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Your first class
should be fun and fascinating. At the same time most people are
somewhat bewildered by it all. There is a flow to the class, however,
that is better understood after the new student attends a couple of times.
First we do a 20
minute warm up at the beginning of class. This is called 'Aiki Taiso.'
Aiki Taiso emphasizes breathing technique, stretches and centered movement.
This is the period where we let go of the stresses of the day and prepare
for the free mindset that is necessary for learning. Then we work on
solo footwork and basic body movement. Next we work on falling and
rolling techniques or "ukemi." Beginners enjoy this because rolling
around on the soft mat is reminiscent of what we all did as children.
All of this takes about 30 minutes.
Then we start
the portion of class where we do paired techniques. The teacher
(called "Sensei") demonstrates a basic technique with the senior student.
Then the students pair off and practice the same technique that was just
demonstrated. This is all done under the supervision of the Sensei and
senior students (Sempai) who are usually paired with beginners. The
techniques tend to show a logical progression so that the student can build
upon things already learned. If the technique seems too advanced then
something that is similar, but more basic, is practiced. Despite the
fact that there are thousands of techniques, there are similar elements and
concepts to the techniques which tie them all together.
Aikido is
neither hard nor is it easy. It is all a matter of perspective.
Those who succeed and stay with the art are people who are looking for
something that can keep on giving. As you peel back a layer and gain
insight you will, at the same time, expose more layers. That is why
Aikido is such a gift. We don't pretend to know it all nor do we
expect that you will. We will guide you however toward your path.
Each person extracts different things out of art. At the very least we
hope that you will learn to deal with conflict, both external and internal,
in a more positive way. We believe that other arts such as Yoga and
Tai Chi are wonderful for dealing with internal imbalances. But Aikido
deals interactively with other people and offers us the chance to actually
change the negative dynamics of the world around us. This allows us to
create positive change in our own universe.
The founder of
Aikido basically told us to be safe, have fun and eventually we will learn
the techniques. We encourage those who are looking for something that
is multi-faceted to come to a few classes and enjoy the atmosphere of
learning and cooperation that exists every time we get together.
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