The Green Martial Art

We are trying a new marketing approach, that of aikido as the Green Martial Art. You may have seen it on some of our new literature and our new posters. For me green means environmentally safe, connected to the earth, preserving our planet in going ahead with advances in technology. It has become quite a catch word recently.

So how can you have a green martial art? Much of aikido is based upon centering and especially grounding. We all come out of the earth. As much as there is an intangible part of us, the tangible part of us is from material that at some point originated from something that was produced by the planet. Aikido is the energy of heaven and earth. On some basis technology is of the mind so it may be an aspect of heaven. But for our culture to survive meaningfully it must have a harmony with nature, its cycles and rhythms, as well as its energies. So industry has begun to realize this. But the earth of aikido reaches back into the mythological past to when heaven and earth first separated and the original harmony between the two.

Way before it became important and even trendy, we were helping people to recycle their own energy. When we are in our shoulders, head spinning, caught in a fight/flight/freeze response we are taught to settle, ground, and allow the energy that is there to flow through us. Its major reason for being is to help us deal with whatever is in front of us. This can be an attack or a technique in class, or a situation outside. When caught in something like gridlock, you get the energy to deal with that. Relax and settle with it. It can then have a meditative quality.

Of course it is our bodies that most tangibly come out of the earth. So much of what we do stresses the harmony between body and mind which is best expressed in action as "Total body". The body has an intelligence in and of itself that is equal to that of mind. And when the two return to a more original purity we assemble to original harmony of heaven and earth.

And just as we realize our need to protect nature and the earth, so does our martial practice stress if possible gentleness in dealing with the attack and the attacker. I read recently where true gentleness cannot be snapped or broken. So there is a power in true gentleness that aikido may open in you.

And you can help us by getting behind the concept. In the dojo we have new flyers and new schedules with the green concept. Feel free to take a poster to put up at a workplace, laundromat, bookstore, or coffee shop. There are posters on our display table as you enter the dojo. If possible please cut the attachments with dojo phone number and website address before posting. That way someone can check us out online or give us a call. We have new postcard size schedules with the above photo. These can be taken and given to friends or take several and leave at an appropriate place in a workplace. Every little thing helps us to get our message out. We are also putting out a new t shirt thru cafe press online with the green concept. Once that is up I'll let you all know.

Another side to the green concept is this video short from youtube. Green Lantern is one of my all-time favorite super heroes. Both animated and film films are in the works. He of course is a protector of earth using a ring that allows him to utilize and energy(green of course) that is only limited by his imagination and will power. This is not a real trailer and it features Nate Fillion as Hal Jordan. I think you will enjoy it