Dojo News Blog
Multnomah Aikikai, Portland, Oregon publishes Dojo News, including thoughtful articles by students and teachers along with dojo updates, events, and news.
John Hunt (center) practicing at the Forest Grove dojo
I have spent eight years studying Aikido with Multnomah Aikikai, primarily in the Forest Grove dojo. The practice and community there have been life changing. Their practice integrates principles of mind and body that gave me a sense of centered, gentle strength that I deeply needed when I started practicing and will cherish forever.
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Paula Amato training in class, pre-pandemic. Uke: Jim Murray
As we begin a new year of training, it seems appropriate to bring a fresh perspective and resolve to my aikido practice. In fact, these principles can be applied to any aspect of our lives… read more
Read MoreVideo interview. Unlisted video. Please do not download.
2022 is Multnomah Aikikai’s 30/40/50 triple anniversary year. What does the 50 stand for? We’re celebrating Fleshler Sensei’s 50 years in aikido! I invited Lynn Ballew to interview Fleshler Shihan. The session was recorded on January 2, 2022 and I am happy to share this video with you.
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Iaido class at Multnomah Aikikai: Mark Hansen right, Suzane Van Amburgh Sensei left
Many people would with good reason think it an act of lunacy to take up training in the martial arts at the age of 60, let alone in the art of Iaido, the “way of sword drawing.” Perhaps. But I chose to do so because I felt a compulsion I could no longer ignore after more than thirty years of having done so. I listened to this compulsion and am happy I did!
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Owl sculpture, Sauvie Island
If you don’t live in Portland Oregon the term “Multnomah” may be unfamiliar. It’s the name of the county where Portland is located. Where does the word come from? The Multnomahs are an indigenous people who lived for thousands of years in this area that we now call Portland. Sauvie Island was particularly known as home to the Multnomah people. Read more…
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Saturday October 9, 2021, join us for our Fall Open House - adapted to the pandemic. Small groups scheduled at 11am, 11:30am, and 12:05pm. Outdoor segment at 1pm. Get a taste of what aikido or iaido practice is like. Explore the stations of the Balance Challenge circuit training course. Read on and learn more…
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Aki Fleshler Sensei and students May 2021 - “Pulse and Flow” class series
Aikido Multnomah Aikikai hosted a series of outdoor, in-person classes in May 2021, taught by Aki Fleshler Shihan. The theme and title of the series was “Pulse and Flow.” Here participants reflect on their experience of Fleshler Sensei’s teaching in this focused class series.
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It may seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first. - Musashi
It will be 3 years in August that I have been practicing Iaido. I wonder why? Why did I choose Iaido? The truth is, I thought it looked easy, when I watched an old YouTube video, in black and white of a Iaidoka, (Iaido practitioner), executing a form from the sitting position with a wakizashi, (short sword). In fact, it is not easy!
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UPDATE: Registration is now open for the seminar.
This August there will be a cooperatively organized, socially distanced, covid safety conscious outdoor seminar at the Ancient Arts Center in Alsea Oregon.
Click here for a PDF of the flyer.
Please save the Dates of August 27-29 2021. Check back here for updates as the time gets closer.
Instructors from around the world and across style affiliations offer insights into how other embodied disciplines inform our aikido practice and how aikido informs the practice of other disciplines. Dec. 19-20, 2020
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Philadelphia Pride Flag (public domain)
We at Aikido Multnomah Aikikai unequivocally condemn racism.
At our dojo we welcome people of all backgrounds to embark upon the path of transformation that aikido practice offers. We strive to be an inclusive community of practice and welcome people of any race, color, age, culture, religion, ethnicity, nationality, gender identity, sexual orientation, and ability. We acknowledge this takes continual practice due to implicit and unconscious biases, systemic racism, perpetuated white privilege, ubiquitous discrimination, and personal blind spots in everyday interactions. We commit to continuous learning, to grow into the community we wish to be. Read more
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Read More"This ability to make judgements about our own minds is called metacognition. Studying it has identified other misconceptions too. For instance, many of us think that actively thinking about trying to learn something will help us remember it. Studies suggest this is not the case. Far more important is reorganising the information so that it has a structure* more likely to be retained in your memory. In other words, rewrite the content of what you want to learn in a way that makes most sense to you."
Celebrate the New Year with a special class Jan. 9, 2020, Kagami Biraki.
Kagami Biraki is a special class in Aikido practice. It is both a moment of reflection and celebration as we mark the arrival of the new year. We reflect on our practice with a class focused on the foundational technique every student knows and we celebrate with mochi, sake and other Japanese snacks. This class is open to all students, and all students should feel encouraged to join in the celebrations.
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Mongaku in Nachi waterfall under the eye of Fudo Myoo’s acolytes Kongara and Seitaka
In Japan, mid-winter is a time when students are challenged to intensify their regular practice for a period of time. At Multnomah Aikikai, we honor this tradition with a Winter Intensive theme, and by emphasizing the importance of maintaining regular periods of intensified training.
We acknowledge the challenge of practice in the world of family, work and other responsibilities while simultaneously recognizing the transformative effect that an intensive period of study can have on our personal development. In this spirit, let's set the tone for a renewed commitment to practice, coming together with our fellow dojo members and supporting each other by participating in this year’s Winter Intensive as much as possible!
This year's theme is an emphasis on the “Lively” pillar expressed by Chiba Sensei’s Five Pillars of Aikido; Centered, Connected, Whole, Lively, Open. …continue reading…
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Aki Fleshler Sensei
Sunday Dec. 8, 2019
Join us Sunday Dec. 8, 2019 for classes with Aki Fleshler Sensei.
Read MoreThis Fall season, take up the practice of Aikido or Iaido and sense the balance, calm and focus of being centered while in motion. At Multnomah Aikikai we make your first steps easy.
Sat. Oct. 5, 10am - noon: The Aikido Appetizer is our open house event | FREE
Mon. Oct. 7, 7:30-8:30 pm, Introduction to Iaido, the art of drawing the Japanese sword | $25
Tue. Oct. 8, 6:15 - 7:15 pm, First Course - Aikido Beginners Series, 4 Tuesdays | $97
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Iaido is known as "the way of sword drawing." In practice, it is the way of drawing, cutting, and re-sheathing a sword. In Japanese martial arts the term way refers to a path of self-development or cultivation. The way of learning to draw the Japanese sword becomes a practice in refining the self.
Read MoreAt this time of remembering the life of T.K. Chiba Sensei, we are re-publishing this reflection first offered by A. Fleshler Sensei in August 2015, just 3 months after Chiba Sensei passed away. (June 5, 2015)
Back to the Garden…
Read More“Students practice Aikido for various reasons, and often these reasons can
overlap. For some the practice of Aikido is a fun exercise, for others a step on
the path to enlightenment, or even the chance to socialize with like-minded
folks. For me, Aikido is also many things, but primarily a study and practice of
universal principles.” Excerpt from essay by Darren Brooks ,on the occasion of his promotion to shodan, December 2018
Read MoreWinter Intensive is a time to renew our resolve to practice, to warm up our body in the cold of winter, and to come together with our fellow dojo members and support each other in making great strides in improving our Aikido.
This year's theme is Blend With Your World.
Read MoreMultnomah Aikikai, Portland Oregon, provides a method of personal development for people of all ages through traditional, practical and sincere training in the martial art of Aikido and Iaido.
Aikido Multnomah Aikikai | 6415 S Macadam Avenue, Portland, OR, 97239, United States