Practice in our new space at Shaolin Studios is going well. We’re having fun–serious fun! It is fun to see yourself making progress over time: staying more centered as we execute technique and also amid life’s trials; improving posture, balance and flexibility; learning to fall safely and comfortably; redirecting negative attitudes to positive ones, finding opportunities in what presents itself as misfortune.
We had to cancel one class, on April 29, 2025 for a power outage from the straight-line windstorm that devastated many places in SW Pennsylvania, including the neighborhood of Regent Square, where the dojo is located. It is possible to practice Aikido without electricity, but the storm brought chaos, making it hard to even get to the dojo. We were lucky that power returned to the dojo less than two days later. One of our members didn’t get power back for 6 days! The storm took only 5 minutes to pass through and cause such trouble. There are many aspects to self defense.
