Marc Abrams
11-23-2009, 08:20 AM
The year is quickly winding down. I would like to ask that all of us take this time to reflect back on our experiences of our training at Aikido Arts of Shin-Budo Kai and/or (even if you are just a reader of this blog) our experiences regarding this weekly blog. In many respects, you may consider this request as my yearly shinsa! Your responses could be in the form of private conversations with me, e-mails (sensei@aasbk.com), comments on this site,…..
I am genuinely interested in hearing from all of you as to what your experiences have been like over this past year. That not only includes your actual training experiences, but also how (if at all) this training has impacted you in your life. I always like to know what you think made a difference for you, both positive and negative. What aspects of training did you think benefited you and what aspects did nothing at all. What areas would you like to explore in greater detail and what areas have been beaten into the ground! What changes would you like to see in the future in our training? What would you suggest that might help us market the dojo better? What would you suggest might help us become an ever stronger community.
I read a book many years ago by Dr. Yalom titled “Everyday Gets a Little Bit Closer”. This is a remarkable book about the therapy process. Dr. Yalom treated a person with a “writer’s block.” He required that both of them write down their reflections of each session. The book is a compilation of those writings. In the beginning, each of them believed that some aspects of a session were important, while the other person did not. As therapy progressed, their recollections became reflections of the other person’s experience of the therapy session. I am hoping that as I begin to mature as an Aikido teacher, my teachings, blogs, reflections and comments more accurately reflect and meet the needs of the students. Your comments, feedback, suggestions, etc. are a very important “reality check” on this path that I have chosen so that next year can emerge as year of more fruitful, compassionate, passionate training amongst a community of dedicated, caring individuals.
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving!
Marc Abrams Sensei
(Original blog post may be found here (http://aasbk.com/blog).)