Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Penny Bernath. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Penny, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.
I began taking Aikido, a Japanese martial art, in 1972 to learn self-defense. Over the years that purpose has expanded into a much broader and enlightened motivation for training. Today, over 50 years later, I still practice for self-defense, but it is probably the last thing on my list of reasons to do Aikido. Aikido has taught me to be brave, strong, and confident in mind, body, and spirit, to center myself and believe in myself. Aikido has taught me to stand up straight, centered, and ready for action. Aikido is a physical contact art. Therefore, another purpose that morphs into my regular life is understanding other humans in a physical and mental sense. To connect and respond appropriately to people of all sizes, types, and physical and mental states.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about Aikido?
Aikido is a Japanese martial art. Aikido is like Judo, but instead of moving in and grappling to take an opponent down, Aikido techniques move out and/or around, and sometimes in, to maneuver the energy of an attack to off balance and throw down the attacked. Another unique aspect of Aikido is that is not competitive. There are no matches. There is no winner or loser. We practice together to learn the art from the attacker’s perspective and the attacked perspective. It is a full art, a circle of intense energy. People that don’t understand the art will say that the attacker is just going with the person that is being attacked and falling. That is somewhat the truth, but it is trained truth. Aikido is complete when the attacker is committed to the attack and follows through with it. It is only then that the attacked can defend using the energy of the attack. It is a two-way system. We train for both. When both the attacker (the uke) and the attacked (the nage) are in harmony that the magic of Aikido happens. It is strong and empowering on both sides of the circle. Aikido is about self-improvement and empowerment, not the destruction of another, but the building of both people involved. This practice and mentality creates a positive community of learners. You are welcome to come and visit our dojo, Florida Aikikai. For more information check out our website at http://www.FloridaAikikai.com.
Events.
Florida Aikikai organizes one of the largest annual events for Aikido in the United States. Called Florida Aikido Winter Camp, it is held every year in November during Veteran’s Day weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. We have hosted the event for the United States Aikido Federation (USAF) since 1979. The members of the USAF Technical Committee (TC) teach along with a guest instructor from the main dojo in Tokyo, Japan. In the beginning all the members of the Technical Committee where original students of the founder of Aikido. At one of the first camps, we had five original students of the founder of the art (O’Sensei) teaching in one 3-day weekend. It was extremely exciting. Now the TC members are not Japanese, but they have been trained by those teachers and are good strong leaders of the organization. At this event they come to teach, train, talk, and test students for black belts. As people go through the ranks of Aikido, they prepare to perform a set list of techniques to the best of their ability and must have trained a required number of hours. At Winter Camp people come to test for different degrees of black belt, first, second, third and fourth. This brings excitement, friends, family, fellow students, and instructors to watch and cheer on their comrades. So instead of fighting to see who wins the tournament, those that are testing are challenged to execute techniques based on the set list that is used for promotion at the main dojo in Tokyo and judged by the USAF Technical Committee. Every year 250 to 300 people from around the world attend. The event is held in a beachside hotel, so people are relaxed and feel free to talk, mix, mingle and develop relationships. No one is competing, during each class, generally 6 a-day for 3 days, the instructor demonstrates techniques and people pair off and practice that technique. We train empty handed inside the ballroom, and with weapons (bokken, jo, tanto) outside facing the ocean on the pool deck. We all learn and grow stronger by training with a variety of different people that we normally, in our own dojos, don’t have the opportunity to train with. Everyone is welcome to come and feel the power of unity. Follow us on Facebook, Aikido Florida Aikikai.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
I lead the organization of the Florida Aikido Winter Camp and have since its inception. I was asked to organize the event by Yamada Sensei, my teacher, and an original student of the founder of Aikido. He wanted to create and build the United States Aikido Federation, and to have a place where members could meet annually and train with the organization’s top teachers to unify the art in the United States and be sure that we stay true to the Aikido taught by the founder, as it so continues at the main dojo in Tokyo.
I was a young woman at the time, young in age, in my 20s, and young in the art. I had a lot to learn about Aikido and organizing an annual large-scale event featuring Japanese martial artists. Yamada Sensei was helpful, but he was a Japanese teacher that expected a lot of me. I did my best to fulfil his ambitions. I made mistakes, and still do, but I learn from them. One thing you definitely learn in Aikido is to get up once you have fallen down and get up quickly.
I think the three most important qualities I had going for me was first that I am a woman, second that I am persistent, and third that I am loyal.
Most would say that being a woman in a man’s marital art is a difficulty to overcome. and in many ways, that I won’t go into now, it is a major barrier. But in other ways, it opened many doors. The Japanese instructors did not see me as a threat, or someone they had to prove anything to. They allowed me to organize and followed my lead. I remained respectful and loyal. Knowing and acknowledging my place. Now my place is at the head table, as a member of the USAF Technical Committee. The committee that I took care of for so many years has now become my peers.
I am persistent. I don’t give up. I just try harder. My mother always told me, if someone says no to you, ask someone else until you get the answer you want. You might have to compromise, but stay true to yourself, stay focused. Get it done. and that I do.
I am loyal. I want to be loyal to those I respect. I will not compromise on that. I am loyal to Yamada Sensei, although he has passed on, he is responsible for putting me in the position I am in. I believe in him. He believed in me. I am loyal to my family, the members of my dojo, and the United States Aikido Federation. Once I am on your side, I am there, unless you wrong me. Then it’s another story.
Advice.
My advice to those starting Aikido is to give yourself time to learn. Be patient and persistent with yourself. This art is for you. Aikido is empowering but it takes time to learn. The more time you spend practicing the better you will get and then you will begin to feel the power and the magic of the art. Your inside will show through to the outside and you will shine. learn about the art of Aikido. Yamada Sensei always encouraged his students to go to seminars, go to other dojos, see what others are doing. Take what you learn and make Aikido your own. We all learn the same techniques, but individually we execute them within our own personality. It’s OK. It’s an amazing, flexible art. Aikido is done by men, women, young and old, all practice together and cooperate to learn from and with each other. I like that men and women train together and have the same expectations for promotion. It was one of the most appealing aspects of the art that attracted me to it. You can travel around the world and back practicing at different dojos and seminars, meeting new people and making lifelong friendships. Aikido dojos are communities of like-minded people that are helpful and caring, well most are. My advice is to be respectful, have manners, listen, learn, and most of all train with intent.
Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
Yamada Sensei was my teacher. He taught me more than Aikido. He was my biggest influencer. He gave me the opportunity to develop relationships with the Japanese instructors coming to the US to teach Aikido at the Winter Seminar. These men were students of the founder of Aikido. Organizing the Winter Seminar brought them into my ‘house’ literally, they would come over to talk privately at my home and have dinner, which they loved to cook for me and my family. I was able to have meals with them, to sit and serve them, speak to them, do business with them, and since we had a respectful relationship off the mat, on the mat they paid attention to me. They helped me learn and watched me grow. They encouraged me. They have all mostly passed on, but their influence is part of me. A part of me that I will pass on to my students, and those that I teach. I also traveled with Yamada Sensei to seminars all over the world. He introduced me to the larger Aikido community. We had a unique relationship that I am thankful for. Another important person in my Aikido and personal life is my husband, Peter Bernath. Yamada Sensei introduced us at the second Winter Seminar as one of his top students. Sensei asked Peter to move to Florida and gave us funding to open our dojo, Florida Aikikai, an arm of his dojo in New York, New York Aikikai. Peter has been my backbone. He is there for me on and off the mat. At Yamada Sensei’s passing, Peter was appointed the Chairman of the United States Aikido Federation.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.FloridaAikikai.com
- Facebook: Aikido Florida Aikikai
- Youtube: Aikido Florida Aikikai, Aikido Penny Bernath, Aikido Peter Bernath
Image Credits
Brad Edwards brad-edwards.sumgmug.com [email protected]
