About the Author

Mary Stein holds a black belt in aikido and has taught and studied the art for 25 years. She is an associate editor at Far West Editions in San Francisco, and her poems and articles have appeared in various journals. She lives in San Francisco, CA.

Writings at akidojournal.com

  • Morning Practice at 80
    Two days after celebrating my 80th birthday, I'm looking at photographs from the event. There's a lot of variation in these photos; I look younger in some than in others. In a couple of them, I'm struck by habitual gestures of the hands that I tend to associate with old age.... read more
  • Along the Sword's Edge
    Many years ago, I read an essay written by an artist who had worked in the theater. In his writing he pictured a brief, dramatic moment: two generals, leaders of opposing forces yet magnetized by some deep mutual sympathy, are advancing toward each other along the edge of a sword... read more
  • Into the Gap
    Working at jo practice with Travis the other day, I met his attack by pressing down on his staff, then releasing it for him to re-attack. Travis remarked that I was releasing far too much, leaving him more or less free to do whatever he pleased with his own jo... read more
  • Open-ended and Hopeful
    Recently I spent time with a friend who had become fascinated by Dante's Inferno. He described some of the memorable characters that Dante writes of meeting on his visit to Hell-characters who were stuck for eternity in the misery of physical and emotional attitudes they had created for themselves in life... read more