Nishimon Dojo

Meditating in nature offers numerous physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Here are ten key advantages:

1. Enhanced Relaxation: Nature’s calming atmosphere promotes deeper relaxation by reducing external distractions like technology, helping to quiet the mind more effectively.�

2. Improved Mental Clarity: The natural environment fosters mindfulness, increasing focus and mental clarity as your senses engage with the sights, sounds, and smells around you.�

3. Stress Reduction: Nature reduces cortisol levels, helping to lower stress and anxiety, while meditating amidst greenery further amplifies this effect by fostering a sense of calm and tranquility.�

4. Connection with Nature: Meditating outdoors strengthens your connection with the natural world, increasing feelings of interconnectedness, awe, and gratitude, which improves overall well-being.�

5. Boosted Creativity: Exposure to nature has been linked to enhanced creativity. Meditating outside stimulates the brain in new ways, often leading to innovative ideas and insights.�

6. Increased Mindfulness: Natural surroundings encourage present-moment awareness, helping you stay grounded and mindful by drawing attention to the subtle sounds of birds, rustling leaves, or flowing water.�

7. Improved Mood: Time spent in nature naturally elevates mood by increasing endorphins, and combining this with meditation further enhances feelings of happiness and emotional balance.�

8. Enhanced Physical Health: Fresh air and the calming effects of nature improve respiratory health, reduce blood pressure, and support the immune system, offering physical benefits beyond mental well-being.�

9. Better Sleep: Exposure to natural light during outdoor meditation helps regulate your circadian rhythm, leading to improved sleep quality and better overall rest.�

10. Greater Sense of Peace: The quietude and serenity of nature create a peaceful setting that promotes deep meditative states, reducing mental noise and fostering inner peace and calm.�
Incorporating meditation in nature can profoundly enhance your overall well-being by blending the benefits of mindfulness with the restorative power of the outdoors.

For more details, there will be a free introductory session next Monday 16th September at 7.40 at the Hersden Community Centre on meditation and mindfulness practices run by Edward Breen from Meditation For Life.

Not long to go until our next Lightsaber workshop. Come and get your Jedi on. Canterbury Medieval Combat

Lightsaber Workshop May 2024 – Medieval Sword School (HEMA) Medieval Sword School run a number of Medieval Combat classes across Kent. Our main practice is in Canterbury. We have practice in Broadstairs and at events across Kent. Our main practice is German Longsword as well as Messer and Dagger fighting. There are also opportunities to practice other weapon...

There will be no class at the end of this
Month due to the bank holiday weekend. Keep your eyes on the page for the next class date

Sanda is a modern unarmed combat sport that developed from traditional wushu techniques, and primarily makes use of punching, kicking, throwing, wrestling and defensive techniques.

This is a good basis to look at what we would have used as medieval self defence - there is a lot of crossover here.

Get booked in! Canterbury Medieval Combat Guest Instructor Barry Phelan from Wugong Academy

Chinese Kickboxing (Sanda) Workshop – Medieval Sword School (HEMA) Sanda is a modern unarmed combat sport that developed from traditional wushu techniques, and primarily makes use of punching, kicking, throwing, wrestling and defensive techniques.

Look forward to seeing everyone tonight for Iaijutsu. We will be covering a lot of fundamentals and a look at Battoho. So not too much kneeling tonight. 🤣

Looking forward to seeing everyone Friday night (23rd Feb). If you want to come and try 500 year old Japanese Sword Arts come along to St Georges School at 7.00pm. Come and get out of your own head, relax, and improve your flexibility, cognitive function while relieving stress. All while wielding a sword.

There is no class tonight as there are exams setup. Sorry.

Looking forward to seeing everyone Friday night. If you want to come and try 500 year old Japanese Sword Arts come along to St Georges School at 7.00pm. Come and get out of your own head, relax, and improve your flexibility, cognitive function while relieving stress. All while wielding a sword.

Nice quiet class last night, working on fundamentals, first two Battoho waza and the first 4 Tachi Uchi no Kata.

Looking forward to seeing everyone this Friday for Iaijutsu

We have had an experienced Kendoka from Tokyo attend our Medieval HEMA Classes in Canterbury. He wanted to compare systems and incorporate elements of HEMA into his Kendo practice. One of the main things he went away with was the fact that while these systems are similar but he will find as much if not more useful training in studying Kenjutsu as he will HEMA.

Kumitachi

Paired waza is not just a bunch of techniques of knocking wood together. Kumitachi as pat of Iaijutsu helps a practitioner to understand, timing, distance, maai, and more. Without practicing Paired waza often, Iaijutsu suffers and becomes simply cutting air.

We will spend as much time focussed on the kenjutsu elements of our system as much as the iaijutsu.

Throwback Friday. When Sensei Mebis and I both had more hair...

A really interesting read with lots of useful elements to add to training…

A reminder we have practice tomorrow night from 7pm.

Neko no Myojutsu first appeared in a collection of essays written in 1727 by Issai Chozan. It translates as “The Marvelous Techniques of the Old Cat.”

https://nishimondojo.co.uk/neko-no-myojutsu/