by Lorena Fortolis
Last year, 2023, was very complex and we did not have the opportunity to hold Aikido Tendoryu seminars in Mexico for various reasons. What is the importance of the seminars? Usually the dojos have one or a few permanent teachers, and the students get used to our words and teaching style. It is to be expected that the students will stop listening because of the monotony. Moreover, if the same voice is always speaking, the ideas may be conveyed in the same way and everything becomes impoverished. Receiving teachers from other dojos allows us to get out of our echo chamber and enrich our perception.
In January, we had the pleasure of welcoming Marco Gutmann and he gave us two days of intensive training. He reminded us how important it is to dedicate ourselves fully to aikido, on and off the tatami, and to maintain a flexible and robust body in order to have a long life as an aikidoka.
He shared the insights he has gained on his path as a student of Shimizu Sensei and Waka Sensei. Days after the seminar, I asked the participating students what they had learned, and it was very gratifying to hear so many positive aspects about this seminar.
We are very grateful for Marco's friendship and generosity that he has shown us during these days. The feeling of belonging to a community surrounded by friendly and positive people is ingrained in each of us.
Seminars are like that: they allow us to broaden our understanding. Now we are looking forward to preparing our next seminar with Waka Sensei in November. We know it will be a new opportunity to improve ourselves and we would be delighted to welcome any colleagues from around the world who would like to visit and share this experience with us.
Best regards from México
Lorena