Aikitrend: be Positive, be Dynamic

Liking around Facebook, I found this totally awesome online shop that sells aikido jewelery. I instantly liked the unique pieces showcased on their site and thought I must share it with you. I mailed the aikitrend team and got to know them a bit. I mostly corresponded with Anne Marie, who is such a nice person. She said so many positive things about my blog that motivated me. It was great to bond with people who would also see the fusion of beauty and aikido. 

The AikiTrend team is a group of dynamic and dedicated people. Anne Marie shared with me that last month they were present at an aikido seminar in Chicago. There, they had the chance to present the Aikitrend pieces that had a great popularity. So this is a trend created by the aikidoka for the aikidoka and most recently for the iaidoka also. Here is a short presentation of what AikiTrend is all about. 

Since 2010 Aiki Trend has been creating stylish silver and gold pieces inspired in the art of Aikido. Our goal is to share the beauty of Aikido in an innovative way, offering fellow practitioners a tasteful and elegant manner of expressing their love for this art. Aiki Trend has traditional, classy and creative designs which aim to capture the essence and movement of Aikido. Aiki Trend’s jewelry is also representative of the Aikido philosophy – a martial art that fosters peace, love and harmony.  Our brand has also recently launched a new line of Iaido silver jewelry created specifically for the Iaidoka.

Aiki Trend works with the world’s finest metals of South America, mainly with 925 and 950 traditionally crafted peruvian silver. We are proud to say that all of our products are carefully hand-made and polished by Peruvian artisans. Aiki Trend also combines its top quality precious metals with natural elements such as the Andean

opal, Peruvian turquoise, red coral amongst others. Each one of the designs is created for a one-of-a-kind look, which is why all of our models are made in limited editions.

Some strong female aikidoka wearing aikitrend. The pictures were taken by Kjartan Clausen.

Lauren Walsh, Australia, 1st dan,
currently uchideshi at New York Aikikai

Indra Gandy, USA, 3rd dan, New York Aikikai

 ~~Aiki Trend characterizes itself for regularly showcasing new designs and is a beautiful alternative for special Aikido/Iaido occasions and for gifts. Check them out! Here is a short slideshow I have put together from some of the greatest pictures~~

Photography:

Jaime Kahn

Mario Razzeto

Visit their site:

Make sure to follow them on:

aikitrend@twitter.com

www.facebook.com/aikitrend

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The Voice of Aikido- Practicing Basic Technique: Training Mental Attitude and Vision

I decided to start another series of posts, entitled The Voice of Aikido. In this recording I am reading Chapter 2 from The Principles of Aikido by Mitsugi Saotome (1989 p.3-7)

The aim of this series is to share with you some of the theoretical teachings of aikido. The books are not my own but borrowed from the local Japanese library. I picked out excerpts that moved me most and that I find most interesting. I hope the excerpts will rise your interest and that those who practice aikido will try to perfect themselves by reading some of the literature on this martial art.

This Chapter is introducing a number of important principles of aikido. Towards the end, you will find out the Percepts for Practice to be Understood and Deeply Considered. These are some of the basic rules O'Sensei himself has put down as guidelines for those entering the dojo for the first time.

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To all the Short-Sighted out There!

Beauty and Aikido ©

I am writing this post, to all the short-sighted out there who have been skeptical about contact lenses. So have I been for so many, many years. I started wearing glassed at around the age of 16. From that moment on I thought nobody would find me attractive. Paradoxically enough the same year I got to know my first big love, but that is another story.

Google out my goggles

So don't be silly, glasses do not make you look less attractive. You can have so much fun with different frames and styles. I must admit however, that as a teen having to wear glasses was tough. I always felt most people were seeing the frame and not the person behind it. To this day, I still feel like people I get into superficial contact with, remember me as somebody with glasses. This on the other hand it is kind of OK also, because you probably know the cliché: glasses make you look smarter.

In contact with the lenses

Contact lenses have been for long years a no go for me. I was really put off by the idea that I would have something applied directly on my retina. I din't really like the idea of having to pun my fingers into my eyes when putting it on and off. But there came that certain breakthrough point when I said I will try it.

Out of the fog, into the ligt

That certain point came because of aikido. At trainings I saw everything really blurry because I was not wearing glasses. There are people who wear glasses on the trainings. I personally felt it would hinder my freedom on movement and spoil the fun. I would have been concerned all the time about whether my glasses were about to fall off or not during a roll. So after briefly consulting with one of the senpai, I went there and bought those lenses. It opened a brand new dojo for me. The walls, the pictures, the clock in the dojo. The people's faces during the training: all these small thing became crystal clear. Training became a whole other experience. I am not sure how many of you can follow me, but I would persuade all the short sighted out there to give it a try.

I was mesmerized when I first put the lenses on. I could move my sight in all directions without being restricted by a frame. Because of that I could observe my environment in a different light. One of the most important teachings of aikido is indeed this perceiving of oneself in the context of one's environment. The lenses pushed me a small step forward towards progressing in that.

Beauty and Aikido ©

Glasses/Lenses/Glasses/Lenses/Glasses/Lenses...

All in all, I will not drop my glasses and wear lenses only. There are several reasons. On the one hand I work a lot on a computer, which dries my eyes. My eyes dry even quicker when I wear lenses. On the other hand were I to go to a job interview or i do a presentation, I might be tending to wear the glasses to have a more professional look (back to the smart-ass cliché, but watch out you might lose points in the team player category!) I adapt to my different activities:

Work and chilling at home, writing my blog (like right now),etc.- mostly glasses.

Free time, going for a walk on a sunny day in order to put on cute sunglasses, aikido training, date, whenever I want my make-up to stand out - lenses.

Ah...what the heck girls, the guys don't notice anyway... Sometimes I get the feeling we girls among ourselves notice it much better.

How to Decide if Mineral Foundation Makeup is a Useful Product for your Skin

 -a guest post by M. Rochell

Finding the suitable mineral foundation makeup for beautiful skin coverage can enhance and even your natural skin discoloration. Mineral foundations are usually a powder formula that is produced from a mix of cornstarch and different minerals. There is a number of different formulas you can choose from. You should do some research in order to determine which suits you best. This post can help you in doing that.

The ideal of a mineral foundation got going in the 70s. It was to give the skin a clearer, fragrance free, dye free and binding-free product. The item was intended to be gentle on the skin and not cause any irritation. Some brands have managed to make a foundation that closely resembles many of these goals.

Some of the products provide a coverage that does not meet the normal coverage level, so it is better to go to a store where different mineral foundations can be purchased and try them on. Mineral foundations are not known for giving good wrinkle coverage and may not be the best choice for acne or rosacea. Since there are differing opinions, trying it out is the best way to understand how it will work for you.

Reading the labels is very important with regards to mineral makeup. When it says pure or only minerals you should still read the fine print. Sometimes these claims are not entirely true. Even though they are true, there might be very irritating elements in the makeup.

The sun block that is found in a lot of foundations is not included in a mineral foundation. This is something that each wearer needs to be aware of and take precautions for. Wearing a sun block under the foundation can provide it a very different look and feel.

There are many other mineral-based products on the market other than foundation. You can find eye shadows, lipsticks, blushes, finishing powders and even mascaras. The options are numerous if you are fond of the mineral-based skin care products. Some companies sell mineral products included in their manufacturer product line, while others concentrate only on the mineral-based products.

A lot of people think that mineral-based foundations are cruelty-free products. This is usually not the case. Some of the products are not tested on animals; however the brushes may be made of rabbit’s fur. So, if this is a concern to you, you need to do some research before buying any mineral-based products.

The most essential things to remember about the mineral foundation makeup is that it is very individualized. There are many different beliefs concerning the makeup: for example that it isn't good for darker skin tones or it isn't good for wrinkles. The simplest way to try it is to go to a store where they let you try the product on. It is more affordable than buying several brands and looking them. This will enable you to talk to an educated sales person about your skin and coloring. You might want to put it on all day before you buy a specific brand so you are aware how it lasts and how it looks in various lights.

Experimental Aikido- Women in Skirts

I was totally taken off guard by this video, just to find out next that there will be a whole sequel of them. But this is great, because it means it somehow clashed with and changed my horizon of expectation. For now these were the questions that popped into my mind:

Are these light movements and colorful skirts doing justice to aikido? 

Really conservative practitioners would definitely say no. I am more flexible and open minded so I say it is an interesting approach. This is a great way to promote aikido among women. As aikido is not about raw force but about intellect and lightness of movements, Bernath Sensei's approach is a valid, creative and creditable one.

Is aikido reduced or elevated to a dance in this video? 

This video has a bohemian atmosphere. The girls sort of remind me of Esmeralda from Notre Dame de Paris. Her dance is just as charming and bewitching. This dance is the meeting point of ballet, modern dance and aikido. I hope this video will bewitch a lot of viewers and make them interested in trying out aikido, even though it is pretty far away from what is demonstrated in this video. 
 

Is this aikido or is this something else? 

It is categorically not aikikai aikido. However I offer the credit to Bernath Sensei as the initiator of this innovative direction. It is something else, still waiting to be defined.

Are these girls aikidoka?

I saw some insecure mae ukemis instead of free fall in the video, but basically the girls try to do their best. They might as well be aikidoka. I will ask Bernath Sensei about this. She was kind enough to like my Facebook page, so she can easily track this article I mentioned on Women on Aikido I was planning to write.

Most probably I will be returning to the videos from the promised sequel with further comments.

O.P.I. Half Moon Nails Tutorial

This is a look inspired by the German JOY magazine and a spring day where I felt like buying this crazy colored nailpolish. Half moon nails are again fashionable and are not that hard to create. In case you would like an interesting look, try this one out. You can do the reverse french manicure with free hands or with french manicure stripes.

Here is the result:

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Blog Analytics- About Average Reading Time on my Blog

Greetings Everyone!

I actually pretty much enjoy tracking the reader activity on my blog. Through this I learn more about you, my readers and about blogging in general also. One of the tools I use is PostRank Analytics. I have observed that the more time I invest in a post, the more time you, my readers invest into reading it.

For example it took me several hours to put together this post about different techniques we were practicing at our dojo and I also supported it with carefully searched video material from YouTube. And through this, you also conveyed more of your time fot that post:

Even though I got no engagement for this post yet, hope to get some soon enough. One gets them if someone comments or interacts somehow with that post. For example if you Digg it, Like it on Facebook or Share it on StumbleUpon or if you perform any similar activity.

All in all I treasure those 7 page views, because those people took their time and read my post. Maybe you also learned someting or got more interested in aikido. Thank you for your interest! If you have anything to share or ask, do not hesitate to contact me. I will keep on writing both lighter and more ellaborate posts.

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