Upcoming Adult & Kid Workshops at Soja:

Dear Readers,

This is just a heads up that Soja hosts a ton of really interesting workshops for beginners and advanced students alike. We put on so many of them that we often don't have time to post them here. Please go to our Soja website schedule page and then choose the "Adult or Kid Workshops" and also our "Events" tabs within that page to see all the cool events coming up. Thanks!

From the New York Times Blog:
Phys Ed January 9, 2013, 12:01 am45 Comments

Do the Brain Benefits of Exercise Last?

By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS

It is well established that exercise bolsters the structure and function of the brain. Multiple animal and human studies have shown that a few months of moderate exercise can create new neurons, lift mood and hone memory and thinking.

But few studies have gone on to examine what happens next. Are these desirable brain changes permanent? Or, if someone begins exercising but then stops, does the brain revert to its former state, much like unused muscles slacken?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/09/to-keep-the-brain-benefits-of-exercise-keep-exercising/?src=me&ref=general

Tips for Talking to Children About the Shooting

By BENEDICT CAREY

Published: December 14, 2012 The New York Times

• 27 Killed in Connecticut Shooting, Including 20 Children (December 15, 2012)

Through Facebook, Twitter, or friends, most youngsters will know about the mass shooting that took place on Friday morning at an elementary school in Newtown, Conn. 

Listen to their fears. Dispel rumors. And be honest, sharing as much detail as a child is able to handle.

Therapists who treat childhood trauma said on Friday that parents talking to their children about the mass shooting should address the news directly and soon, allowing the child to lead with questions and concerns. Parents can no longer control what their children know by simply turning off the television. Many children will know what is happening from mobile devices and social media; now is the time to turn those devices off, these experts said. 

“It’s important to open up the discussion,” said Melissa Brymer, director of terrorism and disaster programs at the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress, based at the University of California, Los Angeles, and Duke University. “There’s a lot of talk on Facebook and Twitter, and it’s important to clarify what’s rumor and what’s not.” 

Dr. Andrew J. Gerber, a child psychiatrist at Columbia, said that parents should come to terms with their own feelings about the massacre before talking to a child. They should "essentially metabolize the awfulness of the event so that what they pass on when they have a discussion with their children conveys a certain amount of thoughtfulness and understanding, rather than raw trauma," he said in an e-mail. 

If a child is frightened, determine the precise source of the fear. It may be a worry that their classroom isn’t safe; or about how to escape school when under threat. “If you say, ‘This bad man can’t hurt you,’ you’ve introduced another fear,” said Dr. Robert H. Abramovitz, a child psychiatrist at Hunter College. “Ask what their worst fear is, and address that.” 

Dr. Abramovitz said that parents can be so eager to reassure that they make unrealistic promises, like “this will never happen to you.” “Better to validate the child’s fear, to say that it’s natural to feel that way, and tell them, ‘I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe,'” he said. 

And reinforce coping skills the child may have already used. Dr. Abramovitz suggested asking, “Remember the last time you were afraid? Remember what you did to calm down?” He said, “This gives the child a feeling of having some agency, some control.” 

If possible, other therapists said, parents should use family or holiday routines as a comforting structure. Spend extra time with children at bedtime. Read them a book. Engage traditions that remind them what they are thankful for. 

Practical questions will soon arise, if not today then soon. Does a child know his or her school’s emergency procedures? What is the family’s communication plan, should something happen? 

“For example, texting is a better strategy then calling,” Dr. Brymer said. “The phone lines clog up fast. It may be a matter of children knowing to text, ‘I’m OK.'” 

And they should be, especially if their parents check in with them and listen. And remind them of something important: that the world is a good place, even if some people do very bad things. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/15/health/tips-for-talking-to-children-about-the-elementary-school-mass-shooting.html

This Friday evening it's The Oakland Art Murmur again (Nov 2). 

Soja will be screening another kungfu classic (TBD) after a white crane throwing session starting at 7pm. Bring beer and food....and your whites and get ready to hit the floor. 

Invite friends to watch us hitting the hard wood soja floor and the movie 7 - 10 pm, free event, open house.

There are still open slots available for Maija's Filipino Sword Dueling Workshop here at Soja this Saturday, Nov 3rd,  3 - 6 pm. 

This workshop is for adults only and is fine for beginners or curious types. There are still slots if you're interested in joining us: $20 or $30, sliding scale. Maija just posted this below on her blog this morning to furnish her workshop participants with details about what she'll focus on for this training workshop:

(We will) "Spend some time looking at how edged weapons differ from others, how they move, how they cut, and the different ways they can be used. Then talk a little about context, and narrow down the way the Visayan Style of sword use dictates the tactics and the flow.

Spend time with recognizing range, looking at the line between safety and danger, and playing with the margin. Also practice seeing planes and angles, and working with weight shift and body angle to gain advantage. Then move on to how to use this information to see the empty spaces, and use this to steal range and thus the timing.

We'll definitely look at hand targeting and avoidance, and the tactics this engenders.

From there, probably a deeper look at the space between the players, how to calculate the geometry, define center line, left right, and forward, back, look at the meaning of 'neutral' and start some basic flow with the pendulum stepping.

Play some 2nd flow within the pendulum stepping and half body pendulum and look at the 3 main openings possible + exits.

So basically we will be comparing pencils with charcoal and pen, and looking at their relative qualities, learning how to frame a composition, divide up the paper and understand how to use the body to measure the space we are drawing in, and the object we are drawing. Perhaps even make some art ..... :-)
Maija's blog: http://swordandcircle.blogspot.com/

Go to Soja's Schedule page and select the "Adult Workshops" tab to register today.

Support the New Parkway Theater, it's moving in just a block from the Soja studio!

This event happens tonight, Wednesday, October 24th and it's FREE!  Please share this with friends. 

6:00--New Parkway opens doors with band, The Deadlies, and will pass out programs 

Sweet Bar opens for food sales as the Concession Stand (open until about 8PM)

6:30-Creative Growth opens doors for seating for Ghost World.

7:00--Start time for Ghost World at Creative Growth, 

 Kitchener Oakland opens doors for seating for Night of the Living Dead.

7:30--Start time for Night of the Living Dead at Kitchener Oakland.  

ER Transmissions opens doors for seating for American Graffiti.

8:00--Start time for American Graffiti.  Soja Martial Arts opens doors for seating for Enter the Dragon.

8:20 - Soja will screen the Bruce Lee classic:
Enter the Dragon 
Sorry folks there was some confusion about programming, the film "The Prodigal Son," will be screened at Soja at a different date in the near future.

Parents Night Out!
Postponed for a few weeks....
Look for an upcoming email with the new date....it will be a Saturday evening. Many parents wanted to do this, but requested a later weekend. No problems! We'll offer it again in just a few weeks.
Martial Arts / games / Movie
$20 per child for Soja current members with the early bird discount.
Non Soja child guests are welcome.