Sennin Foundation Blog: March 2010

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Shudokan Martial Arts Association California Seminar (1)

SMAA California Seminar (1)—June 26 and 27, 2010

When: Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27

Where: The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts
1053 San Pablo Ave.
Albany, CA 94706
USA
www.senninfoundation.com

What: Japanese yoga & meditation, Saigo Ryu hanbo-jutsu

Who: H. E. Davey--http://www.smaa-hq.com/bio.php?bioid=2
With attending SMAA Senior Advisors:
Kevin Heard Sensei--http://www.smaa-hq.com/bio.php?bioid=11
Ohsaki Jun Sensei—http://www.smaa-hq.com/bio.php?bioid=18
Ann Kameoka Sensei—http://www.smaa-hq.com/bio.php?bioid=13

Theme: Students will receive instruction in the Shin-shin-toitsu-do system of Japanese yoga and meditation. The focus will be on unification of mind and body in action. Exercises will help participants to achieve deeper calmness, balance, and coordination in budo, but also in their daily lives as well.

Saigo Ryu hanbo-jutsu training will use many of the principles of mind and body unification practiced in Shin-shin-toitsu-do, and it will focus on the hanbo, a three-foot stick. Hanbo-jutsu, as practiced in Saigo Ryu, features dynamic throwing and pinning techniques using the hanbo for additional leverage and pain compliance. Think of it as “jujutsu with a stick.” (Hanbo can be purchased from the Sennin Foundation Center.)

No prior experience is needed in any of the above-mentioned arts. It is important, however, not to miss the first classes on June 26, which will introduce the basics of these disciplines.

Contact Information: hedavey@aol.com, 510-526-7518

Cost: General public—$60 for all Japanese yoga and martial arts classes, SMAA members—$40 for all Japanese yoga and martial classes (save $20!), hanbo—$14.99 with tax included.

Registration Deadline: All fees and a completed registration form must be received by the Sennin Foundation Center two weeks prior to the seminar. It will not be possible to register after this date, and space is limited. The Sennin Foundation Center reserves the right to close registration at any time when the maximum number of participants has been registered.

Troy Swenson Receives Japanese Yoga Teaching Certification

Sennin Foundation member Troy Swenson recently received Shihan-dai ("Associate Instructor") certification in the Shin-shin-toitsu-do system of Japanese yoga and meditation. Swenson Sensei also studies in the Sennin Foundation's healing arts, martial arts, and fine arts programs. He is working toward teaching certification in these disciplines as well.

Mr. Swenson joined the Sennin Foundation Center in 2005, and he lives in El Sobrante, California. He works as a structural engineer.

For more information about Japanese yoga, visit http://www.senninfoundation.com/.

Sennin Foundation General Information

The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts was formed in 1981. Since then, we’ve been teaching Japanese yoga and meditation, healing arts, martial arts, and fine arts. Japanese yoga and martial arts classes for children, age five and above, are also available.

We’re at 1053 San Pablo Ave. in Albany, California, between El Cerrito and Berkeley. We’re accessible by BART and bus. Visits are by appointment, and you can set up an appointment to visit and ask questions, pick up free literature, and/or register for classes by calling 510-526-7518 (PM).

Beginning classes in Japanese yoga and meditation take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Our class in Japanese healing arts takes place on Monday nights. Classes in martial arts are also on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and Saturday mornings. Classes in Integrated Shodo & Meditation, which focus on brush writing and ink painting, are taught in private lessons. And our classes in Japanese yoga and martial arts for children are available Monday through Thursday in the evening.

All classes are semi-private, meaning we do not teach large groups to avoid watering down the quality of instruction. Private lessons are also available.

Prices are reasonable. Discounts are offered for paying more than one month at a time.

All the arts that we teach emphasize unification of mind and body in action. Participating in them develops willpower, concentration, calmness, and other important character traits. You can read more about these disciplines at www.senninfoundation.com. While there, check out the books for sale. Most of these publications can be purchased at the Sennin Foundation Center, and they represent another way to learn about our classes.

The best way, however, to understand what we offer is to call us at 510-526-7518 in the evening. If you get the answering machine, it probably means we’re in the middle of a class. Just leave a message, and we’ll call you back as soon as the class is over. We prefer telephone communication to e-mail, because telephone calls allow us to more effectively explain our programs and their price structure.

Thank you for your interest in the Sennin Foundation Center and this blog. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Sennin Foundation Teacher has Book Published

Dr. Kyle Kurpinski, a Sennin Foundation teacher of Japanese yoga and martial arts, recently had his first book published. How to Defeat Your Own Clone: And Other Tips for Surviving the Biotech Revolution has been getting great reviews. Visit the book's Facebook page for more information or go to http://www.kylekurpinski.com/.

Kurpinski Sensei has been a Sennin Foundation member for several years, and he teaches weekly at our dojo. He is also one of the leading U.S. cell biologists.

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Order the Sennin Foundation Meditation CD

The Sennin Foundation Center is now offering a new Anjo Daza Ho Meditation CD for just $8.95 (plus $3.00 U.S. shipping, $6.00 international). This unique CD is only sold by us, and it features the soothing sound of a classic Japanese meditation bell, timed at particular intervals, which can be used for Anjo Daza Ho meditation (as described in H. E. Davey Sensei's book Japanese Yoga). These kane, Japanese bowl-shaped bells, aren't widely available outside of Japan, and Anjo Daza Ho uses this sound to powerfully focus the mind for meditation. A special buzzer can also be used to effectively concentrate the mind, and this distinctive hum is included in our new CD as well. Click on the image above to order your CD today.

Order "The Japanese Way of the Artist"

Click on the image above to order your copy of The Japanese Way of the Artist. Including extensive illustrations and an all-new introduction by the author, The Japanese Way of the Artist (Stone Bridge Press, September 2007) anthologizes three complete, out-of-print works by the Director of the Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts. With penetrating insight into the universe of Japanese spiritual, artistic, and martial traditions, H. E. Davey explores everything from karate to calligraphy, ikebana to tea, demonstrating how all traditional Japanese arts share the same spiritual goals: serenity, mind/body harmony, awareness, and a sense of connection to the universe.

The Sennin Foundation Center for Japanese Cultural Arts has been offering instruction in traditional Japanese arts under experienced, certified teachers since 1981. Established in California by H. E. Davey Sensei, it presents separate training in Japanese systems of yoga, healing arts, martial arts, and fine arts. Ongoing classes are available to people of all ages and levels of health, including classes for children ages five and up. Members of the Sennin Foundation Center have access to the rich traditions of Japan's cultural arts through practice in the group's classical dojo (literally, "training hall of the Way"). Much more than simply a school or studio, an authentic dojo is a gateway into the timeless realm of Asian art and personal development, allowing members of the Sennin Foundation Center to realize vibrant well-being and longevity. In fact, the word "Sennin" describes the ancient Japanese equivalent of a yogi. The Sennin were known for their high degree of enlightenment, splendid health, and according to some ancient myths, their ability to attain immortality. This same emphasis on spiritual realization and physical fitness is stressed by the Sennin Foundation, thus the use of the term Sennin.