Dojo News - January 2008
January 17th 2008
Sensei's Wellness Clinic featured in new online YourHub article
Doctor by Day, Martial Arts Instructor by Night!
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When he is not at the dojo practicing Aikido Richard stays quite busy. When the weather is nice he enjoys riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle and during the season, he enjoys hunting big game here in Colorado. At age 51, Richard is also a grandfather to a two year old named Nathan. He looks forward to taking his grandson fishing when Nathan is just a little bit older. Richard is also a "Master Freemason" and is quite an active member in the various Masonic organizations in Colorado. Freemasonry, of course, is one of the oldest Fraternities in the world and the oldest American fraternity organization.
Richard also holds a green belt in TaeKwonDo, a Korean martial art he trained in some years ago. When asked what he likes best about training Aikido, Richard says, "It feels like a family at Castle Rock AIKIDO. Everybody here helps one another and I think we all have an enjoyable time training together. It's good aerobic exercise and it helps me shake off stress from work and family. Furthermore, no matter how up or down I feel going to the dojo to practice, I always feel better after class. I would strongly recommend joining our family to anyone!"
Recently, Richard won a Memoirs of a Geisha DVD in a raffle at our year-end class "Keiko Osame." That night Richard also received a Japanese brush and ink calligraphy or "Shikishi" (pronounced 'she'-'key'-'she'), hand-written by Shiraki Sensei herself. Richard's Shikishi read "water" and was meant to inspire his Aikido training in the coming year to mimic the passive, fluid characteristic of water. Richard is a pleasure to have in the dojo and is a committed Aikido student.
January's AIKIDO Student of the Month: Richard Rosenbaum
Richard has been training at Castle Rock AIKIDO with us since June of last year. A resident of Larkspur, Colorado, Richard works for Qwest where he helps maintain the 911 Emergency system at local 911 Call Centers. He and his wife moved to Colorado from Texas in 1995. They have three grown children (two sons and a daughter).
January '08 Student Featurette: Richard Rosenbaum
Save the Date! Friday, January 25th
On Friday, January 25th, Castle Rock AIKIDO will be cutting class short that evening. We will all be going out together for some Japanese sushi, sake, and maybe an Asahi dry beer or two.at Mt. Fuji Restaurant. Mt. Fuji is just off of Front Street in the same shopping center as Kohl's Department Store.
All students and their significant others are invited. Even if you're an inactive student or a prospective student, you are welcome to join us. We'd love to see you!
We'll probably head over around 9pm so it may be too late for dinner for some (perhaps not for others), but come on out anyway and get to know the other Castle Rock AIKIDO students off the mat. Mt. Fuji is a Japanese style restaurant and is very easy to get to. Directions will be available at class or you can look them up on MapQuest.
Where & When
Approx 9pm - ???
Mt. Fuji
4714 Milestone Ln
Castle Rock, CO 80104
(303) 660-2612
4th Friday of the Month - Dojo Social ! ! !
AIKIDO & The Six Human Needs
appear to be in conflict with one another, but, in fact, are not. I suddenly realized how, for me, Aikido meets all of these six human needs! Perhaps it can for you, too.
The first two human needs appear to be in conflict with each other, but are actually complementary. The first is the need for certainty. That is, people require some degree of predictability in their lives on a daily or almost daily basis in order to function. One form of certainty could be physical security or safety. Being a defensive martial art, Aikido would certainly meet this first need.
The second human need... (Click HERE to read the rest of the article)
Add more Power, Meaning and Value to your life!
by Aikido Student, Sean Hannon
I have practiced the Japanese martial art of Aikido, in one form or another, for over 10 years. At first glance I always thought that I practiced Aikido for self-defense or just because it was fun. However, I was recently listening to a recording by peak performance coach Anthony Robbins.
Tony was discussing what he calls "The Six Human Needs." In this recording he articulates how all humans have six basic needs that must be met on some level. Some of these needs
It almost sounds like a classic, 1940s comic book or evening radio show hero, but there is at least one man in town that spends both his days and night helping others in need.
Dr. Jeff Albright is a unique and talented chiropractic physician in Castle Rock. During the day, he cares for people with difficult and challenging health conditions.
But once the sun goes down, Dr. Albright looks around to see if anyone is watching, rips off his clinic jacket, hides his
acupuncture needles, then quickly changes into his martial arts uniform and speeds over to Castle Rock AIKIDO, the traditional, Japanese martial arts school exclusively for adults where he and his sidekick, Miho (who also happens to be his wife), are the head instructors...
Click HERE to read the rest of the article.
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January 1st 2008
Join us for 'Mochitsuki' in Boulder, Colorado!
As each person pounds the rice using a 'kine' (pronounced 'key'-'nay') or large wooden mallet, people reflect on their good (or not so good) fortune over the year past. The act of pounding and handling the rice is an act of self- purification and self-reflection. Elasticity is symbolized by the mochi and its white color symbolizes purity.
A special kind of rice is placed in a large wooden bowl or 'usu' (pronounced oo-sue) after being cooked and is then are ready for pounding by the mallet. The famous Japanese instrumentalist/musician, Kitaro, will be attending the Boulder mochitsuki, and providing his family usu which is over 400 years old. (Learn more about Kitaro HERE. )
The correct mochi strike is very similar to a sword strike or shomen-uchi that we practice in Aikido weapons class. The wooden mallet must hit the rice perpendicularly to the surface. It is just like the hammer and bell trick seen at many carnivals. After successful pounding, the mochi is hand-shaped into small cakes and powdered with sweet flour, or sweet azuki beens can be rolled up inside.
Mochitsuki (like everything else in Boulder) is a casual event and should occur from about 12pm noon to 3pm... give or take. It is held in front of the courthouse in the middle of the Pearl Street mall. We hope to see everyone there.
A Japanese New Year's Day Celebration in Boulder!
There will be no Aikido class this Tuesday, New Year's Day. Instead all Castle Rock AIKIDO students are invited and encouraged to attend 'Mochitsuki' on Tuesday afternoon (New Year's Day) in Boulder.
Mochitsuki is a traditional Japanese custom, which translates as "making mochi" or sweet rice cakes. In Japan, Mochitsuki is a community event, where young and old come together to socialize and have fun in a shared activity. Mochitsuki or rice cake making events are held near New Year's Day throughout Japan. The photograph above is of Albright Sensei participating in Mochitsuki from a few years back.
Happy 'Oshogatsu' from Castle Rock AIKIDO
"Oshogatsu, the Japanese New Year!
As a custom, the Japanese send 'nengajo' or New Year's Day postcards to friends and family wishing them well in the year to come. Most of you have received or will be receiving a postcard in the mail from Albright and Shiraki Sensei. However, you may have some trouble reading it since it is written entirely in Japanese! The translation is provided here.
The large main characters of the postcard say "Shinshu" which literally means "new spring" or "New Year."
"As we approach the New Year we wish you all good health and happiness. Let's continue to support each other in the New Year."
Dated the 1st day of the 20th year of Heisei.
Japan has used the western calendar since the Meiji Restoration of 1873. However, for holidays and events that hold traditional meaning they have their own unique calendar system. It is simply calculated as the number of years the emperor has reigned.
You can learn more about nengajo and Oshogatsu by clicking HERE.
Each shikishi given to a student is personally and thoughtfully selected by Albright and Shiraki Sensei and is meant to either recognize a positive attribute of the student and/or identify a goal or standard the student is expected to attain in their training.
The first shikishi that Albright Sensei ever received was from Sasaki Sensei while training in Japan. His shikishi read 'doushin' or "heart path." That is why the Japanese name for our Aikido dojo is Doushin Juku, which translates as "heart path school"
Shikishi are quite beautiful and make an excellent decoration to one's home or office. You can collect your own set of shikishi by attending future dojo events.
Hand-written 'Shikishi' received last Friday's Class
Students who attended Keiko Osame (the final Aikido class of each year) last Friday night received special, personalized 'Shikishi' handwritten by Miho Shiraki Sensei.
Shikishi are traditional, decorative art boards edged with gold colored trim on which traditional Japanese characters or 'kanji' are drawn with Japanese ink and brush. Similar to a hanging scroll, shikishi often contain an inspirational word or a phrase intended to inspire thought or action in its bearer.
Castle Rock AIKIDO
Traditional Japanese Martial Arts Exclusively for Adults
Call (720) 221-3665
