Shinmyoken Dojo: Yoga Taihenjutsu

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Yoga Taihenjutsu

So recently in my own training I have been revisiting ukemi- rolling, landing, leaping, and receiving attacks.

Not that I haven’t been practicing them all along as a crucial skill in the martial arts, as they are, and should always be on your practice list regardless of rank or time in training, but when I say revisit, them I mean approach them from a fresh perspective.

While the ‘arts are about repetition and day in and day out training, we have to be mindful about getting trapped into one way of doing things- we need to be mindful and keep exploring beyond the basics with the basics.

With that in revisiting ukemi I have been using by linking ukemi to stretching- using ukemi as a way to self diagnose my body.

I begin my daily training with stretching of course, paying attention to my joints and then once I’m warmed up and ready to go I practice ukemi very slowly- think yoga.

Then once I’m done practicing ukemi I stop and stand up and “listen” to my body.

What areas feel sore?

Are my shoulders tight?

How does my back feel?

I then do some more stretching to address these areas and then next time I practice ukemi try to focus on these trouble spots.

The aim of the Shinmyoken dojo (school of the life giving sword) is to understand nature and the movement of being zero through taijutsu. The school exists to create and transmit this through the experience of isshi soden.

Located in Westchester New York, the Shinmyoken dojo is a martial arts training group founded in 2005 with the aim of coming together as martial arts friends to study the Japanese martial arts of Masaaki Hatsumi through the lessons of the Bujinkan dojo.

As friends (buyu) we come together to grow, learn, and share our individual potential in this wonderful martial art. In our group there is no beginner or advanced classes, as we all have the capacity to learn the martial arts in great stride.

No previous martial arts experience is needed, new members, and out of town or traveling Bujinkan buyu are always welcome.

The focus of the group is to make progress each week in learning the martial arts, developing skill, self-defense ability, and an understanding of how and why people move.

Training is supervised by Fred Feddeck who has been studying the Bujinkan dojo martial arts since 1993.

In 2003 he was honored to take the godan shinsha with the training group later forming as a vehicle to study what he has been taught and experienced in the Bujinkan dojo martial arts.

Joe Maurantonio, dai-shihan, is and continues to be his teacher and mentor.

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Training in budo taijutsu through our dojo is offered in three class formats.

The first is our weekly Saturday morning classes from 9-11 AM at a local park in Yonkers which is accessible by car, bus, and Metro North train.

Second is our regular weekly zoom class as a way to build on the physical practice-paired movements explored in our Saturday classes.

Third is our monthly discussion class exploring martial arts philosophy, history, tactics, and kuden.

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Membership in the dojo is open to those eighteen years of age or older and who can abide by the rules of the Bujinkan.

Those interested in joining the dojo will be asked to fill out a brief questionnaire as an introduction and meet with the head instructor before an invitation to watch a class will be extended, general martial arts questions and other training inquiries are also welcome.

Questions, comments, feedback, and inquiries may be emailed here: BujinkanShinmyoken@gmail.com.