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Ki News #8
| Newsletter | December 2022|
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Ki News #8 - December 2022
Welcome to Ki News.
Ki News is for all, both aikido students & instructors.
Feel free to share with friends.
If you to share something with our community feel free to contact the editor Michael - use the email adress at the bottom of the page.
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- Concepts
- Aikido technics in real situation
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News from the Aikido world
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Aikido news found on the internet!
Promotions
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Promotions posposals
This is the time of year where each dojo and instructor can contemplate if anyone should be promoted.
Deadline for proposing someone for 2023 are December 14th. 2022.
The new promotions will be announced in the beginning of 2023.
All dojos and instructors have received further information on how to propose someone in Dojo News 5.
Everybody (dojos/instructors) can propose someone for promotion.
The proposal can come from above, below or from the sides.
Examples:
Above:
If a instructor and the dojo is connected to the organisation of a Shihan, it is naturally they follow this persons guidelines and proposals.
Below:
There can be a teacher who does seminars in different dojos. Then the group of dojo can propose this teacher to be promoted.
The sides:
It can be some teachers recognise another teachers work, and then they can propose this teacher to be promoted.
Guidelines:
The candidate is active
Leading a dojo
Teaching regularly
Mentoring “young” instructors
Working with kids and teenager
Doing local or international seminars
Developing students
Contribution to aikido community
Recognition of lifetime achievement.
Or some other good reason
There should also be around 5 years or more since last degree (this could also be around 10 years if looking over 2 degrees)
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Furusato
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Furusato is still there for all members of KnKm to come and:
- prepare for your next examination
- study a specific Aikido topic
- participate in a Misogi retreat
- meet among Aikido instructors, for the further development of Aikido
- produce videos about some Aikido
- other
Furusato (Japanese for hometown) is a unique purpose built facility in the rural Ardennes region of Belgium.
It was established by Doshu to allow us, his students, to experience what was once a more traditional and austere way of Aikido training in Japan: eating simply, training hard and working with nature in the garden.
At Furusato you have access to a dojo with 48 m² traditional Tatami. Bokken, Jo, meditation benches are on site.
The accommodation is simple (maximum 12 people; big kitchen well-furnished; Pizza oven in the garden).
Furusato is managed by Ki no Kenkyukai Internationale and all members of Ki no Kenkyukai Musubi are welcome, without any rental costs for the house, to organise their workshop, seminar, retreat, aikido family reunion.
The organiser is free to put his own rules as long as they respect the spirit of the house. You do something good for the house with the agreement of Marie-Rose, and you clean the house before leaving. If needed, catering or cleaning could possibly be organised on site (at your own costs, we provide a list of people in the surrounding you may contact).
For inquiries send email to furusato@knki.org - for the time being this email will be received by Marie-Rose and Heike.
See also https://knkmusubi.net/furusato.html
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Ki no Kenkyukai International (KnKi)
&
Ki no Kenkyukai Musubi (KnKm)
Ki no Kenkyukai International (KnKi)
is a non-profit association that takes care of Furusato. it is lead by Marie-Rose Meysman, and has a caretaker group of Aikido people.
When the website for KnKi are ready there will be linked to it from here.
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Ki no Kenkyukai Musubi (KnKm)
is also a non-profit association of independent Aikido dojos, whose practice are inspired by the teachings of Yoshigasaki Sensei.
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Misogi
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International monthly Misogi meeting
By Heike Howein
Since 2,5 years a group of people from different countries meets once a month online for one hour dedicated to Misogi.
We are always open for new participants!
Misogi is traditionally practiced in a group, together at the same place, and it’s true, online Misogi cannot replace this – but it has other benefits:
being alone in your room (and muted, if you’re not the leader) helps for more self-awareness, caring for the own breathing, listening to the own sound (which is difficult to explore in the middle of a group of shouting people).
Another pro: like this it’s not big effort to have Misogi practice on a regular basis – get dressed (please), find a room on your own (that’s recommendable) with online connection and a computer - ready!
Through the 'together-alone' online Misogi practice, Breathing and Misogi and the understanding of it can improve. You get more and more familiar with the rhythms, the change of rhythms, their characteristics. Plus, even via zoom, the spirit and connection in the group can be felt and it’s nice to come together from different places.
Everything started with the question of one of you in Lectures from Doshu:
"It is difficult to practise Bokken Misogi at home completely without disturbing our neighbours. Do we always have to practise with full commitment or is there some benefit in making each breath quieter and with less vigour?"
Doshus answer was:
"You can practise with the sound of HA like breathing sound when the rhythm is quick. If the sound is long, use MU. Then it is not noisy even if you do as strong as you want.“
That sounded interesting to me and so I started online Misogi to explore this silent Misogi. By now, everybody decides for themselves whether they want to practice silent with „Mu“ „HA“ or louder with „Tohokami Emitame“, with or without hand or Bokken.
At each meeting we will focus on specific questions and exchange our experiences and ideas. Questions like, for example: movement of the Torso – inside and outside, support of the legs, form of the mouth – inside and outside, movements of arms to support breathing, how to lead, good change of rhythm, etc.
We meet monthly on the first Sunday, from 8:30 to 9:30 (Berlin time).
On January 1st 2023, I offer New Years Misogi. But sensibly, we start a little later than usual and add breathing exercises, so we meet for 90 minutes from 16:00 to 17:30.
Do you want to try? You are welcome! Send email to Heike:
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Rafał Opioła
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Rafał Opioła 23.01.1972 - 30.09.2022
By Krzysztof Gorący
On Friday 30.09.22 my friend Rafał died.
When I write a friend, it is not an exaggerated word, nor out of politeness. He was the guy I would call first if my car broke down in the middle of Siberia.
He was like that - you could count on him, always loyal, sincere, great organizer, full of ideas, full of interests, always elegant, gallant gentleman.
Life did not spoil him, but he never complained; first problems with his wife, then the death of his father, the death of his mother, the death of his brother, a serious illness, and he was still smiling, full of plans and curious about everything.
We met 26 years ago when he was the first to respond to my proposal to facilitate participation in the Aikido Seminar in Berlin. On the way to Berlin he came to our house and even though I saw him for the first time we talked for a long time at night.
He started training Aikido in Łódź in the 90s in Darek Skowronski's Dojo, he was a student of Carsten Moller, Michael Winter and Sensei Yoshigasaki.
During these years we have trained together in Łódź, Szczecin, Kolo, Warsaw, Berlin and Herzogenhorn.
We used to drive a dozen or so hours by car to the seminar, then live a week in one room, eat in one canteen, practice for hours on the same mat... You know that in such situations you talk about everything and you learn everything about the man.
Everywhere I look, everything reminds me of him; warm pants for a bike that he bought me at Decathlon in Warsaw, a tow for a children's bike (now it will be for my grandson), T-shirts from his University, my guitar – because we often discussed classical guitar and his favorite Ana Vidovic, and the records he recorded for me, because he was an admirer of Miles, Ozzi and heavy rock.
Since we lived far apart, once every few months we talked on the phone. I knew that when Rafał called, we would talk for at least an hour and a thousand ideas would be given; what's next with Aikido, what we will organize, what to train, he will tell me what in Warsaw, what in Łódź, I will tell him what the Germans do....
Even before the summer holidays we talked about our plans, Rafał wanted to invite Karsten, he was thinking about the next exam, he was telling me about his students...
Well, I was lucky to meet Him.
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Videos from Doshu
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Concepts
How to practice.
Filmed by Alain De Halleux.
Aikido technics in real situation
To discover life.
Filmed by Alain De Halleux.
Webpage & Seminars
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Ki no Kenkyukai Musubi (KnKm) are built on the idea that all dojo are completely free and choose their own path.
Part of this is to create mailling lists so all dojos can communicate freely, and to have a website where all dojos and seminars are listed.
First version of KnKm website is now up:
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If you have a seminar or a link to a dojo you want listed or other suggestions please send a mail to info@knkmusubi.net, for now this email is managed by Michael.
Seminars will be listed on both the KnKm and the Ki-Aikido Germany webpages.
Besides what is there now, a new video database is in the work.
Click on the picture to see all seminars!
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Memories
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Beppe Sensei in Spain
Beppe Sensei in Spain, long time ago!
What year was this?