No matter, beautiful leaves. And feels good to cut through the space…
“Jewel words shining in the world”
When you get most of your exercise running around through the woods with a stick, you start to notice changes over time. And now, here in New England in the Fall, I’m aware of leaves…the way sunlight can fall on them through the trees and light them like jewels — golden, red, brown, green — shining beyond me as I as … Read More
Barefoot and rolling around in the grass
It’s one of those sunny October days that feels like an early September day, doing keiko (Shintaido practice) outside, barefoot under a blue sky. It’s an old-timey practice, without sticks, doing some of the roots movements, going down on our knees, cutting our partner, rolling. To be honest, knee walking and rolling are not my favorites. More of a shorter, Japanese body … Read More
Playing with a weak little love beam…
When I feel out of sorts, I take it to the stick. Run around the lake trails with the jo staff…practicing sword movement, sometimes till I’m exhausted, alternating with relaxation and breathing near the pond. That combination of active/relaxed makes an impression on my body that I can feel long after. I’ve been trying something new the last few days. After … Read More
Lake Massapoag
An extra reflective day…swing the stick around and look at the sky and water…do some breathing…
Standing in the new world
I’ve been practicing the Diamond Eight Cut in the mornings pretty regularly now. With wooden sword, slowly cutting across, up, down, across. Not just waving the stick around, but feeling the cut with my body as I draw the blade across the space. Cutting the space around me — cutting through things I’ve gotten stuck on. Opening the space around … Read More
Mandalas from fallen leaves…
I was inspired by an article in the Boston Globe this morning about flower farmer Melissa Glorieux, who creates mandalas from leaves, twigs, and other things found in the woods. Great idea! There are so many visually interesting things on a walk (or run) through the woods. I noticed some little red berries on the ground on the walk out to my … Read More
New moves with a wooden sword: cutting and blessing
I enjoyed a special workshop with Shintaido Master Instructor Ito Sensei this last weekend, arriving from France with new movements being developed in Europe. I had already practiced an early version of these movements (part of a new kenjutsu form), but good to see them in their latest evolution. So what were the moves? They both involve use of the … Read More
Things you can see when you run with a stick…
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