Today I kick started my day off with a morning walk and a bit of a stretch. This was followed by a relaxed morning at the Sohonbu chatting to family, writing and doing some study. As per recent posts I’ve been struggling to adjust to the weather so I’m still working hard on keeping the right fuels going into my body. I’m also finding myself starting to looking for some good fuels for my mind. There are some great books at the Sohonbu, and I have a collection of books I brought with me to Japan to keep me expanding my mind.
Below is a poem that I stumbled across that I thought others may also appreciate. If you can get a moment or two to mediate on what is said you may find it very enriching in your own lives. The more thought you put into the poem the more you will get out of it. And if it is really sinking in and becoming a part of you, you may find yourself taking actions to help you grow you each and every day.
A poem by Teijunsoku (also called Nago Oyakata)
“No matter how you may excel in the art of te,
and in your scholastic endeavours,
nothing is more important that your behaviour
and your humanity as observed in daily life.”
Just after lunch we headed out with Minowa Sensei and her friend Tomikosan to join them at a stretching class.
Did you notice I didn’t mention anything about dancing….. Anyone that knows me, knows that I’m not a dancer. Well… we did stretch and it was a great stretch with great body movements and nurturing our young bodies.
Reminder to self: If I get to go again I’ve gotta take wear toe socks. (In the first picture above you can see Minowa Sensei and Tomikosan’s toe socks. Anyone at Sunshine Coast Karate can ask Debbie at the front desk or Sempai Jim. If you are lucky, they might show you there toe socks.)
The ladies that participated in this class were extremely welcoming and I don’t think I stopped smiling/laughing the whole time. I once heard that smiling was a great medicine but you don’t realise how great it is until you spend two hours with ladies that keep you smiling and laughing the whole time.
And then… we danced. Yep, it was great! I had loads of fun even with my two left feet. And I now have some super cool moves I can put into my karate training. We also did some really great games and co-ordination exercises which had me rolling on the floor laughing at myself. I’ll aim to perfect these exercises before I do them in class with everyone.
Back at the dojo it was time to take the dancing socks off and put the karate gi back on. Another great experience tonight at the Sohonbu. Naoyuki Sensei taught the class and it was a great chance to review kihons and have some fun with the kids.
Below are some photos from this evenings class.
A quote for today: “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, working together is success.” ~ Henry Ford
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