News & Events

Here we are in 2020 and I want to wish everyone a New Year that will bring a wealth of good health and happiness, to our families and to our dojo.

As a dojo we have had our struggles this past year, working to find what is meaningful in what we do and to find ways to attract new, and especially younger students, to this profound art of ours. As our membership has decreased so our rent has increased substantially, and each month I am thankful that we are still able to practice together in our beautiful space. But from this struggle has emerged for me, a much clearer sense of purpose and understanding of what aikido means. It is through the bond that develops and binds us through our practice together, the relationship that exists between us, that is at the heart of our practice. This is what we give back to this world we live in.

This coming Saturday will be the first training of the New Year and as such I like to see it as a purification practice. An opportunity through mindful training to let go of all that unnecessary baggage that we tend to carry with us as we go through our lives. ‘Let it go’ will be our mantra for the year! I hope you all feel renewed from the holidays and I look forward to seeing you on the mat on Saturday.