Mitsubachi Dojo

01/01/2025

Looking forward to seeing the fam at Brooklyn Aikikai again! Let's GOOOOOOOOO!

12/02/2024

Iriminage time!!!

11/13/2024

Thanks to the great media team at Birankai North America for putting this together!

07/25/2024

Ma'ai Perspective is doing important work in foregrounding women's voices in their podcast about budo. They were kind enough to interview me for the first episode of their second season. Check it out on YouTube or Spotify!

Roo Heins is an Aikido, Iaido, and Sado (tea ceremony) practitioner who teaches all three disciplines at Kalamazoo Aikikai, Mitsubachi Dojo in Michigan. Havi...

04/07/2022

https://encorekalamazoo.com/a-woman-owned-aikido-dojo%ef%bf%bc/

Thank you Chris Killian for the lovely write-up in Encore magazine!

It’s hard not to feel at peace around Roo Heins. It’s obvious that the bliss that glows off her is the result of a disciplined adherence to a practice that […]

02/21/2022

Being a student, especially in the martial arts, requires a lot of trust and faith--in your teacher, your partners, yourself. I'm always amazed and grateful to see this in my students, and it reminds me I need to extend the same faith and trust to them and myself.

Anyway, here's Marcus and Atis doing jo practice on a Friday night!

Oh, and some good news: in response to popular request, I've added a women's class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1. It's going great so far and I'd love to have more women join.

01/16/2022

あけましておめでとうございます!
Happy New Year, two weeks late, from Mitsubachi Dojo!

On January 1 we had a small but spirited Hatsugeiko, first practice of the new year. We started with a tea ceremony, then an hour of uchikomi practice with bokken. It felt great to begin the year with fellowship and positive ki.

The tree pictured here is a sassafras tree salvaged from Marcus's yard after a storm, intended as our future kamiza. It's a bit of a project but it will be amazing when it's done!

The bulb on the current kamiza is one I dug up when I dug the dahlia corms up for overwintering. I didn't know what it was or whether it would do anything, but lol and behold, when we came in for practice on January 1, a few purple buds were emerging, and I realized it's a hyacinth.

This was a reminder that even in the dark, when uncertainty is more abundant than hope, nature finds a way. Sending that spirit out to our community for the coming year.