Looking for new space for class.

Spring is here, the healthcare bill has passed and change is in the air. Since I started teaching the sword class in September, the class has been at the Workmen's Circle Building on 33rd St. It seems that soon the space will longer be available and I'm going to have to find a new place to hold classes. There are a few requirements for the next space:

- Must have high ceilings. Most pre-war buildings have sufficient ceilings, as do industrial/loft spaces. It's not fun to swing a sword over your hear and have to worry about hitting a heating duct.

- I'd love to find a space near Penn Station. That's where I come into the city, so that would make it very easy for me to hold classes.

- Not more than $30/hour.

Does anyone have any suggestions? Leads? Ideas?

I'm happy to announce a new sword class that I will be teaching in New York City. Much like the Hoboken class, it will be offered on Thurdays from 6-7:00 PM. I will be offering these classes in conjunction with KINESIS PROJECT, a dance/theatre company. The classes will actually be held at the historic Workman's Circle center, a place with direct ties to my family. I'm excited about these new classes. Melissa Riker, the Artistic Director at Kinesis has been wonderful to work with so far. The best part is that I can offer the classes for less then I've been charging, now only $15/class. This can even go down if you'd like to commit to a longer study period (3 months, 6 months, etc...)

The first class will be on SEPTEMBER 17 at 6:00. Remember that the first class is always FREE!!! Bring a friend!

Elemental Balance

IMG_0235
Originally uploaded by amylitt

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be invited for a getaway to a beautiful estate in Red Hook, NY. The house itself was gorgeous, and our hosts were fantastic (not to mention the jacuzzi!), but what left the greatest impression on me was the beautiful landscape surrounding the house and the breathtaking view. You see, their house faces the Catskills National Park, so their view will never be tarnished by ungainly development, sprawl, or logging.

I took the chance to exercise and practice my forms surrounded by lush fields and mountain views. Additionally, my good friend Amy Litt - social networking guru, amateur photographer, and all-around powerhouse - was kind enough to take pictures of the occasion . While training in this incredible setting, it felt... right. I suspect that the progenitors of the Asian sword arts similar to Sil Jun Do Bup studied in this manner. In most Asian cultures, and especially in the Japanese culture, there is a close kinship between man and nature that has never fully developed in Western cultures. There is a bond between our actions and natures' and we affect each other in everything we do.

In Sil Jun Do Bup, after learning the basics, you progress to the four forms that comprise the art: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. This is no coincidence. In each elemantal form, you are performing similar movements, ie. in Set Earth, the first cut is an overhead diagonal cut. After you make the initial cut, you stop. Solid. Powerful. In Set Water, the first cut you make is still an overhead diagonal cut, but your body and the sword continue to "flow" into a more natural finishing position. Fluid. Adaptable.

For the warrior, the sword is an extension of the self, and the self is a balance of the elements. By focusing on one element, we can incorporate its characterists into our training and become more powerful in that element. By training in a natural setting, we are closer to the elements and can more freely associate ourselves with them and let their energies flow through us without the blockages imposed on us by the 'modern world.' We can free ourselves, and feel the elemental forces of nature both around us and within us.

You can look at the rest of pictures HERE.

Greetings to visitors from the Midsummer Magick Faire! I'm very excited to be leading a workshop at the Faire where I will give an introduction to Iaido - the Way of the Sword. Using wooden practice swords, we'll learn the 8 basic cuts and forms that have been practiced for centuries. We'll discuss the mythos surrounding the curved asian sword known as the "katana," and explore other questions: How and why were eastern and western sword styles similar? How were they different?

Availability for these workshops is extremely limited, due to the space requirements and the supply of wooden swords available. Please show up early!!!

For more information about the Faire, go to their page: http://www.midsummermagickfaire.com/index.html

New Sword Class in Hoboken, NJ!

Hello everyone, I will be teaching a new sword class in Hoboken NJ on THURSDAYS at 7:00PM. The style is SIL JUN DO BUP, similar to Iaido, but focuses more directly on actual cutting. More details are below. If anyone is interested, you can email me at raabrashi@gmail.com or call me at 201.317.9517

The following is a repost from the Waterfront Weekly Journal, where it was featured as the cover story:

http://www.nj.com/living/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/living-1/1238999118299070.xml&coll=3

Get moving ... with swords

Monday, April 06, 2009

By JAMIE SCHUH

JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

A new kind of martial arts will soon be coming to Hoboken.

Sil Jun Do Bup is a Korean form of sword practice, which literally translates to mean "real sword training." It is similar to Iaido, a Japanese form of sword practice that focuses on the drawing of the blade from the kneeling or sitting position. Sil Jun Do Bup, by contrast, focuses on cutting and strikes.

But don't worry, the classes being offered by teacher Raab Rashi at Monroe Movement Space are completely safe.

"You begin training with a wooden or plastic sword," says Rashi, 29. But even before the sword is picked up, "we focus on respect."

Rashi began training unofficially seven years ago, later being taken under the wing of Grandmaster Jin K. Seong, a seventh degree black belt from Korea.

"I was always into swords and martial arts, but I never had the opportunity (growing up) to formally train," says Rashi.

He soon took up teaching at Grandmaster Seong's school, The Kendo Academy in Dumont. The school has two other locations in Closter and East Brunswick. Seong was interested in expanding the school, and Rashi thought Hoboken would be a good fit for this unique style of practice.

"It's a community where people are very open to international ideas. There's a real global awareness and consciousness in Hoboken."

During the first class, Rashi will explain the form of Sil Jun Do Bup, the etiquette involved and then begin to introduce basic movements such as bowing, drawing the sword, stance, basic cutting and sheathing.

"(The basics) are things you work on throughout your journey," says Rashi. "Even masters will be working on these things."

And even though the art involves a lot of physical discipline, what is most important is the mental discipline that practitioners of Sil Jun Do Bup will develop.

"You can go into it with some expectations," Rashi says, "but you will find other things in the art that you weren't expecting to find. You can want to improve your stamina and physical well-being, which you will, but you will also improve your mental focus and reaction time. It will make you a more aware person."

For Rashi, who says that studying sword movement has made him more "grounded," he hopes his students will develop "a sense of calm and focus."

Classes in Sil Jun Do Bup are wholly unique to the Hudson County area, which makes it an even bigger draw to anyone interested in martial arts or sword training.

"We're the only program around like this. There's a few wonderful Kendo schools in the area," he says, but none in the county that specialize in Sil Jun Do Bup.

Classes in Sil Jun Do Bup will run Thursdays at Monroe Movement Space, 720 Monroe St. in Hoboken. Prospective students may show up for a free first class, and then sign up for six months, 24 months or a full year. For more information or to register, call 201-317-9517.