SKATEYOGI weekend forecast 1/30/14: Ichigo Ichie - Treasure every encounter, for it will never recur.

pretty rad tea sesh!

Weather commentary: Brrrrrrrrr! (ad naseum)

Groundhog day is around the corner and really hoping Punxsutawney Phil is trying to get his shred on outdoors cause scheduling skateboarding around evening skate events announced a day before is not vibing well with #dadlife. Hopes of a sesh in the warmer temps of early this week were dashed by lingering snow melt. Anyways, last week's KCDC skate night was really fun despite the hype there was very little hostility on the ramp probably due to the fact that it's a bit taller than your average mini but really smooth thus ensuring the sesh was for committed miniramp enthusiasts. There's another tonight if you're trying to check it out. Heard the House of Vans skate night was pretty live last night. I had a play date with the little one and her friend last night but probably gonna try to make it up there at some point since they'll be doing them weekly (you just gotta RSVP). Homage's Old man monday was a good time as always this week so if you were born prior to 1984 that's a good option for moderate hype and good vibes on monday nights.

Skate Class at Skate Brooklyn!
SKATEYOGI X Skate Brooklyn was poppin last weekend! In the adult beginners class we're continuing to mix up yoga with skating with some moves like plank pose to kneeboard laybacks up the miniramp (you'll have to come through to see what that's all about). Kids class was good times with a buncha new students showing up slapping high fives and getting some runs in on the ramp. Newer students are working on pumping and balance and the more experienced kids are dropping in with teacher assistance and even throwing up a couple coping tricks. Stoked to see everyone! Come shred this weekend!

Ichigo Ichie!
After sunday's kids class I rolled over to my daughter's New Years celebration at the Japanese school she goes to on the weekends. We smashed some mochi rice the old fashioned way, checked out a puppet show and some other rad stuff. At the very end we attended a formal japanese tea ceremony hosted by children that have been studying this art. The instructor explained a common saying in this discipline: Ichigo Ichie, which translates directly to "One time, One Meeting" but conceptually in Zen terms is better described as "Treasure every encounter, for it will never recur." The idea is to be completely present and savor the shared moment because the exact circumstances will never be repeated, the people you're with, the context. And the years of preparation in mastering the art of serving tea helps to elevate the moment to this heightened state. Later on I thought of parallels to this concept and both the practice of yoga and skateboarding. These are both activities that we spend years doing to get to this state of "effortlessness after great effort". The tea ceremony is similar to coming to practice at your yoga studio or having a rad skate session. We are sharing these treasured encounters in the present, each coming from years of practice and each sesh is unique even if it's the same spot with the same homies/yogis. Ichigo Ichie!

Clip of the Week
Clip of the week is this one Quartersnacks just posted up on their facebook feed. Dude's got some unconventional tricks and a pretty wild style that makes me wanna go have fun on my skateboard, check it out.

Namaskate!

Kevin