Obviously I’m a big fan of using simple tools (like a stick) to expand our connection to nature when we exercise. But the stick is only part of it. There’s a whole other side to exercising in nature (rather than a gymn) — there’s so much to see. The changes in landscapes, new things growing up over time, the sun … Read More
Patriot Place Bog Haiku 9/2/16
Lean on the bog fence / wait for something to happen — cranberries plumping
Experiment: Doing Taimyo Kata Meditation in the aisle at Walmart
There’s a moving meditation developed in Shintaido a decade (or two) ago called “Taimyo Kata”. It involves a ten to fifteen minute sequence of relaxed and deliberate steps, reaching motions, and, my favorite, a section where you hold your hands together over your head and slowly bring them down across your face and chest. In my mind, it’s as if … Read More
Shintaido Demo at the Japan Festival, West Hartford, CT
A pleasure to participate in the Japan Festival this weekend with longtime friends and Shintaido practitioners. The video shows a some of our movements, and ways we use them to connect with others and with nature — central themes in Shintaido. It was my first time wearing the hakama, the multi-pleated pants worn by instructor-level practitioners — grateful for help from instructors … Read More
My PechaKucha Presentation at ACM: “Behold the Stick”
So, here are the slides from my presentation at the Assoc. of Children’s Museum conference’s informal evening event. The theme: the stick is an undervalued tool, one that I rely on in Shintaido to connect me with nature. Some of the major points: We use the stick (boh, jo, bokutoh) in Shintaido to extend our reach. (Too often we limit … Read More
Becoming a digital me…
From my Shintaido adventures in Quebec a couple weeks ago, I tried out the digitizing bodysuit, testing it out for Bruno Bernier’s game project. (It’s the stretchy suit we’ve seen with the white orbs pasted around the body so the 24 cameras can track your movement). One thought: it’s pretty fascinating to see your movement tracked and transformed this way. … Read More
Knocking down the stars: Perseid meteor shower
Went out tonight for the remnants of the annual Perseid meteor shower. I’ve started a tradition where I take my boh (or jo) out, and practice the activity “knocking down the stars” during the meteor shower. The form is to slowly turn the boh overhead in the sky, making circles above, and knocking down the stars. (See my crude drawing). … Read More
Shintaido International 2012: a few notes
I just returned from the largest, most significant Shintaido event I’ve been to, held July 3-6 at Sonoma State University north of San Francisco. To set the context: Shintaido is a living, growing martial art, one whose founder and many early practitioners are still alive. We had the rare opportunity to both witness and participate in the development of the … Read More
Extending our reach: cutting the sky
Last week, we continued our exploration of the boh — what it feels like to work with it and some simple movements to warm up with. One theme we started to explore was “cutting.” Cutting is one of the basic themes in Shintaido, and you can do it a number of ways: with the boh, with the bokutoh (wooden sword), … Read More