Friday, February 27, 2009

MARCH UPDATES

Here is a copy of the March Newsletter. We have lots of events planned for this month including the Greenville Camp, the Gasshuku, two pre tests, one kyu test and preparation for All South. Lets all put forth a full effort this month. The Student of the Month is Jake Hebert, and you can read more about him in the newsletter. Also, start getting ready because the All South Karate Championships will be held at UNO on April 4, 2009. The JKA American Federation Camp 2009 will be held May 28 through May 31 at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and brings together Mikami Sensei, Osaka Sensei and Taniyama Sensei as featured instructors. Keep training hard for these important events.

It takes a lot of effort to maintain the mind of an enthusiastic beginner when you train martial arts. Seeing the ocean for the first time, hearing a new song, or discovering a new food can all be adventures. We often approach a brand-new activity, like Karate, without excessive pre-judgment, thus allowing ourselves a fuller experience. The strategy behind Beginner’s Mind Philosophy, known in Japanese as SHOSHIN, is to bring that sense of eager anticipation to all of life’s experiences, whether they are new or well known. Beginner’s Mind stresses the importance of keeping one’s original attitude towards the experiences associated with training or life in general. In order to maintain real enthusiasm, even during the most mundane or exhausting trainings, it is important to be fully present and in the moment.

Beginner’s Mind may not be an easy philosophy to grasp or to practice right away, but it is the key to maintaining your interest in the martial arts. There’s an old saying "When you’ve mastered being in the moment, all experiences are new ones", so even if you’ve trained for twenty years, with a beginner’s mind, every class feels like the first. Remember the enthusiasm of the beginner's mind and reflect on what brought you to the martial arts originally. Was is for exercise, for mental conditioning, for self control, for self defense, or just for self improvement? Karate changes very little and then only incrementally, but our perceptions of Karate may change more dramatically. The key to unlocking the beginner's mind lies within each of you and unlocking your own Shoshin will lead to longevity and mastery of Karate.

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