what my intention is.

Hello from Brad Pier
By Brad Pier

I am new to the Springs area. Thank you all for the welcome and chance to practice Aikido at your dojo.

A little background info: I started Aikido practice in the 80's at Nippon-Kan with Gaku Homma Sensei. After some moving around, I wound up living in Loveland, Co, And practicing Aikido with Kent Hinesley Sensei. Recent changes have brought me here. I am still getting settled in the area. Sensei's recent talk about beginner’s mind struck true to me. Moving to a new practice, with new instructors and students, reinforced this concept to me. I hope to enter each practice with a learning attitude. This keeps practice a new and stimulating affair.

I look forward to learning and practicing with everyone at ~~your~~ [oops] our dojo.

What Am I Going to Say?

By Mark Crary

[WHAT AM I GOING TO SAY? I don't really know, so I'll just babble a little and we'll see what comes out . . . . ]

First: Welcome to all of our new members! I hope you all enjoy training with us. As you will come to know, the more people you have to train with, the better. Be sure that your presence is valued, and that the senior members will be learning from you just as (hopefully) you'll be learning from us. I know it might seem a little crowded on the mat sometimes, but there has always been room for one more, and I believe that is the way it will always be.

Try to train on a regular basis. Twice a week is good, but for me, I make better progress when I can train three times. Just come with an open mind and be ready to practice, and we'll all grow in our Aikido and our lives. It might sound strange to a beginner, but for me, Aikido has put me through more changes in my outlook on life than anything ever before. I still cannot believe how many lessons I learn on the mat that have practical (although I don't always know it at the time) applications off the mat.

Along those lines: talking with Sensei after his accident, we somehow wound up on the subject of decision-making processes. It seems many people (myself included sometimes) tend to make decisions based on emotions instead of logic. Every time I have done that, I have been slapped down. Sometimes very hard. (OUCH -- another learning experience . . . .)

After hanging up, it occurred to me that this is a lesson I have been taught on the mat more times than I could count. Ask any Sempai – if your emotions from a bad day come on the mat, nothing works. If you set out to prove how well you can do a technique, your ego wrecks it before you even have moved.

The only way Aiki happens is when you are in the moment, with no emotions or ego involved, and with an "empty mind." That is when the "truth" of Aikido is found, and the "logic" of the technique is clear to see. Is it the same as when you consider a choice with a clear mind, and logically consider the options (and the outcome of those options)? (Did I say that right?)

And to Sensei: So sorry to hear about your accident. I am sure it is a major blow, and I can only imagine what all is on your mind, what with work, guitar, training, and the regular day to day. BUT, if I know you, it won't be a problem for long.

Well, so now we know what's gonna come out . . . .

We All Make Mistakes

By Gihan Cathcart

We all make mistakes, and we’ve all done things that we regret. Taking a moment from our busy lives to reflect on our choices and actions helps us to learn about ourselves. Asking an objective person may offer some insight, but we need to do a bit of reflection ourselves. Only we know what the truth is.

In Tangsoology, the practitioners learn to always do their best, to recognize falseness and to align with truth. Truth, not the tinted version we fool ourselves into believing.

It seems that recent situations that members of our club find themselves in, including myself, all stem from misguided choices. Trying to justify our wrong choices just deludes us into thinking they were the right ones, but this only perpetuates the circumstance. What is worse is that if nothing is learned from our mistakes then life will continue as it has before.

Once a mistake is recognized and the results remedied, nothing is going to change unless effort and action is made toward changing our thinking and toward self-improvement.

Proper etiquette and discipline go a long way toward this goal. Practice etiquette in class, but also carry this practice into your daily life. Properly setting the table with forks on the left (first to be used is placed on the extreme left) and knife then spoon on the right (knife with blade facing the plate) is a simple way to follow etiquette at home. Being organized at home will also carry a sense of order into your thoughts and actions in daily life.

Try not to dwell on the mistakes that have already been made. Learn to recognize what can be changed and what cannot. These are just a few things that I have learned in the past eight months or so.

Clarity

By Langdon Foss

Our culture clamors for change. Steeping in the blame and fear that is almost prerequisite to being an American citizen these days, a person will almost always admit that something in the world needs to be altered. That something might be today’s rebellious youth, or it might be the America-hating terrorists, or it might be the parasitic welfare class, or the corporate lap-dogs of the Right, the unpatriotic, socialist Left, or the godless homosexuals. Whatever is deemed to be the necessary modification leading to a bright tomorrow, it is sadly unlikely that a person will considers that factor to be himself.

How remote the possibility of effective change can be, then, when it is difficult even to identify one’s self as part of the problem. When that miraculous realization has taken place, what then? Nothing can be effectively changed, no problem solved, without clarity of understanding of the situation and our role in the situation.

We in this culture are lost in a storm of our own thoughts and impulses. Like Orobouros the serpent, unknowingly consuming its own tail, we wrestle against the forces in our lives, unaware that we are the source of those demiurgical vectors. How can one possibly escape the quicksand without first looking up to find the vine?

The mind can be a terrifying place, a hall of mirrors endlessly reflecting its own warped and referential visage, a sight most of us choose to overlook in lieu of a comforting illusion of utter irreducibility. If one is unwilling to observe the warp and woof of the fabric of one’s very self, one will continue to be a tempest of uncontrollable and unpredictable forces of desire, action, and emotion.

One way to gradually come to term with one’s psychic topography is to identify an issue in one’s own life and explore it as completely as one can (or at least as completely as one thinks one can at the time.) Analyzing the root of emotional reaction can elucidate the subtle currents leading ultimately to conscious action.

Consider a person who doesn’t like getting her feet dirty, who becomes enraged at her child for tracking dirt into the house. She can spend hours in psychoanalysis, dream interpretation and Rorschach testing and possibly find a logical answer rooted in her childhood and understand her anger. It is doubtful that that would give her the peace of mind required to put the issue behind her for good. If anything, her answer would be purely syntactical and rational, difficult to integrate into the rich abstraction of felt experience.

An option I would put forth is that she purposefully dirty her own feet as mindfully and completely as she can, to feel the invisible forces that her mind erects to keep her from that soil. To play with these forces is to be like a child with an invisible ball, or someone with his hand out the window of a moving car, feeling the unseen currents of the wind. It might be unpleasant to purposefully seek out and experience the things we reject, but it can be invaluable in understanding why we reject them to begin with.

Another possibility that does not require so direct an approach is simply to visualize. If there’s a quality about someone in someone’s life we can’t stand, for reasons unknown, there is the possibility of seeing that reaction clearly. We can imagine ourselves talking to that person, listening to his point of view, appreciating the absurd vehicle he drives. Eventually, by not giving in to the mental twitches and reflexes we might be able to see that man’s life through his eyes, and ultimately the chain of events that would lead us to lose patience with him.

Any inhibition we harbor is evidence of a decision made without our consent, an opportunity lost to better decide who we are. It might be by the collective hand of culture that these obscure instructions were written on our psyches, or it might have been an experience we had as children before it occurred to us to look carefully at our selves. One thing is for certain, however. All of our decisions, emotions and desires are our own responsibility, and we are in a culture that seeks to make it another’s.

The doorstep of Choronzon, the keeper of the psychic abyss, is an unpleasant place for the modern ego to haunt, but it is only within earshot of those winds stripped of linguistic syntax that we can truly begin to understand what we are. And if we choose not to look within with the eye of a scientist, what kind of positive change could we possibly effect? We then run risk of seeing our problems as arising from our government, or our neighbors, or our children. We have 5,000 years of human history to remind us where that mentality leads.

Struggles

By Jude Miller

While observing the beginner ranks in Tang Soo Do train the other night, it truly occurred to me how far I had developed since I first began training in martial arts. However, I have been training approximately eleven years now and I still remember what it is like to be a beginner. The reason for this is that I still go through the same struggles as beginners. Front kicks are still hard for me to execute, stances are still hard to sit in, and forms are still difficult to perform. I am referring to the very same techniques that white belt ranks practice.

Tang Soo Do is difficult. Most anyone can train in it, but it is not for everyone. Very few people can live up to the task. Basics will be hard for me to perform for a very long time to come. Everyone in our club is still a beginner; some just have more knowledge and experience.

I write this for beginners who may feel overwhelmed or discouraged. Tang Soo Do is a never-ending pursuit if you truly desire to learn the art. Train, train hard, and train regularly. That is the only secret. The art will reveal itself to you in good time.

Have faith in what you train in. Otherwise, you are simply being dishonest with yourself and everyone else you train with. However, if you are up to the task and truly desire to learn the art of Tang Soo Do, simply be genuine and patient in your effort. Remember, masters are self-made.

There is no one (besides you) who is going to promote how you practice or train. The burden first falls squarely upon you, as the practitioner. What you do with this art is up to you. So choose wisely, and have faith in all that you do. All things develop and mature at the correct time and for the correct reason.

Beware of Governments Bearing Gifts

By Rob Roberts

As some of you may know, I have been carrying two petitions. One is a petition for a tax cut, and the other one is to protect and strengthen our right to petition. Carrying these two petitions is basically my job now, but it is something I believe in. (See the other article I wrote for our dojo’s last newsletter).

One of the sponsors of the petitions I’m carrying is the same person who authored the Taxpayer’s Bill Of Rights (TABOR). The Taxpayer’s Bill Of Rights forbids the government from raising taxes without asking permission from the taxpayers first. One person I encountered while carrying my petitions told me that he wouldn’t sign my petitions because TABOR contains a provision which will not allow government organizations to accept federal government funds without consulting the taxpayers first.

For example, if the federal government wanted to award a school district with a grant, that school district would not be able to accept the funds unless it obtained approval from the taxpayers.

I confess that I have not read all of TABOR, so such a provision might be in the legislation. For the sake of argument, let’s suppose it is. Are there any reasons why we would forbid state government organizations from accepting gifts from the federal government?

First of all, taking something which does not belong to you is wrong. Before the government can bestow gifts of money on a school district, it must first take it (by force, if necessary) from others. Using force to take something that doesn’t belong to you is called theft.

For example, if a robber robs you at gunpoint even if he intends to give it to charity or feed his family with it, theft is still wrong. Does government rob at gunpoint? Try not paying a tax because you morally object to how it is to be used, and eventually armed workers from the government will be at your door. Theft (even through the use of a proxy) is a violation of Aiki principles.

Secondly, we do not have a frictionless government. What I mean by this is that if the state government surrenders an amount of money to the federal government (call it ‘X’) then the federal government does not return an equal amount of value or benefits to the people of that state. (They receive “X” minus “n,” where “n” is a number greater than zero; usually only 25% of “X” makes it back to the people it was intended to help.)

The balance of the money sent off to Washington is diverted into other purposes and lost to the bureaucracy. Disallowing the state government to accept this pittance will encourage the state to stop funneling our money into the federal black hole. Funding aggression is also a violation of Aiki principles.

For the government to give me a gift, they must first take something from someone else. The gift I take may prevent a borderline income family from sending a child to college. The gift that improves my life may force a stay at home parent into the workforce, robbing valuable time that parent should be having with his or her children. There is no gift worth having that is taken from another against their will. I personally choose to forsake a stolen gift and learn to live without it or earn it through my own effort and sacrifice.

War versus Space Exploration

By Tim Speaks

When I look up into the clear night sky I see infinite possibilities. I see innumerable worlds apart from ours where a word like “utopia” can become more than a silly ideology spouted by some lunatic. I imagine that there really is life on other planets – intelligent life, not just flesh rotting bacteria waiting to devour us. I maintain hope that with mankind’s continued exploration of our universe, we may yet find other beings with whom to share our thoughts, feelings and viruses.

However, that sugar-coated pipe dream seems highly unlikely. I hate to play devil’s advocate (I’m lying), but we’ve got to face the facts, folks. It seems that for every technological innovation that advances that human race closer to the stars there are two that bring us closer to total annihilation.

Just do a little comparison of the amount of money being spent to blow up crap in Iraq (and then rebuild it again) with the amount of money spent on the space program. The current expected price tag for the Iraqi festivities is something on the order of eighty-seven billion dollars, compared to a little over fifteen billion dollars for NASA’s expected 2004 budget. Space exploration is only popular if you can bring back pretty pictures to show the ignorant masses and real estate developers. War is far more entertaining as long as no one you know is dying in a flaming helicopter crash.

To me, the incomprehensible vastness of space serves as a constant reminder of the insignificance of our struggles here on Earth. I think all of us would do well to cultivate our connections with the universe.

Hopefully we’ll all live long enough to meet the little green men. Hopefully they won’t just be out to vaporize us and steal all our gold.

Time
By Jack Hoyt

Time, that item in our lives that makes little difference at times, but then can mean so much when we don't have it.

Time to a child means nothing little to nothing, except that it's Time to eat, Time to sleep, Time to play.

As one grows older, Time is what you want to spend with your friends. Some Times there is never enough.

In the teens and early twenties and some Times into the thirties there is always plenty of Time. If it couldn't be done today, there was always Time tomorrow.

As Time passes, it's really not a thought of Time that has passed, but how much is left to do what was put off when you had the Time. Do I still have Time or do I do it now? Some are granted more Time than others. Some are taken before their Time. You who are young more than likely have lots of Time. Those that are older? Who knows? Tomorrow will tell the story of your Time.

The point is, how you spend your Time now will affect your future, and maybe your next life, if you so believe. It's all a matter of Time.

As I write this, I've about run out of Time and hope to get it to the publisher in Time. As always, I hope I can make it in the nick of Time.

Time can be used only if you take advantage of that . . . Time.

– Jack Hoyt 01/18/2004

“This Is Your Brain on Ki”

By Allen Coons

When you use your ki, you develop a little-known section of the brain. A recent scientific study of autopsy findings concerned the brain tissue of particular martial artists. The study focused upon subjects who had practiced actively and performed surprising feats which apparently required highly developed ki.

Those martial artists possessed brains which shared certain surprising characteristics. A particular section of tissue had developed very high “vascular content.” In other words, there were more and larger blood vessels in the average person. The striking part was that one ordinarily cannot detect such differences without a microscope, but here the differences were so large as to be visible to the naked eye. Further research on this is being performed.

The study suggests that a specific area of the brain is more directly associated with ki than others. Developing one’s ki promotes growth in that area. This is physical proof of something Aikido students have always known: the more ki you use, the more you have. The brain is like a muscle: work it, and it becomes stronger.

These results are similar to those found in autopsies on Alzheimer patients. People who keep their minds stimulated are less likely to develop the disease. Idle brains develop gelatinous characteristics. They actually look and feel more like Jello than the typical brain.

Take a look at your brain on idle, and your brain on ki. Any questions? The moral of the story is, keep on thinking, and extend ki!

Why People are Aggressive

By Brian Brogren

Have you ever pondered the question why Humans are so aggressive? What I am talking about is why do people call people names, attack and even kill people? It is something most people cannot change in their lives, but some can control it.

One idea that I have is that humans are just evolved primates and our instincts are among us. Or humans have just found a way to make people feel bad so they can feel good or just to relief stress.

Also another reason I think people are aggressive is they cannot control it because they are having a breakdown or they cannot think of anything better to do instead putting people down. Also I think guns and swords have sparked people’s aggression inside of them because it makes them feel in control of the situation.

I also believe that people need to be aggressive in order to live. Why I think that is not often do strangers share with other strangers including even maybe one dollar. The things that I’ve written are my beliefs why people or humans are so aggressive in the world today.

Knowledge Bowls

By Peter Cathcart

My school has a game called Knowledge Bowls. Knowledge Bowls are fun.

When we have a Knowledge Bowl we are asked questions we studied. If you behave well you get points. There is also a part of the game that is called Speed Round. In it they give you 1 minute.

Teaching Beginners as a Beginner

By Nikki Crary

On January 13th, I got the opportunity I thought I would never have until I had my hakama, to teach a class! It was the most exciting thing ever! The feeling of being in front of a class and teaching them is unexplainable!

When I realized that I helped people learn more, I wanted to tell everyone about it. When Ryan called all of the white belts to the high side, I was thinking "I wonder what we're going to work on?" Then he said that I should take over and teach some basic stuff I knew. I was shocked! Being able to help my juniors with things was so much fun!

I would like to thank Ryan once again for giving me this chance, and all of my juniorsfor being so attentive while I was teaching. THANKS!

Jump Start Your Ki

By Dave Margrave

What do Aikido, reiki, shiatsu, kiatsu, acupuncture, acupressure, reflexology, yoga, Chi Gung (also known as Qigong), Applied Kinesiology, Healing Touch, Touch for Health, charismatic hands-on healing, Jesus’ miracle cures, and a few dozen other therapies all have in common?

They all teach us how to jump start our ki. They all begin with the premise that health and vitality result from a strong energy field.

The differences between the various practices are overshadowed by their similarities. Some of them (like Aikido and Chi Gung) tend to emphasize turning up the wattage. Others (like acupuncture and acupressure) tend to emphasize removal of blockages. Some of them are solo activities; others require a partner. Fundamentally, however, each of them strives to improve one’s strength and health by strengthening the human energy field.

The existence of this field is no longer controversial. Every major culture has a word for it. It is called “chi,” “ki,” “prana,” “vital force,” the “human energy field,” the “etheric double,” the aura, and many other names. Westerners have been slow to catch on to this concept which Easterners take for granted.

Chiropractors routinely deal with the human energy field using both sophisticated instruments and low-tech physical therapies. Researchers have measured the electromagnetic output of the heart chakra from three feet away.

Many American insurance companies now pay for treatment of the energy field, most frequently in hospices (where the results appear to be most dramatic). The insurance industry created a special code for treatments classified as “disturbed energy field intervention.”

Organizations such as the Colorado Nurses Association certify continuing education courses in treatment of the human energy field. A surgeon recently conducted open heart surgery on a patient without anesthesia. Trained healers anesthetized the patient by working on his energy field.

You can fortify your own energy field in many ways. You may strengthen it unconsciously when you relax, breathe deeply, walk, meditate, or stretch. And of course, there are always my own personal favorites energy fortifiers: eating and sleeping.

You can jump start a friend’s ki in the same way that your jump start a car battery. Just hook up the cables. Simply hold your friend’s hands; or place your hands on the front and back or sides of his or her head; or place one hand on the crown chakra and the other on any of the lower chakras. It matters little whether you hold your hands an inch away, or make skin contact.

People are constantly recharging one another's energy fields even when they just hug, hold hands, or simply sit quietly together in prayer or meditation. This is a tangible change, which you can easily sense if you pay attention. This is one reason infants find it so calming to be held. The loving touch of another person reinforces the infant’s own energy field. Most of us, as we grew older, were trained to ignore such things.

Hands-on healing techniques have been practiced for millennia. They were used by ancient Greeks and Egyptians. Written records of hands-on healing techniques (including specific case histories) are found on papyrus scrolls and stone tablets dating as far back as five thousand years ago.

Ironically, Westerners flouted the teachings of Jesus with their prejudice against recognizing hands-on healing techniques. According to the Bible, Jesus taught that his hands-on healing methods were available to all. He stated to his disciples that they would do everything that he had done, and more.

Koichi Tohei, one of the greatest Aikido masters, promoted energetic healing. William Reed’s book about Tohei Sensei entitled A Path Anyone Can Walk explains Tohei’s version of hands-on healing. He named his method “kiatsu” (probably after the similar therapy called shiatsu).

Kiatsu emphasizes the extension of ki through one’s fingertips into the weak or injured area of a patient’s body. Kiatsu also emphasizes that good diet, posture, sleep, and specific breathing techniques are critical in maintaining one’s health.

Tohei founded the Kiatsu Therapist School in 1982. The school teaches a two-year course of study, and has branches in Tokyo, Osaka, and Amsterdam. Kiatsu graduates use this therapy widely in Japan, and teach its use in various parts of the world.

These are some of the case studies discussed by Reed:

! Eighty-year old Masyauki Shoda had cataracts which prevented him from seeing any object except in vague outline. Ten sessions of Kiatsu made the cataracts disappear completely.

! Seventy-eight year old Kimiko Goto had a “deformity” in both knees from birth, which caused swelling and stiffness. She could not bend her knees or walk normally. Kiatsu therapy corrected these problems and allowed her to walk normally again.

! One-year old Yasushi Hamaguchi began having epileptic fits at six months of age and required medication to prevent the seizures. After a few Kiatsu sessions, he was cured.

! Thirty-seven year old Mitsunari Fukuda fell from a tree as a child, and became partially paralyzed. He was virtually unable to feel any sensation in his right arm and leg. During his Kiatsu training at Tohei’s school he regained full sensation in both limbs.

! Fifty-one year old Kazu Shimizu had severe rheumatoid arthritis and was stiff and sore over her entire body. She had so little strength that objects would slip out of her hands; she could not even wash dishes. After a year she had improved greatly; after three years she had recovered completely. (See Reed, Pgs. 185-189.)

Paige offered to lend the Reed book to any student of the dojo who is interested. Thank you, Paige, for lending it to me.

Hands-on healing techniques are taught in Colorado Springs by Myra Tovey, whose phone number is 719-622-0703. Myra offers a nationally certified course called Healing Touch. Most of her students are nurses, physical therapists, or massage therapists, but many of them are people like you and me who simply want to learn about the art, and practice it at home. I whole-heartedly recommend Myra’s professional training to anyone with an interest in healing or fortifying any aspect of one’s health.

Obviously, Healing Touch is not a substitute for medical care, but I believe it can support one’s recovery from any medical condition. My family members and I have taken courses from Myra. We have used Healing Touch techniques on friends and on one another.

I personally believe that Healing Touch techniques saved Linda’s two front teeth. In a bicycle crash while on vacation a year ago, she dislodge her two front teeth. The teeth were substantially dislodged from the sockets, and we could not get her to a dentist until four or five hours after the accident. A very experienced Utah dentist told us from decades of experience that under these circumstances, the teeth would die, the roots would be “resorbed” within weeks (six months at the outside), and Linda would simply need implants. He recommended extracting them immediately, believing it was pointless to try to save them.

I insisted that the dentist rewire the teeth into place. He reluctantly did this. Linda and I used Healing Touch methods on her in the motel. We took her to see Myra Tovey a few times when we arrived home. A year after the accident, Linda’s “unsalvageable” teeth are healthy and appear to “cured.”

Such stories are common. My mother and siblings practiced similar techniques for a decades. Sensei may have some good stories on the topic for you, also. This topic is important not just to persons interested in ki, but to anyone with a pulse. We are talking about your life force and the quality of your life. You can safely experiment with any of the methods for jump-starting your ki. (And don’t forget tantric you-know-what.) You will sense amazing things, immediately.

Be careful when there is severe physical or emotional trauma. For example, in case of extreme physical injury, merely holding one’s hand above the injured person’s body (even over a part of the body far from the site of the injury) can cause severe pain. I have witnessed this. It can be shocking. We were taught that pain can be transmitted only by direct stimulation of nerve endings. This is absolutely false.

Severe trauma offers fascinating opportunities to witness the mind/body connection. If the mind/body has gone into shock and suppressed all or part of a trauma, then the slightest trigger may cause the patient, or the healer, or both to re-experience the pain of the trauma. Triggers may include discussing the trauma, looking at photographs of the traumatic incident, or anything else which may dredge up memories. Just as a rolfer can trigger the body’s memories of trauma through physical massage, the energetic healer can trigger memories of trauma by “massaging” the energy field. When triggered, the mind/body may re-enact the trauma physically.

A psychologist friend of mine specializes in treating patients who have been severely traumatized. Every year, some patients develop “stigmata” before his eyes. Stigmata are the body’s re-creation of physical injuries, where no new trauma is involved. Stigmata mimic the original injuries. They can include bruises, red marks, and scratches that match old knife or other wounds.

OK, so enough of the Professor Margrave persona. I have wandered far from the topic of Aikido. Let that be a lesson to you: If you want it short and sweet, make someone else edit the newsletter next time!

;-)

Even if I have put you to sleep, I hope you will share my enthusiasm for learning about this topic. The body is a mind, and the mind is a body. The entire system is organized and fueled by that mysterious and invisible force called ki. One’s individual ki can be weak, blocked, and in conflict with the rest of the world around us. We can choose to make our ki strong, and in synch with those we love and the rest of the cosmos. To get our ki in synch, we must get to know it.

O’Sensei dedicated his life to teaching us about this fascinating topic. He was not just teaching about balance, dexterity, or some obscure mystical doctrine. He taught us about the vital force which sustains life – about life itself. So if you really want to know yourself, or to know what makes your partner tick, or to know what life is all about, then check it out. Experiment!

Jump start your ki!

The Center for Aikido and

Tang Soo Do

By Mark Soppe

Before I joined the Center for Aikido and Tang Soo Do, I looked around at a few different places. My friends back home gave me a push towards Tang, but being stubborn I still looked around.

I visited the websites of the other schools I was thinking about and they were more commercialism than anything else. Too many flashy posts and look at my trophy pictures.

That wasn’t what I was looking for. I wanted a place to train, not a sport for competition. Then I came to visit the center and watched the first class, and participated in the second. The reason I came back to join is because of the people.

All the students at the Center have been courteous, and always willing to help. Being the new guy, I need a lot of that. I can see all the moves in my mind, but my mind and body tend to disagree on certain things. Slowly with everyone’s help, my body is coming around to agree with my mind.

My experiences with the Center have been nothing short of fantastic. I always look forward to my training, and feel revived before, during, and after. Now, I’m looking forward to see what other positive changes will develop within me.

PHOTO OF THE MONTH:

The Center for Aikido and Tang Soo Do Studies

5668 N. Union Blvd

Colorado Springs, CO 80918
(719) 477-1244

If you are interested in Tang Soo Do or Aikido, please contact us

For information on Aikido, contact:

! Ryan Goettsche (719) 243-4588,

! Hal Render (719) 448-9293,

! Sam George (719) 471-1588, or

! Rob Roberts (719) 638-8956.

For information on Tang Soo Do, contact:

! Jude Miller, (719) 635-2874, or

! Tim Speaks, (719) 559-2983.

Please come by and watch a class!