Aikido Shugenkai of Longmont Colorado

One tatami is enough.
A true dojo begins with sincerity, not space.
The smaller the space, the fewer the distractions.
Awareness naturally turns inward.
You begin to feel the subtle sensations within your body.
Movement becomes repetition.
Repetition becomes meditation.
Only your breath and heartbeat remain.
The outside world fades away.
One tatami. Infinite Path.

~ the Zen Samurai ~

Not everything is visible
The Hagakure says it bluntly: the essence of the warrior is invisible.
The gestures that no one sees, the hours of practice without applause, the silent loyalty, the decision to act upright even though no one knows. That's where character is built.
It's not what you show, it's who you are when there are no witnesses.
Not what you shout, but what you silently hold.
The Budo doesn't need an audience. It takes conviction.
What part do you keep cultivating even though no one sees it?.

And a few more :)

If I could describe summer school in one word it would be "intense." As you and others had said beforehand, it was constant practice both on and off the mat.

On the mat, it was fascinating to experience the styles of all of the menkyo, and I came away with some insightful pointers on how to use basic principles more effectively. Off the mat, the practice of checking on other people and anticipating their needs felt very familiar from my time in Japan. I don't know that we would have been up to the founder's standards, but we certainly gave it our best effort.

I was impressed by how much I saw my fellow kihon grow (and I'm sure the menkyo grew a lot as well - I'm just less equipped to see that growth). There was a huge sense of responsibility that came with hosting, and I think we all pushed ourselves to - or in some cases a bit past - our limits. I know one of the reminders that emerged from summer school for me was that pushing past my own limits does not equate to doing my best for the dojo.

Keeping things running smoothly required even more improvisation than I expected, and a few days in, we started a list of things to keep in mind for next time. Hopefully at a future summer school we'll find those notes helpful!

Since this was my first summer school, I now have a much better sense of who we are as the Shugenkai community. It's always nice to put faces to names and to make some new friends. In closing, I'd just say I felt very appreciative of Jones-Sensei and Kimberly for coming all the way across the pond to help us grow as individuals and as a community.

Warmly,

Katie

There is a horse trainer here in Colorado that has spent many years (decades) practicing Aikido. Because of his books on horse training where he incorporates the principles of Aikido, I went looking to see if I could learn this art and integrate it into my work with traumatized horses. This is how I found the Longmont dojo and began to experience and immerse myself in Aikido.
I'm a slow learner but over the year and a half that I have been a student, I have felt the results and effects that it is having on me and therefore also on the horses.

The prospect of summer school was intimidating for me. I originally only planned to 'try out' one class. It was the energy that struck me the most. How can I describe what it was like working with so many menkyo? I felt myself and my moves becoming smoother. And as I came back for more classes, I felt an energy in the room that seemed to lift and hum. The simple instruction of techniques and perspective by you the founder and from the different menkyo filtered through the space. As well as the vibration of respect for each other and for the art and its principles. It was a very intense several days, almost overwhelming. I feel honored to be traveling on this journey. Thank you so much.

Respectfully,
Vera
Student Longmont Shugenkai

Bill Gibson here,

Summer school was a new experience for me.

Here I am a 76 year old 5th kyu that never went through boot camp ( before ) willingly walking into a situation as a kihon trying to do what I could so the menkyos wouldn't stress and especially so you (and Sensei Lydon) were shown the proper consideration and respect. Luckily I've lived long enough to be of enthusiastic good cheer and not fret overmuch over various faux pas's and mistakes.
It was a good exercise for egocentric me.

Throughout the school I appreciated the kind guidance and gentle corrections from you and especially Mark P, Dat Tran, and Mike.

You fixed my thumb placement on Ikyo, gave us the walking mediation right left ( I use it on my daily walk to my garden), an appreciation of the importance of being a good uke, and some guidance to be a better uke. ( I particularly remember observing Kimberly demonstrating rising when there was a hole in nage's technique)

The menkyos were amazingly compliant ukes and gentle nages. I used the word "soft", in contrast to most of us kihones feeling "hard" . There must be better words than " soft" and "hard", maybe "stiff" and "flexible" or "tense" and "relaxed" or "defensive" and "welcoming". I was left with a desire to be more soft, flexible, relaxed and welcoming.

Mark P was So patient showing me the importance of the not-tense hand in tenshun nage and breaking the grasp in kata tori. Dat helped shiho nage and proper toitsu taiso, Mike checked me on all the criteria for my grading and showed me a sweet short form tenshun nage.

#1 I got great value out of experiencing the variety of menkyos, how it felt to work with them, and the different lessons and perspectives they so willingly shared.

#2 The experience of being a helpful enthusiastic kihon was good, I hadn't been so selfless in a while.

#3 The break half way through and the rec center was a good idea. The picnic I could let go.

#4 The one-on-one people experience was important, I feel I now have some real connections to Matt, Mark P, Dat, and Mike.

I hope to attend again!

BillGibson

My first Shugenkai Summer School experience was nothing like the lattace of expectations created from stories of events past. Everything I learned, on and off the mat, took my aikido understanding to angles previously foreign to me.

Day one stays with me still so distinctly. The first four arts, four dramatically re-illumimated appreciations. By the end of mat time, I reflected that I had never done so much Aikido at once. Then, I realized I had no idea what I was actually about to experience.

Day two broke me before mat time even started. Wanting to check all the boxes, and feeling responsible to do so, lead me on a personalized training map for the day. I was shown a place within myself that was harvesting energy unsustainablely. Through tears, comrades, and a new appreciation for the changing room floor, I experienced support like never before.

Days three onward, I existed in places I had never seen before. Every pairing had passion and commitment. Energy flowed, ki unlocked and we seamingly breathed as one. Our dojo, with all it's extending branches reached out with un-ending support. The art of aikido so beautifully felt.

As summer school wrapped up, I recognized parts of myself previously untapped, and I exhaused yet other parts which I had told myself were boundless. People who were nearly strangers on day one became family before the week was through. My love for Aikido grew stronger than ever and I have a deeper appreciation for all the people and the infinite hours of work that make our art what it is.

I would like to thank Sensei, all the Menkyo and all the Kihon for making this summer school and unforgettable part of my training and of my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. -Monika

What I like most about Shugen Kai is the community of people. Although i could not attend the entire summer school this year, I was grateful for the time I was able to spend with everyone. Over the past three years I have come to begin to know the members from other locations and look forward to seeing them again; learning, giving to, and being with them. I can only imagine how important and meaningful it is for the long time members to be able to come together from across the world to be in community with each other.

This summer school, I most appreciated the grading on Friday afternoon. Being able to see each member share where they are with their practice was meaningful to me. The supportive nature of this group shows through with each person showing up for each other. Jones Sensei mentioned that while a grading is representative of where the student is, it is also an indicator of the Menkyo holders that have taught them. In addition I think shows just how supportive the community is that has been built. I am coming to learn it is not only important to "know the move" but also being able to perform the move together as nage and uke. The kata is a physical expression of the harmony.

I am honored and grateful
Andy