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segunda-feira, 27 de setembro de 2010

Friends, Freunde, Vrienden

Aiki Biking for Peace - 2010

August 24th to September 26th

To celebrate my 50th birthday this year I decided to take a time off for a special journey doing things that I really love: to contact people by doing aikido, to move by cycling and to capture images by doing drawings. Three different practices carrying a more appreciative approach for life. When I knew about the International Aiki Peace Week I thought that it would be fantastic if I could connect my personal project with something bigger to inspire people for peace and harmony.

Looking at the map of the International Aiki Peace Week website I noticed that some Aiki-Extensions members in Europe had already joined the event. Paul Linden introduced me to Bertram Wohak who invited me to visit Munique and to finish the aiki-biking journey during the IAPW. It was really nice to define the whole route from the arrival point. Friends in Brazil suggested me to start the trip in Amsterdam, famous city for its inspiring culture of cyclism. Hearing other suggestions from a Couchsurfing friend and studying the map of dojos in IAPW I decided to follow the river Rheine from Holand to Germany visiting some AE members mostly in Cologne, Bonn, Berlin, Schweinfurt, Schorndorf, Tübingen and Munique.

Willem, Ben, Dineke and Geertje Wessels, Kurial, Thomas Christaller and Sabine, Dirk Kropp and Iris, Rosmarie, Christina Barandun and Helmann, Judith Elze, Rita Böhm, Andrea, Thomas and Maira, Winfried Wagner and Edith, Günter, Hanna and Alexandra, Barbara, Ali Nasseri, Silvia and Sara and finally Bertram Wohak and Marion were people that I met during this Aiki biking journey. Lovely people on the road offering a place to stay, breakfast and meals, warm shower and mainly offering time and care. People from whom I learnt a lot about harmony, compassion and cooperation, the heart of Aikido.

I really don't care about self-defense, fighting or physical performance when thinking about Aikido. Aikido is all about connection told me years ago Don Levine, the founder of Aiki-Extensions. Indeed. I care about connections of harmony and I could feel it visiting different Dojos in Germany and even off the mat when asking for directions or sharing a table in a cafeteria. This way being an Aiki-Pilgrim, I could confirm my thoughts that it’s easier to feel deeply connected when doing aikido, cycling or drawing. Now I look forward to continue the project Aiki Biking as a peaceful way to build new bridges of harmony in my country and overseas.

Love and gratitude

Jose Bueno


sábado, 25 de setembro de 2010

Munique

20 a 25.09 Sentado no vôo 4027 e pronto para cruzar os 10.000km entre Amsterdam e São Paulo, eu paro para começar a escrever um pouco sobre a última semana da viagem. O trecho Ausgsburg-Munique de bicicleta foi tranqüilo. Cerca de 70km. Mas pela primeira vez encarei as subidas e descidas da região da Bavária num relevo totalmente diferente de toda a viagem. E também muitas vezes a ciclovia desaparecia e me via pedalando no canto das estradas. Não na Autobahn onde é proibida a bicicleta. E me lembrava da minhas pedaladas em São Paulo dividindo espaço entre carros e caminhões. Mas aqui é beeem diferente...

Chegando em Munique liguei para Bertram para confirmar nosso encontro no Castelo de Blutenburg. Cheguei um pouco mais cedo e fiz o primeiro rabisco na cidade. Gostei.

Castelo de Blutenburg

Logo o primeiro de muitos abraços entre parceiros de uma mesma visão. Aikido como uma arte de paz. Pedalamos até seu apartamento e lá ele me ofereceu o seu quarto para ser o meu quarto durante os dias em Munique. Meus argumentos não foram suficientes para ele mudar de idéia e me acomodaria em qualquer outro canto da casa. Estava então instalado no quarto de Bertram Wohak, um dos idealizadores da International Aiki Peace Week que começaria nesta mesma semana. Estava inseguro com nosso encontro pois meu projeto era ficar até sexta feira com ele. Há uma estória conhecida que diz que hóspede é como peixe. Um dia, dois dias tudo bem. A partir do terceiro dia começa a cheirar mal. Em Berlin fiquei quatro dias com uma grande amiga. Mas como seria ficar quatro dias com uma pessoa que mal conhecia? Desde os primeiros minutos sentimos uma forte empatia e os dias que vivemos juntos ficarão guardados para sempre comigo.

Bertram e eu

Foi Paul Linden que vive nos EUA que me sugeriu contactar Bertram tão logo soube da minha idéia de viajar pela Europa para fazer uma jornada reunindo Aikido, bicicleta e desenhos. Na primeira conversa que tivemos meses atrás pelo Skype ouvi ele dizer: - José, seja bem –vindo em Munique parar encerrar sua aiki-biking trip e passar alguns dias como meu convidado. Eu levei muito a sério o seu convite e minha viagem começou a ser desenhada a partir do local e data de chegada: Munique, 20 de setembro de 2010. Tudo se desenhou a partir desta conversa. E por aqui soube que Paul e Bertram foram os mentores da International Aiki Peace Week. Um evento que atraiu a participação de 350 dojos entre 43 paises, movidos pela idéia de dedicar um ou mais dias durante essa semana para promover o Aikido como poderoso aliado na construção de uma cultura de paz.


International Aiki Peace Week in Munique

Começavamos nossos dias com frutas, iogurte, queijos, frios, chá e as primeiras conversas sobre tudo. E a cada conversa crescia a certeza de ter encontrado um amigo, um irmão e um parceiro. Ouvi suas histórias, contei algumas da minha viagem e da minha vida no Brasil, pedalamos juntos, passeamos pelo centro de Munique, tomamos weissbier, dividimos duas classes de aikido com seu grupo, conheci sua parceira Marion, seus alunos, etc. Escrevemos uma mensagem para Bill Leicht que foi o primeiro a falar em uma rede de Peace Dojos pelo mundo, dividimos uma torta de maça, demos muita risada, tivemos insights que cabem em pequenas frases como “ to be lost and wet sometimes is good” ou “Life happens in between”. No nosso último dia um bate papo via skype com Daia em São Paulo e depois com Paul Linden nos EUA.

Uma viagem que começou na Holanda sob tempo chuvoso começava a chegar ao fim em clima de sol e festa na região da Bavária. Minha idéia original de voar até Amsterdam no sábado para embarcar no domingo sofreu uma mudança. Comprei uma passagem de trem, um leito numa cabine para seis pessoas e teria uma tarde inteira em Amsterdam antes da minha volta. Animado, enviei uma mensagem para Ben e Dineke que conheci em Utrecht e me acompanharam até entrar na Alemanha por Emmerich onde comecei minha pedalada em solo alemão. A resposta para o convite que fiz para encontrá-los foi animadora e ao mesmo tempo frustrante. Adorariam um reencontro no final da viagem para saber de toda a jornada mas estariam ocupadíssimos no sábado e à noite já tinha comprado ingressos para um concerto... Mas algo aconteceu entre nossas trocas de email. Ben fez uma proposta matadora. Dariam seus ingressos para algum casal de amigos, ele viria de Rotterdam, Dineke de Arnhem e propuseram um encontro às 18h na Estação Central de Amsterdam.

rabiscando o moleskine

Bertran acompanhou de perto a magia deste fechamento da viagem e fomos juntos fazer uma cópia do desenho que fiz em frente à cafeteria onde nos encontramos. Todo o processo de criar um presente para dar para Ben & Dineke foi tocante. Até mesmo a moça da loja de molduras, que a princípio pedira uma semana para fazer a montagem, sentindo que era uma lembrança especial se desdobrou para entregar o desenho emoldurado na sexta, em tempo de levar para Amsterdam durante nosso encontro. O mesmo desenho na mesma moldura foi o presente que trouxe para casa pois desde o início Daia me disse: - Esse desenho merece um quadrinho!

Durante esta semana Daia fez uma pequena cirurgia e estávamos de algum jeito conectados. Na igreja de Saint Peter fizemos uma pausa em nosso passeio pelo centro de Munique no momento que ela estaria sendo operada. Tudo deu certo mas cirurgia é cirurgia. O corpo é desligado por um tempo e tudo fica nas mãos do médicos.

O último dia em Munique foi dia de Ocktoberfest, a maior festa popular do mundo. Bertram e Marion me apresentaram festa cheia de tradições da Bavária, este ano está sendo comemorado o bicentenário dessa festa que dura duas semanas e é cheia de atrações ao ar livre e nas tendas das cervejarias. Lá comemos, bebemos alguns litros de chopp, conheci as pulgas adestradas e gente especial como Hago, dividindo uma mesa para almoçar chucrute com salsichas da região.

pulgas adestradas

ocktoberfest 2010

com Hago e Marion no bicentenário da Ocktoberfest 1810-2010

com Bertram e Marion

Brandon WilliansCraig

International Peace Week

Day 6 - September 25th

Paul Hawken, according to Fortune “the original hippie entrepreneur," insists that the world is in the midst of the “largest social movement in all of history”, the scope of which “no one knows” and “how it functions is more mysterious than what meets the eye” (Blessed Unrest 2). The direction and scope of that movement is mysterious because of its complexity, its irreducibility to one agenda or solution despite the powerful forces which bid for unified control on a global scale. As long as there have been human beings, we have most often engaged mysterious complexities through the making of powerful stories, mythologies, far reaching narratives which combine the factual power of lived experience with the imaginative reach and psychological depth of fiction. The center of the “largest social movement" Hawken mentions is also a myth, that is to say a hard working idea with enough room for both clarity and mystery. What Joseph Campbell refered to as the "New Myth" has to do with global citizenship - the insistence that peace for everybody is possible, requires practice, and that this practice results in Community, in all the ways that word is used.

More than a million people around the world participate in Aikido, a martial practice known as "the art of peace" because its founder, Morihei Ueshiba, made very clear that the purpose of Aikido was not to "train to become powerful or to throw down some opponent. Rather we train in hopes of being of some use, however small our role may be, in the task of bringing peace to mankind around the world.” (Aikido and the New Warrior - Strozzi-Heckler 28) This extension of aiki principles beyond the mat requires martial discipline so that the guardians of this ideal are not discouraged while cultivating the skills which make actual peace a reality when conflict is at its hottest and most disorienting. There is natural resistance to repeated labor when a clear end-point is not in sight but, as any martial artist knows, true preparation for real conflict involves innumerable small preparations over time to be ready in as many ways as possible for whatever comes in a moment. That is what Aiki Extensions and International Aiki Peace Week are about. Let's practice peace together.

Brandon WilliamsCraig, Ph.D. and 4th Dan of Berkeley, California. Brandon has been a professional actor, vocalist, executive, martial artist, group facilitator, apprentice, and teacher. He considers himself a "Culturesmith"

sexta-feira, 24 de setembro de 2010

Wendy Palmer

International Aiki Peace Week
Day 5 - September 24th

In these challenging and exciting times leadership is being called to manifest the capacity for stepping into power while resourcing wisdom through innovation and collaboration. As leaders we need to be able to take a stand and take action in the face of resistance and opposition – without collapsing or resorting to aggression. Aikido demonstrates that there are different ways to be powerful and to collaborate. Applying principles from Aikido and mindfulness we can examine unskillful habits and find new ways in which to collaborate and take action.

The aikido principles that inform Conscious Embodiment focus on the dynamics of mind/body wisdom as it relates to empowered leadership, our capacity to act with more integrity and our ability to influence the world.

We have been given the gift of aikido – may we use it wisely.

Blessings,
Wendy Palmer

Wendy Palmer Sensei, author of The Intuitive Body and The Practice of Freedom, and co-founder of Aikido of Tamalpais (along with George Leonard and Richard Strozzi Heckler, both fairly prolific authors themselves). Wendy’s work outside the dojo is something she calls "CONSCIOUS EMBODIMENT, which, as she explains on her website: "draws on the traditions of Aikido - a revolutionary non-aggressive martial art and mindfulness practice to offer simple yet deep techniques that help you recognize how your mind and body habitually react to pressure, and to access more skillful and unified responses.”

quinta-feira, 23 de setembro de 2010

Richard Strozzi-Heckler

International Aiki Peace Week
Day 4 - September 23rd

An Aiki Military

I first met Birks when he was recently promoted to First Lieutenant, just a year out of The Basic School. He was the officer that supported our efforts running the Marine Warrior Project, the precursor to the Marine Corp Martial Art Program (MCMAP) at Camp Pendleton in 2000. In his support position he was close to the project but wasn’t a direct participant, but he was intensely interested and hounded me daily about what we we’re doing. He was a Division 1 Collegiate wrestler in College and had tried a number of martial arts. He was tough, disciplined, and carried a big heart in his barrel chest. I would show him what we were doing and he would hang around as much as his time allowed. He was a solid Marine and cared about his men and thought what we were doing would help his Marines. At some point I gave him the names of some Aikido dojos in the area and he began training.


Over the years I would get emails from Lt. Birks from around the world and he said he was continuing his Aikido training wherever he went. Then I heard a story about a Marine officer near Falluja, Iraq who had his patrol drop to one knee, take their helmets off, and bow their heads as an Iraqi funeral procession passed by. This diffused a potentially dangerous moment as the funeral crowd was outraged seeing an American unit patrolling nearby and they made threatening gestures. Later the Iraqis spoke the officer’s virtues in how he respected their culture. Coincidence or not, now Captain Birks’ unit, suffered minimal casualties in their deployment in this area. Later when I asked Birks about this he simply said, “It seemed like the Aiki thing to do.”


Richard Strozzi-Heckler, 6th Dan (he also holds ranks in Judo, Jujitsu, and Capoeira), author of, among others, “In Search of the Warrior Spirit”, "Aikido and the New Warrior", and "The Leadership Dojo”. Strozzi-Heckler Sensei is an early and prominent teacher of embodied leadership, is founder of the Strozzi Institute and co-founder of the Mideast Aikido Project (MAP), which brings together Palestinians and Israelis through the practice of Aikido. From 2002 to 2007 he was an advisor to NATO and the Supreme Allied Commander of Europe (SACEUR) General Jim Jones, who is now the US National Security Advisor.


In 2005 Strozzi-Heckler Sensei was instrumental in setting up the first TAB (Training Across Borders) seminar in the UN Buffer Zone in Nicosia which drew participants from Cyprus, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Greece, Turkey, Palestine, Israel, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt (ask for a copy of the inspiring video about TAB here). Richard has taught at the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Esalen Institute, Naropa Institute, and the University of Munich.



quarta-feira, 22 de setembro de 2010

Bertram Wohak

International Aiki Peace Week
Day 3 - September 22th

Message from Bertram Wohak

“Those who think deeply about Aikido feel that they must participate in the establishment of a universal system of truth and justice. It is our duty to serve as messengers and guides for world peace and universal brotherhood.”
Morihei Ueshiba

  • Imagine the thousands of Aikido practitioners in hundreds of dojos around the world, who are at this moment celebrating their own kinds of Aiki Peace Week event.
  • Imagine the enormous burst of creativity set free by our coordinated action.
  • Imagine the fact that in Aiki Peace Week we can all share O´Sensei's legacy regardless of the political divisions and stylistic differentiation we have in the world of Aikido.
  • Imagine a broader public that knows more about Aikido as a joyful practice of reconciliation, compassion, and nonviolence.
  • Imagine what that could mean for you and your dojo.
  • Imagine that from now on, every year, an even greater part of the worldwide Aikido community will celebrate Aiki Peace Week.
  • Imagine the spirit of Aiki spreading out beyond our dojos to become fruitful at many levels, from personal to political.
  • Imagine Aikido becoming an important and well known part of a “culture of peace”.
  • Imagine that you are making a significant contribution for this to become reality.

Bertram Wohak

Bertram Wohak Sensei, a 5th Dan who teaches Aikido and Bodywork in Munich, Germany. Originally a physicist, he operates a private body therapy office and is technical director of the Aikikan Biberkor dojo, which he founded in 1996. He is a Board member of Aiki Extensions and Bertram was one of the people who came up with the idea for Aiki Peace Week nine months ago (the other, Paul Linden Sensei of the US, was featured yesterday). He regularly teaches national and international workshops and retreats for Aikido, Ki-training and what he calls “Der Weg des Kriegers zur Kunst des Friedens”.



terça-feira, 21 de setembro de 2010

Paul Linden

International Aiki Peace Week
Day 2 - September 21th

Message from Paul Linden

An Aiki Moment

In my Aikido classes, from day one, in addition to teaching waza, I emphasize learning how to replace physical feelings of stress, fear, and anger with calm alertness and compassionate power. One of my students, who had been practicing about a month, told me about his aiki moment:

I went to Wal-Mart, me and my wife. I was coming out, and I noticed this lady driving down the lane. She wasn’t stopping, and I pulled my wife back. The lady almost hit my wife, and just went by, didn’t even look our way. I shouted out, “You jerk!” I didn’t mean to say that, but I did. Her son was standing behind us, and he said “ That’s my mother you’re calling a jerk, (insert here an incendiary racial epithet I’m unwilling to print).” I thought about what he said, and I thought about Paul and the classes I’m taking, and I kept my control. By that time the lady drove back, and I said to her “I apologize for what I said,” and we kept right on walking. The guy looked at me kind of puzzled. The lady even looked at me puzzled. We got in our car, went on home, nobody went to jail, nobody went to the hospital. My wife even gave me a high five, saying “I never saw you do that before, I’m very proud of you.”

My student gained control of himself and the situation. That certainly counts as successful Aikido. Even more, it may have planted the seeds of nonviolence in the driver and her son. That is a living example of what the IAPW seeks to bring into people’s awareness.

I’d like to end with a request. I would like to write a book titled Accidental Perfection: Moments when Aikido Training Works. It would be a compilation of experiences in which Aikido training clicks into place and allows one to function with unaccustomed ease and effectiveness in some area of life. I would appreciate it if people could send me one or two page descriptions of their Aiki experiences. (I can read German and French, but English is much easier.) PaulLinden@aol.com

Paul Linden Sensei, a 6th Dan who teaches Aikido, Feldenkrais®, and what he calls “mindbody education" in Columbus, Ohio. Paul is the author of several books, was a founding member of Aiki Extensions 12 years ago, and most importantly was one of the people who came up with the idea for Aiki Peace Week nine months ago (the other, Bertram Wohak Sensei of Germany, will be featured tomorrow).