12 am (ish) Housemate comes homes and I wake, check the clock- 5 and a half hours . . .
2:44 am No culprit this time
4:15 am Thank goodness, a bit space for dreams
5:33 I beat the alarm by five minutes, I spent a few minutes wishing it were earlier
5:40 up and out of bed, throw myself into gi and a few layers of warmth, brush teeth, grab bike
6 am Kangeiko! And I realize all the lack of sleep and anticipation was worth it.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
sometimes
sometimes your head hurts, your vision blurs, you can't stand up
sometimes you're too tired, too cranky, too busy, too lazy
sometimes other obligations conflict, or you are out of town
sometimes you forget or lose track of time, maybe you sleep in
sometimes you're body aches and pleads with you to rest
but then, other times you are present, you are ready
you walk in the door, bow, suit up into your dirty gi and
it all comes together
sometimes you're too tired, too cranky, too busy, too lazy
sometimes other obligations conflict, or you are out of town
sometimes you forget or lose track of time, maybe you sleep in
sometimes you're body aches and pleads with you to rest
but then, other times you are present, you are ready
you walk in the door, bow, suit up into your dirty gi and
it all comes together
Monday, December 20, 2010
from a single drop . . .
the first time i keyed out a flower, i knew that this unlocking of nature's secrets could hold my attention indefinitely, for every path now held new treasures to discover . . .
the first time i tried aikido i caught a glimpse of its incredible depth- like a good wine it appears to gain both grace, complexity, and simplicity with age. it was clear that with each technique, each partner, and each new day it would take on new meanings, it would evolve . . .
there is this intuition, this acknowledgment that occupies my entire being when i initially encounter some things, rare, special things that are akin to art, that are a living practice . . .
they effortlessly convey their manifold essence upon a single taste, at the merest glace
and then, i suppose, it takes a lifetime to engage what was originally hinted at
the first time i tried aikido i caught a glimpse of its incredible depth- like a good wine it appears to gain both grace, complexity, and simplicity with age. it was clear that with each technique, each partner, and each new day it would take on new meanings, it would evolve . . .
there is this intuition, this acknowledgment that occupies my entire being when i initially encounter some things, rare, special things that are akin to art, that are a living practice . . .
they effortlessly convey their manifold essence upon a single taste, at the merest glace
and then, i suppose, it takes a lifetime to engage what was originally hinted at
Saturday, December 11, 2010
oozing
Today Wendy Palmer Sensei relayed this quote from Endo Sensei (I believe), "You cannot fully understand aikido until you grow older, so until then, save your body."
In the spirit of healing our bodies, and under the instruction of Glen Leichman Sensei, we allowed ourselves to be tossed over nage's hips, so that we could practice gently dripping down like a tickling waterfall.
Soft ukemi.
It's like magic, from shaping your body and relaxing it, you and the mat refind your oneness without a shocking slap. Melting, melding.
This is an equalizer, reminding me that uke and nage are one, we fall into one another.
In the spirit of healing our bodies, and under the instruction of Glen Leichman Sensei, we allowed ourselves to be tossed over nage's hips, so that we could practice gently dripping down like a tickling waterfall.
Soft ukemi.
It's like magic, from shaping your body and relaxing it, you and the mat refind your oneness without a shocking slap. Melting, melding.
This is an equalizer, reminding me that uke and nage are one, we fall into one another.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Bearing Witness
it is akin to participating.
watching with open heart, smiling mind.
learning.
visualizing.
appreciating.
growing.
also, there is a knowing-- knowing that someone has shaped me, and I them; that the whole dojo is constantly evolving together . . . that this process will continue.
and, in that, there is accomplishment, beauty, and excitement.
watching with open heart, smiling mind.
learning.
visualizing.
appreciating.
growing.
also, there is a knowing-- knowing that someone has shaped me, and I them; that the whole dojo is constantly evolving together . . . that this process will continue.
and, in that, there is accomplishment, beauty, and excitement.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
how to keep on keepin on
weird, maybe it is life transition
but i find it challenging to want to go train right now
and when i am in the dojo, i am pretty distracted
it is also kinda hard to keep changing dojos, i know i am accumulating a variety of knowledge, but i really miss the old places
anyway, if anyone has adive to help me continue practicing as my time constraints and priorities shift, i'd welcome it
thanks!
but i find it challenging to want to go train right now
and when i am in the dojo, i am pretty distracted
it is also kinda hard to keep changing dojos, i know i am accumulating a variety of knowledge, but i really miss the old places
anyway, if anyone has adive to help me continue practicing as my time constraints and priorities shift, i'd welcome it
thanks!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
High Sierra Poems
Davis Lakes
July 2, 2009
The upwelling of clouds
Over the craggy peaks
Brings with it the roaring hiss
Of icy winds that sting
My skin, still tingling
From immersion in the
Pristine, glassy high sierra cirque
Each and every cell aches
For the sun to poke back
Through the billowy whiteness
So I can store it’s energy
To prepare for yet another plunge
The act of which fulfills
A tiny part of the
Endless cycle where hot meets cold
Which vanishes back into the
brilliant heat again
I shiver, salty sweaty beads
Of water brushed off by the wind
But the cold doesn’t matter at all
Not in a place this worn
And outsized and
Real
Zen and the Art of Mosquito Maintenance
I wonder,
Is it possible to be Zen
About mosquitoes? Even when
They form a hovering anxious
Cloud around your heated frame?
And you anticipate the interminable itch
Accompanied by a most grotesque and
Unnecessary swelling?
But they mean that I must be
somewhere exceedingly wonderful . . .
I’ve killed at least a dozen already.
The Smell of Pine Needles
I think that nowhere is
The sky so blue
Than in a pine forest
The warm crisp smell
Must act as an intoxicant
Allowing us to see the
Rocks, rivers, grass and clouds
In their true nature:
Stark and bold and endless
July 2, 2009
The upwelling of clouds
Over the craggy peaks
Brings with it the roaring hiss
Of icy winds that sting
My skin, still tingling
From immersion in the
Pristine, glassy high sierra cirque
Each and every cell aches
For the sun to poke back
Through the billowy whiteness
So I can store it’s energy
To prepare for yet another plunge
The act of which fulfills
A tiny part of the
Endless cycle where hot meets cold
Which vanishes back into the
brilliant heat again
I shiver, salty sweaty beads
Of water brushed off by the wind
But the cold doesn’t matter at all
Not in a place this worn
And outsized and
Real
Zen and the Art of Mosquito Maintenance
I wonder,
Is it possible to be Zen
About mosquitoes? Even when
They form a hovering anxious
Cloud around your heated frame?
And you anticipate the interminable itch
Accompanied by a most grotesque and
Unnecessary swelling?
But they mean that I must be
somewhere exceedingly wonderful . . .
I’ve killed at least a dozen already.
The Smell of Pine Needles
I think that nowhere is
The sky so blue
Than in a pine forest
The warm crisp smell
Must act as an intoxicant
Allowing us to see the
Rocks, rivers, grass and clouds
In their true nature:
Stark and bold and endless
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