Finishing up vacation, been happy as a clam running around with a stick on family lands overlooking the Missouri River…
Secret Blackberries
After a session running around with the boh, at the point where I feel tired and free, I walk over to the blackberries I found at the end of running eiko (cutting the sky). I pick three of them and eat each one as if it’s the last blackberry ever. A lot of energy from a blackberry.
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
Winter practice (kangeiko) at Shintaido Farm…
Shintaido North East gathers for special practice over a two days a couple times a year. Here we are at our winter practice with friends from Quebec, meeting to sharpen our focus in the new year.
Making my own boh staff at Artisan’s Asylum makerspace
I’ve been hanging out at Artisan’s Asylum, largest makerspace on the East Coast, off and on for the last eight months or so. 40,000 square feet of tools, studios and workshops, including woodworking, electronics, metalsmithing, 3D printing…the amazing list of upcoming classes here. I was drawn there for access to woodworking tools in my quest to create my own Shintaido boh staff. … Read More
the keiko where we ended up in the pond…
…Wonderful keiko with Joe Zawielski at historic Trout Brook…trails, a heron, moon behind clouds, and the pond where we all ended up… (Splashing around in the water with the community of friends I’ve come to know over years, going out for dinner after…I’ll post some photos below in the “read more…” link, chasing each other around the field before the dip in the … 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