Aikido of Amarillo

Today we remember! To all of you who knew him and gained some insight from him on your Aikido path may you take time to remember. Thank you Lee Sensei for your legacy we have been honored by your presence and will honor your memory.

It was a great pleasure and honor to join our Texas Aikido family down in Austin for the O’Sensei Memorial Seminar. We were able to practice with people from many dojos in Texas.

Life seems to never come to a standstill. In our modern world it is constant activity and motion. The seasons and years pass by very quickly. In all of this we never leave the present moment. We always have now. With all of the commotion and stress of this busy world we are living in, it is possible to experience it as a series of moments great and small. Once again within our dojo we were able to have DeJesse Sensei visit before his upcoming departure. Sometimes a small moment is actually a large present. Life is a gift, we should all be grateful to share.

"Life is growth. If we stop growing, technically and spiritually, we are as good as dead."
O'Sensei

Hello all, we have had another great year together. Our last class of the session happened to be on the same day as O'Sensei's birthday! He would be 133 years old if he were still alive today. We are so fortunate to have so few years and so few people to separate us from the founder of the art we practice. Although I was never fortunate enough to be on the mat directly with O'Sensei I have been on the mat with several of his direct students. That is a rare situation for most of the martial arts that exist today. It has been a great honor for me to practice with you all and I look forward to the coming years ahead of us.

"Progress comes to those who train and train; reliance on secret techniques will get you nowhere."

O'Sensei

When I have the opportunity to be on the mat practicing, I often feel quite fortunate to be there. Not everyone has both the ability and discipline to continue along in the pursuit of an art like Aikido. It is not always a path of stopping to smell roses. Sometimes it becomes rote or something we feel obligated to do. Our practice can also be quite painful or just plain frustrating. I have heard people joke about martial artists being gluttons for punishment. There are many reasons people come and go, on and off of this road. One of my past instructors would say “life happens” when someone stopped showing up at the dojo. Sometimes I would much rather sleep in or just spend time with my family, but I keep showing up. When I make that choice I am often grateful I did.

James

The Art of Peace begins with you. Work on yourself and your appointed task in the Art of Peace. Everyone has a spirit that can be refined, a body that can be trained in some manner, a suitable path to follow. You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your innate enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter.

O'Sensei

Often times on the mat, as well as in life, there is an ebb and flow. Sometimes we have a good day or a bad day, we feel that everything is working out or that nothing is going the way we planned etc. This is to be expected and embraced. In Aikido we learn to adapt to our surroundings and circumstances whether on or off the mat.

"Each day of human life contains joy and anger, pain and pleasure, darkness and light, growth and decay. Each moment is etched with nature's grand design --- do not try to deny or oppose the cosmic order of things." O'Sensei

Thank you all for another enjoyable Spring semester. We will hold another outdoor class this Wednesday evening May 20th and no class Saturday the 23rd due to the holiday. Please be sure to sign up for the summer course begining May 27th. Hope to see you all soon.

" One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice Aikido. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train." O'Sensei

Here is the link to register

Here is the schedule for the Winter break. Wednesday from 6:30 to 8:30 PM and Saturday from 8:30 to 10:30 AM. The dates would be as follows, 12/10, 12/13, 12/17, 1/7, 1/10, 1/14, and 1/17. We would not be meeting while the school is officially closed from 12/20-1/4.
See you on th mat.

Nice USAF article about our first seminar hosted last winter.
http://usafaikidonews.com/aikido-of-amarillo-conducts-its-first-seminar/

Aikido of Amarillo Conducts Its First Seminar The United States Aikido Federation (USAF) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to spreading and maintaining the Japanese martial art of Aikido.

Aikido registration is open!
Fall classes will be held
Wednesday's 6:30 - 8:30 pm and
Saturday's 8:30 - 10:30 am.

You can register via Amarillo College http://www.actx.edu/ce/online_reg/topic_query.php?topic=SR

CE WebReg Shopping Cart Gain knowledge of guns and ammunition, proper gun handling, and safe hunting methods. Certificates of competency issued upon successful completion. Offered in cooperation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. and NRA. Minimum age 9 years. One off-site meeting will be arranged by the instructor. Fo…