Aikido of New Paltz

HAPPY 2021!!!! This past year, as a business causality of COVID-19, we needed to move out of our dojo space in New Paltz. Of course, doing Aikido with physical contact had become out of the question. Like so many other Aikido dojos, we turned to technology and other ingenuities: In addition to occasionally hosting and participating in COVID-safe Aikido events, we regularly meet at 6pm EST, Friday nights for what Kristin has affectionately named ZoomBokken-with-John. This is unpaired Sugano Sensei bokken form taught by John Chiarolanzio. For those of us feeling it's too cold to train in our yards, we use short substitutes for bokkens (often wooden spoons) so we can train in our homes. Please contact Kristin Muller or send this fb page a message if you want to know how you can join us.

Annette Mackrell Online Weapons Class Topic: no gi required - monday and wednesday aikido Time: recurring meeting: Monday and Wednesday, 6-7pm, EST... Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84176196215 Meeting ID: 841 7619 6215 Passcode: aikido

What is your plan for next Wednesday? Sharon Dominguez Shidoin 6th Dan from USA will conduct the Zoom Aikido Online Training on the 12th of August 2020, starti...ng at 1:00 PM New York Time. Save the date! Please have a bokken and a jo prepared to work with during the class! #iafzoomcampaign See more

John Chiarolanzio, 5th Dan, Dojo-cho of Aikido of New Paltz provided this class for for Heaven and Earth dojo on Aug. 22, 2020. This hour-long seminar covers the 5 forms of Sugano Sensei's bokken system, broken down into the teacher and student sides so they can be practice individually. Chiarolanzio is Konigsberg Sensei’s Senior student as well as having studied extensively with Sugano Sensei. He is assisted, here, by Angel Walker Murphy, Chief Instructor of the Alamo Area Aikiki. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgUXRGmjwfU

John Chiarolanzio is teaching a booken class this Sat! See earlier post with info from Heaven and Earth Dojo (includes details and Zoom link).

Heaven and Earth dojo is please to welcome Sensei John Chiarolanzio, 5th Dan, Dojo-cho of Aikido of New Paltz, to teach by Zoom this Saturday 1015-1115. Sensei ...Chiarolanzio is Konigsberg Sensei’s Senior student as well as having studied extensively with Sugano Sensei. Please have your bokkens on hand as he will be going over Sugano Sensei’s No-Ken series. The Zoom link for the Saturday class: https://heavenandearthaikido.us17.list-manage.com/tr/click Meeting ID: 394 873 288 Password: 001300

The USAF Board and Working Group are delighted to present a USAF Aikido Online Class Series for Kids! on Saturday, July 25 at 1 pm EDT (12 pm CDT / 10 am PDT), ...featuring Arturo Peal, Chief Instructor at Aikido of New Orleans. Each Kids' class will be taught by senseis exclusively from our diverse USAF family and will be held every other Saturday. All children ages 6 and up are welcome. These weekly Zoom classes will run concurrently on Facebook Live. Please invite the young aikidoka from your dojo and anyone you think would be interested. Join the Zoom Class, July 25 at 1 pm EDT: https://zoom.us/j/99239932965 See you online!

A message from Yamada Sensei:

A message from Doshu:

Starting today (Fri 3/13/2020), Aikido of New Paltz will be closed until Saturday, 3/28/2020. (Everything is fine at the dojo. Today, the Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan closed all the schools for two weeks. We are following his lead.)

Aikido of New Paltz has been invited to the New Years Eve class and pot-luck at Woodstock Aikido so will not be holding class this evening at the New Paltz dojo. We will be closed on New Years Day 2020 as well. Happy New Year!

Due to icy road conditions this eve (12/30/2019), class at Aikido of New Paltz is cancelled for this evening

Aikido of New Paltz will be open for class on Christmas Eve but not on Christmas Day, 2019.

Woodstock Aikido, the peace and quiet after a day of great classes. Nice to have so many black belts on the mat.

Aikido of New Paltz is closed tonight, Tuesday, 12/17/2019 due to local icy road conditions.

Due to the potentially hazardous roads conditions caused by the snow storm, Aikido of New Paltz is closed tonight, Monday, 12/2/2019.

Aikido of New Paltz will be closed on Thanksgiving, 2019.

Yoga is happening at our dojo today, Wed,10/9/2019, 4:30 - 5:30pm!

Practicing Sugano Sensei's Ichi no Ken #ichinoken #SuganoSensei #newpaltz... #midhudsonvalley #bokkenaikido See more

STARTING THIS WEDNESDAY, 9/18/2019 !!! Yoga for Every Body: Nourish, Soothe and Strengthen Body/Mind/Spirit 4:30pm-5:30pm Wednesdays... at Aikido of New Paltz, 62 Plains Rd (Discovery Center) Cost: $10-15 Sliding Scale Begins: 9/18 This gentle, clearing, strengthening and nourishing yoga class is for everyone wanting to attune to, listen, discover and breathe into their body’s knowing and wisdom. Through gentle movement, asana, pranayama, chant/sounding, and movement inspired by Kripalu Yoga, Feldenkrais and dance, we’ll rebalance the nervous system, release tension and awaken the body’s intuitive knowing for spaciousness, flexibility, re-patterning, clarity, vibrancy and freedom. This class is suitable for all levels, from beginner to advanced yoga practitioners. _____________ Lori Wynters, PhD, RYT 500, yoga teacher/practitioner, certified in the Kripalu and Amrit tradition, draws from somatic psychologies, cultural studies, trauma and resiliency studies, dance/movement practice is faculty at Goddard College and SUNY New Paltz.

Aikido of New Paltz 62 Plains Rd. #aikido #newpaltz #midhudsonvalley

Aikido Throwback Thursday.... every Thursday. Real time represent. #aikidoofnewpaltz #shidoin #yudansha #ukemi ... #midhudsonvalley #newpaltz#woodstockaikido #aikido See more

We are here at the Biz and Services Fair until 4pm. Come visit us!

Here's a collection of segments from the aikido demo we did on Aug. 3, 2019. The Bon Odori festival started at noon, and we went on at 12:30, as scheduled. This means we were able to do our demo before Saturday's thunderstorm. (Yay!) But it also means other event participants were still setting up their tents (which you'll hear talk about in the audio). Thank you to May Lane from Woodstock Aikido for being part of the demo!

COME SEE OUR AIKIDO DEMO THIS SAT! On August 3, 2019, Aikido of New Paltz will be part of our local Bon Odori celebration again. We will be presenting an aikido demostration during the festival at 12:30. Please come visit with us for a bit, too, between noon and the 12:30 demo. Do you pracice aikido at one our sister dojos and wish to participate in the demo? If yes, please contact Kristin by this Friday night. ... https://www.bonodori.org/

Congratulations to our three Aikido of New Paltz students who passed their kyu tests on Friday, 3/01/2019! Pat Shortle --> 5th Kyu (Uke: Devon Brady) Scott Shortle --> 4th Kyu (Uke: Michael Zierler) Zack Costa --> 4th Kyu (Uke: Kristin Muller)

Best wishes to everyone testing, tonight! Please come out and support your AoNP aiki-peeps having their 5th, 4th, and 2nd kyu tests!

No class at AoNP tonight, Wed, 2/20/2019, due to snow/ice related poor road conditions.

No class at AoNP tonight, Tuesday, 2/12/2019, due to snow/ice related poor road conditions.

At Aikido of New Paltz on Sun, 2/10/2019

No class tonight, Dec. 31, 2018, at AoNP. Rather, there is a New Years Eve Class at Woodstock Aikido followed by Potluck. When: Mon, December 31, 7pm 8pm Description: Join us for a class at Aikido of Woodstock followed by a Potluck to celebrate the new year.

There are no classes today, Christmas Day, at Aikido of New Paltz. Happy holidays!

Christmas seminar 2018 Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei Donovan Waite Sensei Harvey Konigsberg Sensei

There will not be a morning class this Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. (Many of us will be attending a bokken seminar in Woodstock that day.)There will not be a morning class this Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. (Many of us will be attending a bokken seminar in Woodstock that day.)

For July 4, 2018, evening class is cancelled.

Wed, 6/27/2018 morning class is cancelled at Aikido of New Paltz. Evening class will still be held as scheduled.

Wed, 6/20/2018 morning class is cancelled at Aikido of New Paltz. Evening class will still be held as scheduled.

Tomorrow's Wed (5/16/2018) am class is cancelled. Wed evening class is still on.

Happy spring! It smells so good outside the dojo, right now!

Evening class cancelled at the AoNP dojo for Wed, 3/07/2018, due the poor driving conditions caused by the current snow storm.

The Wed. morning class of March 7, 2018 (taught by Cathy Conlin) is canceled due to inclement weather.

Class cancelled at AoNP for Thurs, 2/22/2018 due present and anticipated poor driving conditions.

Evenening class now also cancelled: For Wed, 2/7/2018, both morning class and evening class are cancelled.

For Wed, 2/7/2018, morning class is cancelled. Please stay tuned regarding the status of the 6pm class for Wed, 2/7/2018. That weather related decision will be made by 4pm.

Congratulations to our four Aikido of New Paltz students who passed their kyu tests on Thursday, 1/18/2018!!!! Thank you to their uke's. And thank you to John Chiarolanzio, our Chief Instructor! Corinne Trang --> 5th Kyu (Uke: Michael Zierler) Scott Shortle --> 5th Kyu (Uke: Devon Brady) Zack Costa --> 5th Kyu (Uke: Howard Lune) ... Violet Hernandez --> 3rd Kyu (Uke: Lori Wynters) See more

Wed, 1/17/2018, morning class at dojo is cancelled due to snow.

Looking Back Claire Keller, Shidoin Aikido can benefit anyone at any age. It’s an inclusive practice and can be modified to fit almost anyone’s agenda with the ...proviso that each of us tries to keep an open mind and heart. This month I celebrate my 38th year of aikido training. I wish I could say my reasons for starting to train were high-minded, but I really started to lose weight. There was an intensive workshop offered at my college during my first year semester break, so I signed up hoping to lose my freshman fifteen. I vividly remember watching the married couple who were instructing give a demonstration and thinking, there is no way I would ever be able to do that. I was 19 years old. For the first couple of decades I trained, I trained hard. I was young and the people around me put a premium on physical fitness and stamina. Despite being young, I was scared. I was afraid to try, afraid to fail, afraid of getting hurt, afraid to exert myself. Competition motivated me. I was convinced that everyone else on the mat was catching on faster and better than me. Resentment fueled me. It made me angry that I had to try so hard to learn how to fall and that it took such a long time to learn. It made me mad that people (particularly men, but some women, too) seemed to get more attention than I did. It infuriated me when certain higher-ranked men would look over my head in boredom when they had no alternative but to train with me. I didn’t just want to be good; I wanted to kick ass. I wanted to be as powerful as the men on the mat and as respected. I began attending seminars more, traveling around the United States to train with different teachers. I even moved in order to train in the dojo I liked the best. Along the way I made friends. Aikido brings people together with a common language that transcends words. Wherever you go in the world, if there’s an aikido dojo, you have a connection to a place that is deeper than simply seeing the sights. I have met hundreds of wonderful people and remained friends with some for decades. I even met my husband on the mat. I’ve also alienated people. I was often unkind and judgmental in my quest to get good. I banged up against the unmanageable and difficult parts of myself until I began to see patterns in myself. Patterns I wasn’t comfortable with, patterns I wanted to change. I am still working on changing those negative patterns. As my awareness has grown, I’ve begun to take responsibility for my behavior and when I’m wrong, apologize. Whenever I have had a problem on the mat, much as I might want to blame my partner, the common denominator is always me. My anger, my competitiveness, my self-hate underlies every conflict I’ve had. By keeping the focus on my own training, I am learning to change my behavior. This awareness has changed the way I train and teach. I try to have compassion and patience, both for myself and for others. Training, which had so often been a chore for me, has become a source of joy even when I struggle. In my teaching I try to let go of my expectations and meet people where they are. My physical approach has shifted as well. The floor is my friend, not my adversary. Instead of trying to force people to do what I think they should do, I now try to blend and adapt. When I have an open mind and heart, I can learn from anyone. I still struggle with my attitude, my competitiveness, my judgment and my ego. Aging is humbling me. Teaching is humbling me. I continue to adapt and aikido continues to provide a consistent framework for me to continue working on myself. My practice keeps me honest with myself. Aikido calls on each of us to be vigilant with ourselves and others. We can train seriously and mindfully without causing injury. Honest training, regardless of skill or rank or age, is a guide and barometer with which to gauge our progress.

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USAF Updated Test Requirements 1-1-2018

Your blue jeans don't hold a flame to Japanese indigo. The true blue dye makes clothes fire resistant, bacteria resistant, and was once worn under the armor of samurai.

Aikido of New Paltz is closed Monday, December 25, 2017. Happy holidays!

Aikido of New Paltz will be closed on Thursday, November 23, 2017 for the holiday.

Thanks for the post, Michael!

Kristin's shodan test