Aikido Daiwa

Aikido Daiwa is pleased to host an aikido seminar with Didier Boyet Shihan and Roo Heins Sensei on October 6 - 8, 2023

Congratulations on Daiwa students’ testing and promotions!
Amit D. - nidan
Chris P. - sandan
Jared L. - sandan

(This is belated - testing was 11/19/22)

To all who plan on attending the seminar this weekend: We have just installed a new water bottle filling station at the dojo. So, please bring your own water bottles if you can and help us reduce waste. See you this weekend!

Aikido Daiwa is pleased to announce our Grand Reopening Seminar with D. Boyet Shihan and R. Savoca Shihan on Oct 7-9. Please join us!

Registration at: https://aikidodaiwa.com/

This weekend, members of Aikido Daiwa joined the Friends of the LA River’s annual Great LA River Cleanup. The area we were focused on was near the Bette Davis Picnic Area, which was our dojo during the quarantine. The park took good care of us and we were more than happy to return the favor. Thank you, !

Aikido Daiwa updated their address.

At Daiwa’s next dojo

After this morning’s class, discussing plans for the future dojo.

Outdoor training in SoCal’s extreme winter conditions

Our uniforms have taken on a more Dodger Blue hue.

Congratulations to Sarah on her testing and promotion to 4th kyu!

Aikido training in the park this morning.

Hi friends! We looking to buy martial arts mats for our next dojo. Do you have mats looking for a new home, or know someone that does? Please contact us at [email protected]

Yoko Okamoto Shihan - The Road to New Normal / Aikido in Pandemic The IAF is extremely pleased to present our 2nd video series: The Road To New Normal, by Yoko Okamoto Shihan, dojocho of Aikido Kyoto. As the challenges of t...

Sunday morning Park Kids class is back. Break up as small group with teacher for each group and spread out all over the park. Covid-proof distanced class. Everyone is apart at least 20 feet away from each other. All kids and teachers have Walkie-Talkie so we all move together. It's good for their eyes to watch far distance since they are now always in front of computer these days🤓

Kids class promotion at park. It was surprise for them.
We could not do physical testing but they achieved the most important part of training during this pandemic. -Continuation- They kept training through Zoom classes and park classes non-stop this year. I'm so proud of them.
Great job everyone!!! I love you all❤

Staying connected, while maintaining our distance.

Daiwa member Adam and his wife Maggie recently took ownership of Adam’s Pack Station.
The Station uses donkeys to pack supplies to 80 rustic mountain cabins, since 1936, and it is the last of its kind in the US.
This year, they have had the challenges of Covid-19, a fire in July, another in August, and the devastating Bobcat fire in September,
A GoFundMe has been setup to help Maggie and Adam in the recovery of this historic Pack Station.
Please help if you can:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/ce4b9-a-cause-i-care-about-needs-help

More photos from this morning's outdoor training. Don't be distracted by the horses in the background...

On September 21, 2020, the students of Aikido Daiwa said goodbye to our home of 9 years, the dojo’s 5th location in its 41 year history. When we first arrived, we had to collectively reimagine what we wanted our dojo to be. New walls were put up, a new mat was laid down, and training began.

Maintaining the dojo is a group effort, but there are some people that deserve recognition for their contributions to Aikido Daiwa:

First, we want to thank Jack Arnold Sensei for creating Aikido Daiwa and for his years of teaching, generosity, and friendship. Our dojo family would not exist without him.

Secondly, we would like to thank Melinda Arnold, who will always be an essential part of the Aikido Daiwa family. Without her unwavering love and support, the dojo would not be the thriving community it is and will continue to be.

We would like to sincerely thank all the wonderful teachers who have come to Aikido Daiwa and share their instruction over the years: Alex Peterson Sensei, Darrell Bluhm Sensei, Dennis Belt Sensei, Didier Boyet Sensei, Archie Champion Sensei, Coryl Crane Sensei, Roo Heins Sensei, George Lyons Sensei, Tsuruzo Miyamoto Sensei, Yoko Okamoto Sensei, and so many others.

Last, but not least, the dojo could not be possible without the continuous support of all of Aikido Daiwa’s students and parents, past and present, and Daiwa's chief instructor John Brinsley Sensei . Your contributions are why the Aikido Daiwa community continues to thrive.

As we close the doors on the Magnolia Blvd. dojo, we do so with gratitude and optimism that the next dojo will be a new beginning where we can make new memories, create new friendships, and carry on Arnold Sensei’s spirit and commitment to the training.

Until then, as Arnold Sensei used to say, See ya down the road.

On September 21, 2020, the students of Aikido Daiwa said goodbye to our home of 9 years, the dojo’s 5th location in its 41 year history. When we first arrived, we had to collectively reimagine what we wanted our dojo to be. New walls were put up, a new mat was laid down, and training began.

Maintaining the dojo is a group effort, but there are some people that deserve recognition for their contributions to Aikido Daiwa:

First, we want to thank Jack Arnold Sensei for creating Aikido Daiwa and for his years of teaching, generosity, and friendship. Our dojo family would not exist without him.

Secondly, we would like to thank Melinda Arnold, who will always be an essential part of the Aikido Daiwa family. Without her unwavering love and support, the dojo would not be the thriving community it is and will continue to be.

We would like to sincerely thank all the wonderful teachers who have come to Aikido Daiwa and share their instruction over the years: Alex Peterson Sensei, Darrell Bluhm Sensei, Dennis Belt Sensei, Didier Boyet Sensei, Archie Champion Sensei, Coryl Crane Sensei, Roo Heins Sensei, George Lyons Sensei, Tsuruzo Miyamoto Sensei, Yoko Okamoto Sensei, and so many others.

Last, but not least, the dojo could not be possible without the continuous support of all of Aikido Daiwa’s students and parents, past and present. Your contributions are why the Aikido Daiwa community continues to thrive.

As we close the doors on the Magnolia Blvd. dojo, we do so with gratitude and optimism that the next dojo will be a new beginning where we can make new memories, create new friendships, and carry on Arnold Sensei’s spirit and commitment to the training.

Until then, as Arnold Sensei used to say, See ya down the road.

On September 21, 2020, the students of Aikido Daiwa said goodbye to our home of 9 years, the dojo’s 5th location in its 41 year history. When we first arrived, we had to collectively reimagine what we wanted our dojo to be. New walls were put up, a new mat was laid down, and training began.

Maintaining the dojo is a group effort, but there are some people that deserve recognition for their contributions to Aikido Daiwa:

First, we want to thank Jack Arnold Sensei for creating Aikido Daiwa and for his years of teaching, generosity, and friendship. Our dojo family would not exist without him.

Secondly, we would like to thank Melinda Arnold, who will always be an essential part of the Aikido Daiwa family. Without her unwavering love and support, the dojo would not be the thriving community it is and will continue to be.

We would like to sincerely thank all the wonderful teachers who have come to Aikido Daiwa and share their instruction over the years: Alex Peterson Sensei, Darrell Bluhm Sensei, Dennis Belt Sensei, Didier Boyet Sensei, Archie Champion Sensei, Coryl Crane Sensei, Roo Heins Sensei, George Lyons Sensei, Tsuruzo Miyamoto Sensei, Yoko Okamoto Sensei, and so many others.

Last, but not least, the dojo could not be possible without the continuous support of all of Aikido Daiwa’s students and parents, past and present, and Daiwa's chief instructor John Brinsley Sensei. Your contributions are why the Aikido Daiwa community continues to thrive.

As we close the doors on the Magnolia Blvd. dojo, we do so with gratitude and optimism that the next dojo will be a new beginning where we can make new memories, create new friendships, and carry on Arnold Sensei’s spirit and commitment to the training.

Until then, as Arnold Sensei used to say, See ya down the road.

On September 21, 2020, the students of Aikido Daiwa said goodbye to our home of 9 years, the dojo’s 5th location in its 41 year history. When we first arrived, we had to collectively reimagine what we wanted our dojo to be. New walls were put up, a new mat was laid down, and training began.

Maintaining the dojo is a group effort, but there are some people that deserve recognition for their contributions to Aikido Daiwa:

First, we want to thank Jack Arnold Sensei for creating Aikido Daiwa and for his years of teaching, generosity, and friendship. Our dojo family would not exist without him.

Secondly, we would like to thank Melinda Arnold, who will always be an essential part of the Aikido Daiwa family. Without her unwavering love and support, the dojo would not be the thriving community it is and will continue to be.

We would like to sincerely thank all the wonderful teachers who have come to Aikido Daiwa and share their instruction over the years: Alex Peterson Sensei, Darrell Bluhm Sensei, Dennis Belt Sensei, Didier Boyet Sensei, Archie Champion Sensei, Coryl Crane Sensei, Roo Heins Sensei, George Lyons Sensei, Tsuruzo Miyamoto Sensei, Yoko Okamoto Sensei, and so many others.

Last, but not least, the dojo could not be possible without the continuous support of all of Aikido Daiwa’s students and parents, past and present. Your contributions are why the Aikido Daiwa community continues to thrive.

As we close the doors on the Magnolia Blvd. dojo, we do so with gratitude and optimism that the next dojo will be a new beginning where we can make new memories, create new friendships, and carry on Arnold Sensei’s spirit and commitment to the training.

Until then, as Arnold Sensei used to say, See ya down the road.

One door closes, and another opens.

[We continue to train, until we are able to physically train indoors again. We do both outdoor classes and with virtual classes, every week.]

On August 22, Yahe Solomon Sensei will be teaching a virtual seminar hosted by Alameda Aikikai. Please contact us for details.

8月22日、ソロモン先生（7段、合気会）がバーチャルセミナーを行います。セミナーはアラメダ合気会が主催します。詳細はお問い合わせください。

#合気道 #武道 #千葉和雄 #千葉 #先生 #師範 #財団法人合気会 #合気会 #杖 #木剣 #木刀 #武器技 #受身

Saturday, in the park, ...

It's our first time kids class at park. It was great to see everyone in person. As we know, California is not doing well with COVID-19 these days. Let's be extra careful and keep our kids and ourselves safe and healthy!!!

Outdoor Aikido training - Saturday morning.

A Juneteenth Message


“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Martin Luther King, Jr. – Letter From Birmingham Jail



Aikido is a tool for personal transformation, which doesn’t take place in a vacuum. Painful though it may be, it is vital to recognize this country’s dual legacy of liberty and genocide. Today is Juneteenth, commemorating June 19, 1865, when African Americans in Texas were informed of their freedom. Despite that promise, more than 150 years later their struggle for true emancipation goes on.



Racism and brutality against Blacks, Latinos, Indigenous and all people of color, as well as discrimination against the LGBTQ community, remain stains on our society. Aikido is designed to resolve conflict, of which there is no shortage, and it is everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to address these injustices. “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny,” Dr. King wrote. This dojo is committed to fostering an environment of inclusion and openness, founded on the principle of sincere practice.



John Brinsley

Chief Instructor

Aikido Summer Solstice Seminar, starts tomorrow!
Registration and info: https://tinyurl.com/y99urjke

Great to train again, great to be outdoors, and great to see friends in real life.

Chiba Sensei in Nagoya
-John Brinsley

June 5 marks the fifth anniversary of Chiba Sensei’s passing. While I was not his student, I was fortunate enough to train irregularly at the San Diego Aikikai for about three years. In his memory, here is a recounting of one weekend with this remarkable man.

In November 1961, O-Sensei and Kisshomaru Doshu gave a demonstration in Nagoya, Japan’s industrial heartland, to inaugurate the opening of the city’s first aikido dojo. Hombu then dispatched 21-year-old Chiba Kazuo to be its first teacher.

The Tashiro Dojo was and is unusual because it jointly teaches judo and aikido. It was founded by Tashiro Keizan Sensei, a judo 8th dan who became acquainted with O-Sensei and wanted his own students to learn aikido. Chiba Sensei spent several months teaching there before returning to Tokyo, and in his wake other Hombu teachers were sent to Nagoya, including Kanai Sensei.

When Chiba Sensei moved back to Japan from the U.K. in 1976, he renewed ties with Tashiro Dojo. He taught a seminar there in 1979 and again several times in the mid-1980s after moving to San Diego. There is footage of him teaching in Nagoya during a trip he made with several of his San Diego students in 1986, with Juba Nour Sensei taking ukemi. The connection was such that several Tashiro Dojo students traveled to San Diego to practice on at least two occasions.

In November 2002, Chiba Sensei traveled to Nagoya to (belatedly) mark the 40th anniversary since he’d first taught there by giving a two-day seminar. I went down from Tokyo with Didier Boyet and a few others, including Miyamoto Sensei, who was only able to attend the Friday class. Also there were Teru Murashige and Robert Savoca, who had arrived from New York only a few hours earlier. We were warmly welcomed by Dojo-cho Wada Akira Sensei, now an 8th dan, who had begun aikido under a very young Chiba Sensei.

Tashiro Dojo is old, musty and not large. There were probably 50 people on the tatami that night and another 10 either sitting or standing watching in street clothes, despite a complete lack of audience space. Not everyone had enough room to stretch out during Sensei’s warm-up. But once training started, it didn’t matter.

Most of the hour-and-a half keiko was suwariwaza. I had never seen Chiba Sensei teach in Japan before, and he was in his element. He practiced with his old students, taking ukemi as they exhausted themselves trying to move him, and was expansive in a way that was different from classes at the San Diego Aikikai or at seminars. He wore Robert and Teru out, however. Both of them had skin scraped off their shoulders from all the ikkyo ukemi, in part due to the hard tatami. Practice was in very close quarters, and the windows fogged up thanks to the steam. I got to train with Miyamoto Sensei and Wada Sensei, which was terrific. I remember looking over at Didier and seeing him grin as his partner struggled to throw him.

Saturday’s keiko was in the prefectural budo center (virtually every town of any size in Japan has at least one), a much bigger space. There were at least 100 people on the mat from various dojo. Chiba Sensei taught a body arts class, focusing on aihanmi, and then did some basic bokken waza, which was new for many of the participants. Once again, Robert and Teru shined in taking ukemi. Not everyone stuck around for the second part of the class.

Then Chiba Sensei gathered everyone and talked a bit about his youth and finding aikido. Much of what he said – as far as I can remember - echoed remarks he’d made elsewhere, but one comment stuck. “All I really wanted was a place where I could sleep, eat and train eight hours a day,” he said. “Where I was very fortunate was that O-Sensei was there. I probably could have been happy doing judo or kendo, but that was the big difference.”

Saturday night, several of us accompanied Sensei to an onsen – a hot springs inn. Unless it’s for a romantic getaway, there are really only three things to do at an onsen: eat, bathe and drink. After arriving, we spent a long time in the bath, followed by a beer or two. Then we had a wonderful meal, which was probably served around 7 p.m. and lasted at most an hour or so. Which of course left the rest of the evening for two things: drinking and bathing. Did I mention drinking?

My roommates for the night were Didier, Robert, Teru and William Gillespie. My memory for some of this is hazy, but I’m pretty sure at one point either Sensei came to our room for a bit or we visited his. Either way it was nice. Things went downhill from there, particularly when the five of us returned to the bath at some ungodly hour, and did drunken sumo. A word of advice: never do drunken sumo in a bath with Teru Murashige (or any other place). The long and short of it is I ended up with a nice purple eye, thanks to a blow to my face.

The next (same?) morning, looking and feeling very much the worse for wear, we straggled to the bath before breakfast. And despite our states at the time, Didier, Robert and I all have strong memories of what we saw as we entered: Ishii-san, who had begun aikido under Chiba Sensei four decades before as a teenager, washing Sensei’s back. Since public bathing remains a strong part of Japanese culture, it’s not uncommon for a younger person to wash an elder’s back. But seeing it then touched me deeply as a gesture of devotion.

It also recalled another episode in Sensei’s life. When Kisshomaru Doshu passed away, Chiba Sensei wrote a memorial in which he recounted how much Doshu had meant to him and the aikido world. In it, he writes about how he quit Hombu in 1979 over some disagreements and went to live in the Japanese countryside. One day, without warning, Doshu arrived at the Chiba family’s home. The two men spent the night at an inn, where they shared a meal and a bath and Sensei washed Doshu’s back. “I believe he came to make sure I was all right.”
That struck me as I made my way behind Ishii-san and Chiba Sensei as silently as possible, and left me ruminating while nursing my head. And it stays with me as I think about the legacy Chiba Sensei left to his students and the dedication he inspired. I hope he rests in peace, secure in the knowledge that he touched a great many people, and in so doing changed their lives.

On Miyamoto Sensei (Part II)
John Brinsley

Miyamoto Sensei’s ukemi is the best I’ve ever seen.

Thanks to the internet, there’s no shortage of footage of him taking ukemi, mostly for Kisshomaru Doshu, but also for Yamaguchi Sensei and Arikawa Sensei. Didier Boyet Sensei, Okamoto Yoko Sensei and Chris Mulligan Sensei, among others, have talked with me about how Miyamoto Sensei seemed to be completely in tune with his nage: heavy but light, soft but strong, able to take anything. And he got back up faster than seemed possible.

Of course, I’m referring to when he was taking ukemi for Doshu and the Hombu shihan. Practicing with him was a different story. Suffice it to say that he was not a fun partner to have, according to several of my sempai, because throwing him was often an exercise in frustration. I’d repeat Didier’s comment on the matter, but it’s unprintable and I’d get in trouble.

Anyway, what Miyamoto Sensei didn’t do was fly away or jump for the sake of jumping. There is a lot of that these days, it is bull----, and it’s one of many reasons for the decline in the martial aspect of aikido. Ukemi isn’t performance. Chiba Sensei defined ukemi as “the art of recovery from crisis, or, more specifically, the development of power and skill to recover from situations of disequilibrium by mastering right action in conflict.” Miyamoto Sensei’s ability to “recover from situations of disequilibrium” was phenomenal.

By the time I started practicing at Hombu, Kisshomaru Doshu was in failing health. The last year he demonstrated at the annual All-Japan Aikido Demonstration was 1997, and everyone knew it was the end of an era. “We were all in tears,” Miyamoto Sensei remembered. It’s on YouTube, so my memory of watching it live has pretty much been subsumed by the video. He moved very little and looked frail, but his extension was still there, his technique the embodiment of a lifetime of dedication to his father’s creation. And his five uke, Miyamoto Sensei, Yokota Sensei, Osawa Sensei, Horii Sensei and Kanazawa Sensei, were all incredibly attuned to his movement.

So, since Doshu wasn’t teaching very much and Yamaguchi Sensei had passed away, I hadn’t been able to see Miyamoto Sensei’s ukemi very much in person. But then Tamura Sensei showed up.

Tamura Sensei visited Japan from his home in France at least once a year in the first decade I lived in Tokyo. He sometimes came to the 6:30 a.m. or 8:00 a.m. class, usually after the warm-up. At least once, I remember him wearing Osawa Sensei’s hakama. He’d walk up to a couple of people practicing, grab some hapless person’s wrist, and urge him or her to throw him. This was impossible. I mean, absolutely impossible. Tamura Sensei was maybe 160 centimeters or so and he couldn’t have weighed more than 55 kilograms. But he was immovable, at least when he had his hands on you. So you’d struggle for a while, cursing under your breath, and finally he’d take pity and let go. Then it was time to attack him, and that was great. His timing and position were uncanny: no matter how hard I attacked, I never even got close. He was lightning fast, with tremendous kokyu power, so you had to be truly in the moment while taking ukemi. Whenever he showed up, I did everything I could to attract his attention except put a neon sign over my head that said “Please Throw Me.” Because that’s the only real way to learn.

One Sunday morning, Tamura Sensei came into Miyamoto Sensei’s class and started imposing himself on everyone’s practice. Miyamoto Sensei would teach something and Tamura Sensei would either do that or whatever came to him as he wandered around the dojo. Eventually, Miyamoto Sensei gave up. “Sensei,” he said. “Why don’t you teach?” Then he turned to the class. “Wouldn’t everyone like to have Tamura Sensei teach?” “Oh no, I couldn’t,” Tamura Sensei replied. “No, no.” After a minute or so of this back and forth, Tamura Sensei acquiesced. I have very little memory of what he actually taught, but it was a blast.

What will stay with me was the end of the class. Tamura Sensei finished a few minutes early. Then he called Miyamoto Sensei over (“Miyamoto kun?” “Tsuru chan?” – I don’t remember), put his hand over his head in that “attack shomen uchi” gesture, and started throwing Miyamoto Sensei all over the place. It was amazing to watch; Tamura Sensei in complete control and Miyamoto Sensei’s ukemi completely in sync with whatever technique it was. The whole thing probably lasted only a couple of minutes, but it was fantastic. Years later, after Tamura Sensei had passed away, I reminded Miyamoto Sensei of that class. “I remember it very well,” he said.

On Miyamoto Sensei (Part 1)
John Brinsley

“There are no new techniques in aikido. There is, however, discovery.”
- Miyamoto Tsuruzō Sensei, October 2019

Like everyone else, I have a little more time on my hands, so thought I’d start writing some of my recollections of 15 or so years at Hombu.

I began practicing at Hombu when I moved to Tokyo in January 1996. It took a while to figure out who was worth practicing with (not me), which teachers’ classes were more or less interesting, and what the general pecking order was. It would be delusional to say I was at the bottom – as a foreign shōdan who knew no one, I was nowhere near any pecking order whatsoever.

There are two options for training: Monday through Saturday or seven days a week, with an extra fee for Sundays. Because my work made it hard to know just when I could get to class, I signed up for Sunday as well. And that changed the trajectory of my training, because Miyamoto Sensei taught Sunday at 9:00 a.m.

One of the most popular classes was Saturday at 10:30 a.m., taught by Osawa Hayato Sensei. At least 60 people attended every week and it was easy to understand why. He taught a vigorous, interesting class, and even if you were out drinking late on Friday night, it didn’t take too much effort to get to the dojo by 10:15 a.m. Osawa Sensei had an almost artistic approach to his technique, and his movements were graceful and precise. Taking ukemi for him required flexibility, connectivity and speed, and could be challenging. But it was never dangerous. And then it was time for a leisurely lunch down the road at a tiny place called Kitchen.

Miyamoto Sensei’s 9:00 a.m. class Sunday bore little resemblance to any of that. He also taught Friday night at 5:30 p.m., as he still does. But far fewer people showed up on Sundays, often no more than 20 or 25. Again, no mystery why: along with the extra cost, the time was much less amenable if you’d been out drinking the night before. And Miyamoto Sensei almost certainly had been, so he was less amenable as well.

His class had much more of an edge to it than Osawa Sensei’s (or pretty much any other teacher except for Arikawa Sensei on Wednesday night, and Arikawa Sensei was something else entirely). Miyamoto Sensei at the time – he would’ve been 42 or 43 years old – had a particularly heavy, sticky way of doing a technique. He seemed to drill his body into his uke, bringing all of his weight to bear, operating from very low to the ground. He expected his uke to be springy, responsive and resilient. Then as now he often changed techniques midway through whatever he was doing, testing the uke and himself, experimenting as he went. He also used atemi. Not always, and rarely with students who weren’t in the ukemi rotation, but often enough. I have a distinct memory of watching Miyamoto Sensei teach on a Sunday morning and feeling as though I had discovered something new.

There weren’t many foreigners who attended the class. So he took notice of me a bit, then a bit more. I don’t remember when, but at some point I entered the ukemi rotation. And the more he used me, the more demanding it became. I became more attuned to his movement, more responsive to whatever he was doing, more able to take whatever he dished out.

Miyamoto Sensei always went out on Friday nights after class, and thanks to Didier Boyet, I became part of the group that went with him. Often we went to a small izakaya called Kitaichi, which no longer exists. At the time, Miyamoto Sensei was a heavy smoker, going through two packs of ci******es in a couple of hours. I was tasked with going out to buy Mild Sevens for him and making sure to swap out dirty ashtrays. I sometimes had to take two showers after getting home before being allowed to get in bed.

On the mat, I could feel my aikido changing. What Miyamoto Sensei was drilling into me, I was trying to apply to my practice. I always did my best to follow every teacher as much as possible and do what they were doing. But my internal approach – such as it was – was coming more and more from what I gleaned from Miyamoto Sensei. He was so sticky, so immersed in responding to what his partner was giving him, so good at transmitting his power through his hips, and I tried to do that as well. Some of it was imitation, but it gave me a perspective from which to study and practice until it was just the most natural way for me to move. And it started on those Sunday mornings, when more than once I took ukemi while breathing the sake he’d drunk the previous night (or more accurately earlier the same morning). That could be unpredictable because for the first 10-15 minutes he might not be all that happy to be there. But it was satisfying to get my ass handed to me and get back up.

At some point in mid-1997, Miyamoto Sensei separated my shoulder. He was doing ikkyō ura, from shōmen uchi, and as he spun me to my blind spot, he swept my inside leg with his, putting me shoulder first on the mat. A few weeks later, when I came back on the mat, he asked, “you okay?” I said yes, and he went right back to using me as if nothing had changed.