by Hoa Newens ​[This year we celebrate Tai Sai in the midst of a worldwide pandemic and could not hold class to properly remember O Sensei. Instead, we offer this in-depth examination of his legacy art.] “Is Aikido a martial art?” may sound like a naïve question to many readers but is likely a serious…

by Hoa Newens These days most of us are home-bound with spare time to ponder on the fate of the world. More importantly, we have a great opportunity to reflect on the purpose of our life and on the way that we live. A couple of years back, I had explained how improper use of…

by Hoa Newens ​Throwing a ball back and forth to each other is an enjoyable pastime for two people. Similarly, engaging in a conversation brings pleasure to two human beings. In these exchanges, a person deliberately sends an object, a message or energy to the other who intently receives it and sends back a response.…

​By Dr. Paul Williams, PT, DPT ​I recently taught a 20-minute class on kaeshi-waza (reverse technique) at Takemusu Aikido Association’s Shidoin training course. It’s a difficult topic to teach. Precisely due to the fact that one can’t talk about or teach kaeshi-waza without also teaching proper ukemi. To do so would be like putting your…

by Hoa Newens With modern publishing tools, we are seeing a bevy of publications related to higher state of consciousness, including sharing of personal experience, research analyses and how-to manuals. Add to these publications other online sharing tools such as Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, Instagram, etc. and the average person has access to plenty of useful…

by Paul Williams ​I’d like to preface this in acknowledging that the following story is not an anecdote of how aikido saved my life. I was not strolling in a dark alley where I fended off several attackers unscathed. That would be cool. No, this is The Pool Story. It was winter 2005 and my apartment complex had a…

by Hoa Newens​[This essay was originally published on Awase Newsletter – July 2018 and is posted here to complement the preceding blogpost titled “Zanshin“] ​In martial arts as well as in certain esoteric circles the concept of no-mind (mushin, 無心) generally refers to the desirable mental state in which our consciousness is crystal clear and undisturbed by…

by Hoa Newens ​​Zanshin is the soul of martial arts In the Budo environment, zanshin has traditionally been linked with the moment immediately following the execution of a technique, such as the release of an arrow in Kyudo, the completion of a Karate kata, the completion of a lethal cut in Iaido, the completion of…

by Hoa Newens ​There should be no question as to the significance of bukiwaza in Aikido training. One just need to glean from all the available pictures of O Sensei holding a bokken or a jo to realize that it was an important aspect of his Aikido training. The practical question that arises often is not whether,…

by Hoa Newens At the recent Gasshuku in Bolinas we put into practice the  “ai” of Aikido as I explained the concept throughout the classes. Here is a recap with supplementary comments to further clarify this foundational concept in Aikido. The kanji “ai” in “Aikido” generally means “to come together as one”. Just like the…