Hello!
Greetings from your friends at the board of Shintaido of America! It’s time to renew your membership. Last year we added to our membership and QUADRUPLED the amount of traffic on our website. Can we do that again this year?
Your $60 annual membership fee now offers more benefits than ever. While most groups are now (thankfully!) back to holding keikos in-person, the technological lessons learned during the pandemic have continued to stretch and strengthen our practice.
Zoom offerings:
- Connie Borden, Rob Gaston, and Sandra Bengtsson continue to co-teach a weekly Sunday ZOOM class from 9am to 10am Pacific Time. Everyone is welcome to join. Many of these classes are available on the Shintaido of America YouTube channel.
- Ito-sensei teaches regularly on Zoom from his home in France. From the UK, General Instructor Charles Burns teaches several classes each week from his dojo. Shintaido of America members are warmly invited to join.
- In-person: View the Shintaido of America website.
- The second season of the Shintaido Podcast was launched on February 5, 2023, on several listening platforms. Season Two of the podcast begin with chapters of the book Untying Knots: A Shintaido Chronicle by the co-founder of Shintaido of America, Master Instructor, Michael Thompson, narrated by General Instructor David Franklin. Michael Sensei was feted at the launch by the receipt of a Lifetime Achievement Award during which several of his students offered their memories of his gorei. Here’s what one member said:
Watching the podcast brought many memories from the last 20 years. I consider myself so damn lucky for being introduced to Shintaido and all of you. I often wonder where would I be today without Shintaido, what life would I have, who would I be…
Gorazd Drozina
- Also on the Podcast, David hosts a series of interviews on Shintaido-related topics with various people familiar with our practice, including the visual artist Mario Uribe, rock musician Amanda Palmer and classical conductor Kent Nagano.
- General Instructor and Shintaido of America Board Director Connie Borden hosts a monthly podcast discussion group on the last Tuesday of each month. Please contact Connie if you’d like to join in!
In addition, Shintaido of America supports our community of practitioners by providing members with:
1. Full access to the Shintaido of America Website. Check it out! New things are happening all the time! We now feature a media page that includes all our newsletter, YouTube and Podcast links.
2. Body Dialogue is now completely digital and appears in real time as postings on the website.
3. The Shintaido of America YouTube Channel presents new videos every few weeks.
4. Access to episodes of the Shintaido of America Podcast
5. Liability Insurance for instructors and students – so you and your students are covered no matter where you practice. This is available to members at no cost.
6. Access to the most up-to-date changes to the curriculum, which continues to develop, especially the Kenjutsu curriculum.
7. Support to our instructors and the National Technical Committee.
8. Communication with International Shintaido Technical and Exam Committee (ITEC)
9. Leadership by Shintaido of America and ESC as the organizing and sponsoring organizations for international activities.
10. Shintaido of America examinations and Shintaido of America Diplomas.
11. Shintaido of America has 4 grants for 2023. These grants are to support start up costs for new classes or expand Shintaido into healthcare and associated settings. Contact Connie for more information.
Membership fees are still only $60. For ALL of the benefits listed above, your annual membership works out to only $5 a month, or 16 cents a day!
Electronic payment can easily be made at http://www.shintaido.org/membership/
Alternately, a check for $60 payable to SOA can be mailed to:
Shintaido of America Membership
426 Day Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
(as of 12/2023)
We sincerely hope you will consider renewing your membership, and join us as Shintaido of America moves into the future!
Connie Borden, Chair SOA Board of Director
Shin Aoki, Chair SOA NTC
Sandra Bengtsoon, Treasurer
Nancy Billias, Membership
David Franklin, Podcast
Michael Thompson, co-founder
H.F. Ito, co-founder
Links
Proceed with the Shintaido of America membership fee
http://shintaido.org/docs/membership.htm
Shintaido of America YouTube channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMF5wKhxvnO4_tj2bsZ8OvA/video
Information about the practices on Shintaido of America website
http://www.shintaido.org/practice/
The Shintaido of America podcast
http://www.shintaido.org/podcast/
The Shintaido of America podcast – episode including interview with visual artist Mario Uribe
https://shintaidoofamerica.podbean.com/e/untying-knots-chapter-1-and-an-interview-with-artist-mario-uribe/
The Shintaido of America podcast – episode including interview with classical conductor Kent Nagano
https://shintaidoofamerica.podbean.com/e/untying-knots-and-an-interview-with-orchestral-conductor-kent-nagano/
The Shintaido of America website
http://www.shintaido.org/
The Body Dialogue
http://www.shintaido.org/body-dialogue/
Information about the Liability Insurance for instructors and students
http://www.shintaido.org/membership/member-resources/
