Recently, Erich Smith (Chapel Hill Quest) and I were having an exchange on Facebook. I thought his realizations and connections were so cool that they needed to be shared with more people. Erich gave me permission to repost his ideas here. Thanks Erich!

I was inspired today by your fantastic new window posters! I was thinking also about the recent post about the dojo phrases we internalize.

We've accreted several phrases at the CHQC over the years, but the core have always been:

Keep your...
knees bent,
back straight,
eyes open and on the bad guy,
and...
move your feet!

[We repeat these] over and over and over again. Today, I tried to listen to them with fresh ears, and heard something completely new (to me):

knees bent - CHI
back straight (movement with head over hips over feet) - SUI
eyes open and on the bad guy - KA
move your feet - FU

From a certain point of view, each of the elements could be viewed as isolated (for learning's sake) explorations of the dynamics presented in the cardinal rules.

If I had to pick a dojo phrase for void/KU, I'd go with "It's always my turn!"

Labels: Back Straight, Cardinal rules, It's Always My Turn, Knees Bent, ninja, ninjutsu, To-Shin Do

The Boulder Weekly has a great article this week about the use of the word "local" and it's co-opting by big business. (You can read it here for more background.) Obviously as the owner of a local business, I am a big supporter of community based businesses. But I also shop at chain locations because sometimes local isn't the right answer (I'm totally fine with mass produced toilet paper, airplanes, and telephones).
Here at the Boulder Quest Center, I think we have the perfect balance of global/local. Our dojo is 100% owned and operated in Boulder. However, we license our curriculum and some marketing materials from SKH Quest in Dayton, OH. We get the benefit of our teacher's research, travels to Japan, and expertise in creating the most effective, life-enhancing self defense curriculum on the planet. The idea of a Casey-Ryu Ninjutsu being comparable is literally laughable. Yet when it comes to making decisions about pricing, class schedules, even class offerings (not all To-Shin Do dojos also offer Belly Dance), those decisions lie firmly on Keitoshi's and my shoulders. And if we need support, we have a tight family of expert dojo owners to help us see our possible decisions clearly.
As in our martial path, we are constantly training to be better individuals, better citizens, and better entrepreneurs. Who do you know in our local community who would benefit from authenic empowerment training? Our mission at the Boulder Quest Center is to help individuals live a life choice to unleash their potential. How can we help you achieve your goals? Contact me (Mary Aitoshi) to setup a free intro lesson.

Labels: Boulder Weekly, business, local, ninjutsu, Quest

I am so excited to be a guest blogger on StephenKHayes.com. For those of you who regularly read the Densho, you know what a high quality blog An-Shu maintains. It is a huge honor to be on the blog and share my thoughts on the national forum. My blog "A Feminine Perspective on Fighting" is filled with insights into my martial path. If you've ever wondered why I started on this path or why I continue, check out my story.

Labels: ninjutsu, Stephen K. Hayes, To-Shin Do

I always love to see our students blogging about classes and seminars. It is such a strong testament to our community that folks take the time to share with everyone. I hope you'll check out Boulder Quest's own, Jenn Zuko Boughn sharing her enlightenments from the Stephen K. Hayes seminar. While your there, why not follow her blog too?
~Aitoshi

Labels: ninjutsu, SKH, Stephen K. Hayes, To-Shin Do