After more than a quarter century at the Wilkins School Community Center (WSCC), it’s time to change things up! As of January 1, 2024, we have moved nearby, to the storefront dojo that is Shaolin Studios, on South Braddock Avenue, a few doors south of Hutchinson Street. We are grateful to Shaolin Studios for allowing us to use their space, which includes plenty of permanent mat space. I will post photos from the new space soon. Our first practice there is January 2, 2024, at 8 pm.
Here we are, cleaning the mats before moving out. I am deeply grateful to the WSCC for hosting us for the past 26 years. I won’t miss setting up and putting away the mats each class! And I won’t miss the glitter that recently stuck on our mats (in small concentrations), remaining on the floor long after whatever event brought it into the room, defying our purification attempts! But I will miss the community spirit of the place. It was a privilege to use this non-profit space, and I wish them well with their new programming directions. We’re not moving far. I expect you’ll still be able to find me helping out at the annual WSCC Book Sale.
In keeping with the low level of spread of Covid-19 in Allegheny County, as of April 1, 2023, masking is optional. To be protective of those with compromised immune systems, being up-to-date on your Covid-19 vaccinations is strongly recommended.
We are open for in-person practice. To be protective of those with compromised immune systems, Covid vaccination and masking are still required, and we practice with the windows open.
One of our four basic principles is “Develop your positive mind.” The pandemic has brought untold misery, hardship and stress for many. It has also brought countless opportunities to develop our positive minds. Rather than focus on the serious impacts on our physical practice and our dojo finances (which compared with loss of life and livelihood seem like minor problems), those who teach Aikido and those who continue to practice in pandemic time have been given a great opportunity to adapt creatively, to try new things, to support each other in new ways, and to keep on learning together.
Of course we grieve the fact that we can’t meet in person and throw each other. And we joyfully meet on Zoom to practice together alone. Instructors are experimenting and learning how to teach virtual classes. It’s an opportunity to focus on the basics, which in Aikido are deep: calmness, focus, breathing, posture, balance, movement, ki exercises, new ways to DIY a ki test, ukemi practice, weapons fundamentals and kata. We also do what some people call “air Aikido.” While Zoom classes are not accessible for everyone, they are good for many. People who retired from Aikido due to moving away from their dojos or because of a physical condition preventing full participation are finding virtual practice enables them to reconnect with their practice and with our community. A different format can appeal to a brand new student.
Guest instructing from a living room in Pittsburgh, at an Aikido Kokikai Berlin (Germany) virtual class (early May, 2020). The photo is from an apartment in Berlin.
If you have a laptop or tablet with a webcam and a screen big enough to see from a distance, a decent internet connection, and even a small space in which to move, virtual class can work for you! I’ve been able to study with some senior instructors for the first time, thanks to the pandemic. I’ve been able to guest instruct in other dojos. And there have been four 1-day seminars since the lockdowns began in the spring, open to all members of the Aikido Kokikai Federation USA.
Bokken practice at our summer rain location
A warm December practice in Schenley Park, jo waza
A warm December practice in Schenley Park, jo waza
Since Allegheny County was designated “green” (a misnomer, if you ask me, since green implies “go ahead, everything’s fine, which it wasn’t!) in June 2020, we’ve been able to have outdoor, socially distanced weapons class once a week in a local public space. In the summer we were in various locations around Schenley Plaza, and since the students returned to Pitt we’ve been in Schenley Park. We spend most of the hour on bokken and jo kata, and no-touch distanced partner exercises. For the last 10 minutes we practice jo tori and jo waza, all but the actual throw at the end of the technique. Just this little bit of touch mediated by a wooden staff allows us to remember what Aikido technique is all about and keep up this practice until we can resume normal practice, someday.
End of January, 2020. it was great to have new students! And then we had to shut down indoor Aikido classes.
Solo ukemi practice on a nice day at the end of November (birthday ukemi)
A Zoom class aimed at absolute beginners (one-on-one or group) could be a good way for someone who’s never tried Aikido to receive a basic introduction to warm-ups, ki exercises, breathing, learning how to fall safely at home (albeit not as dramatically as in the photo above)–everything but actually throwing. It would also be a great way to start to gain some of the benefits of practicing Aikido, and would be great for stress relief. If you are interested in such an experience, please contact me!
It is a pleasure to practice and teach Kokikai Aikido at the Wilkins School Community Center in Pittsburgh since 1997. Aikido is a practice that gets better and better over time. Many people like to start new things in early January. You are welcome to start Aikido any time of year here. If January fits you, come on in! Our first practice of 2020 is Thursday, January 2. And after class there will be a little special (and homemade) Japanese New Year’s food.
We will hold classes over the holidays on Mondays and Thursdays (except for Mon. Jan. 6), with a smaller than usual group. And most Saturdays are available by appointment. If you’ve been curious about Aikido, or interested in starting, this could be the perfect time to step out of your routine and show up! (And it’s always a good idea to confirm before you drop in.)
The dojo will be closed Thur. 8/16 – Mon. 8/20 for Barbara-sensei’s last gasp of summer travel. Consistent practice will resume on Thur. 8/23. (Also Sat. 8/25–no class due to the annual Run Around the Square)
