The dojo will be closed from December 23rd until January 4th. We will have a Doshu Memorial practice on January 4th and all students should try to attend. There will be a short New Year’s gathering after practice. Members are encouraged to bring food or drink for sharing.
2022 Class Schedule
We will be starting 2022 with a modified class schedule. The start time of our kids class will be later in the afternoon. Also, we will not have a Tuesday or Wednesday 5:30 “Intermediate” class. All members are encouraged to participate in the the spring introductory class.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| 4:45- 5:30 Kids Aikido | 4:45- 5:30 Kids Aikido | |||
| 5:30-6:45pm Intm. Aikido | 5:30-6:45pm Intm. Aikido | |||
| 7-8 pm Intro. Aikido* | 7-8 pm Intro. Aikido* |
Please subscribe to this blog for update on all dojo business.
*Introductory Class Participation Requirements
The Introductory class is part of a Concordia College course. Concordia has a COVID policy for all faculty, students and staff. North Wind Aikikai will honor this policy throughout the introductory class. The policy is below:
One of the best ways for us to promote a vibrant and healthy environment is to have high rates of vaccination in our campus community and to know what our overall vaccination rates are.
Starting Spring 2022 Semester (January 6, 2022):
- All students will be required to be fully vaccinated. This comes after the Food and Drug Administration has now fully approved Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. This decision replaces the emergency use authorization granted by the FDA last December.
Required COVID Testing for Students: This testing requirement applies to students who physically come to the Moorhead campus (dojo) if any of these are true:
- You are not vaccinated
- You are not yet fully vaccinated (two weeks after your final dose)
- You have not provided your vaccination status (by filling out the COVID Vaccination Form, or by contacting the COVID Helpline directly) Dojo members who plan to participate in the introductory class will need to submit their vaccination information to the dojo.
- You are exempt from this testing requirement if:
- You are fully vaccinated (and have provided this information through the COVID Vaccination Form)
- Or if you had a lab-confirmed case of COVID in the last 90 days
Masking
- Concordia (and the dojo) is requiring masks to be worn in all classes, laboratories, and studios.
- Faculty members may remove their masks during class, to be easily heard, if they can maintain social distancing.
- Masks are required in public indoor spaces and in workspaces where distancing cannot be maintained.
Beginner’s Mind
I began teaching Aikido in Fargo/ Moorhead in 2002. I guess that makes 2022 my 20th anniversary but I’m not good with numbers or dates. At any rate, a handful of “club” students practiced with me in basically a coat room at Concordia. Our first Aikido course was conducted in the basement of the Memorial Auditorium. Concordia College has consistently provided a forum for me to introduce young people to this practice. My wife Michelle Lelwica has worked for years to create that connection. Several Concordia students continue their practice today. Some have become integral parts of the North Wind Aikikai community.
Introducing people to Aikido is always a joyful experience for me. I inevitably remember my own first days of training. I remember the stiffness of my gi and the pride I felt in putting it on. I remember the exuberance and anxiousness, the solemnity and the sacredness I felt entering into a path. I remember knowing nothing and yet longing to prove something. I remember an interview with my teacher where I could simultaneoulsy feel his power, his passion and his tenderness.
Some of my earliest introductions to the disciplines of eastern cultures had emphasized the importance of sustaining the mind of the beginner.
“In the beginner’s mind there are endless possibilities, in the expert’s there are few.”
-Suzuki Roshi, Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind
I had the privilege of studying zen practice under Genki Roshi, but only in brief, short bursts , over a few years. I hardly understood him, but I adored him as well. He tolerated me and my folly, my disdain for the endless, agonizing hours in seated meditation. Our direct communication was reduced to his one question (a koan) and my myriad of bad answers to it.
Once in an “interview”, he popped his eyes open to me and asked his question pointedly. In response, I simply bowed. It was the only true answer I knew in that moment. It was the bow of an earnest student, a student ready to receive the essence of the moment. He smiled, closed his eyes delicately and rolled out his enthusiasm with the normal combination of Japanese and English words I sorta understood. Then, he placed another question before me, beckoning me deeper, and rang his bell.
Begin again.
