It’s our second week in “Water Month” and we are still working on cultivating that power to find inner calm, whatever the situation. This week, we’re tackling a theme that we mere mortals never quite fully grasp – but it’s always worth trying for: Choosing Happiness.
For our Leadership Lesson, the kids will be creating an imaginary guardian that can help shield them from others’ negativity. We’ll be learning the KidPower raincoat technique from our friends over at KidPower International. It’s an awesome visualization you use when someone is being unkind to you and you can’t get out of the situation right away.
I’m always amazed at the power of the mind to be able to help protect us and allow us to move on when we’ve been hurt. But what’s most amazing to me is that resilience is a learned process – not something a few lucky folks are born knowing how to do. We all have the power within us to be resilient and choose happiness, but it’s not an easy skill to learn. I love how Helen Keller captured this struggle when she said, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
Just as in our martial arts practice, it takes determination and patience to return to our center and not let the unkind or misguided or just plain thoughtless actions of others throw us off our game.
We’ll be weaving these lessons into everything we do this week, in martial arts, yoga, parkour, and of course, our after school meditations, leadership lessons, art projects, and nature discovery days.
Our Martial Arts Techniques of the Week Are…
| Mon | Tues | Wed | Thurs | Fri | |
| Ukemi | Koho Kaiten | Koho Ukemi (Break Falls) | |||
| Technique 1 | Uke – Tori Balance Drills | ||||
| Technique 2 | Wrist Escapes | Kids: Wrist Escapes
Adv. Kids and Up: Omote Gyaku |
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| Technique 3 | Rokushaku Bo Kamae | Rokushaku Bo Strikes | |||
Kasumi Club (most likely ?): Sakketsu – “Killer Squeeze” Kin Kudaki – “Destroy The Gold”
FYI, we are running a special deal right now! Just for students in the schools we already pick up from (including Asheville City Schools, Evergreen and Art Space) – 50% off your first month with a donation to our coat drive! Sign Up Here.
Thanks for reading!
See you in the dojo,
Sensei Nesta