Seminar Report
May 2019
Caledon, Canada
copyright © 2019 Douglas Tong, all rights reserved.
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On May 25th of 2019, Tong Sensei was invited to hold a seminar in kenjutsu at the Princess Warrior Retreat in Caledon, Ontario. This seminar was part of the Forks of the Credit Inn’s special yoga retreat. This is what the management of the inn had to say about our seminar:
“Thanks for sharing with us today. Everyone loved the experience!!”
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Commentary:
It was a lot of fun! In our seminar, these yoga practitioners learned how our brand of sword-fighting and their brand of yoga share many things in common. Their yoga is a blend of Kripalu and Vinyasa Flow yoga infused with yoga philosophy.
What is Vinyasa Flow yoga?
“Vinyasa, also called flow because of the smooth way that the poses run together. Vinyasa Flow synchronizes movement with breath. Just as in dance, Vinyasa Flow links every movement together; there is no stop and go. This is why the magic of the practice lies in the transitions. Gracefully linking each position to the next becomes a moving meditation and a graceful dance between effort and ease. Tying it all together with the breath creates all the magic.”
Very much like our style of kenjutsu, Yagyu Shinkage Ryu. Many people have remarkled how fluid and graceful this style of sword-fighting is, almost like Tai Chi. Transitions are likewise important to us; how we link one movement to another and how we stay connected to the opponent as well. The highest level kata called Enpi is an excellent example of this. It requires that you flow with the opponent, adjusting and adapting like water flowing downhill. In fact, the key goal of Enpi is to imagine that you are like water. In this way, yes, the movements are linked and they all flow together, just like the Vinyasa yoga philosophy.
What is Kripalu yoga?
“Kripalu Yoga is a challenging approach to asana practice that emphasizes meditation and breathwork, and encourages inward focus and spiritual attunement.”
This brand of yoga is about self-awareness, and being present in the moment. According to one website, the real practice is the practice of the mind. Moving with your breath, quieting the mind, flowing with grace and intention, these are all the real benefits and challenges of the practice.
“Yoga is an internal practice. The rest is just a circus.” – Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
In this way, it mirrors what we study in Yagyu Shinkage Ryu. In YSR, it is also about the mind. Our participants learned about truly being in the moment. When a sword is flying at your head, you must be “in the moment”.
They learned about fear and how to control that fear. All those thoughts and anxieties when an opponent is rushing at you and swinging the sword at you are overwhelming, what they call in yoga ‘the monkey mind”. Quieting the mind is what they practice in yoga but it carries real relevance in our practice, and our participants experienced that first-hand. Facing your fears and relaxing in the moment, calming the mind, helped them to remain centered and unperturbed. Hence they learned gradually how to calmly evade the cut and deliver a counter-strike. It really is about the mind.
All in all, it was a great and enlightening seminar for them… and also for me!