Properly aligning your shoes is one of the first things we do to prepare ourselves for training. Paying attention to small details begins to open our minds for the small but important details of our practice. Whenever you align anything externally, you are also aligining your spirit internally.

     In ancient Japan, the samuri would always point the toes of their shoes towards the door. That way, if they had to exit in a hurry, their shoes would be aligned in the direction they were going and they could put them on faster. Sometimes a matter of only a few seconds meant the difference between life and death.

     Placing your shoes under the benches in an orderly manner also helps keep the dojo safe.

To properly line up your shoes here at East Bay AIKIDO:

 ~ Place your shoes under the bench with the toes pointing towards the outside wall with the left shoe on the left and the right shoe on the right.

 ~ The heels of your shoes should line up with the front edges of the bench legs. 

 ~ Place your laces inside your shoes. Your socks can go either in your shoes or in the dressing room.

 ~ When taking off and putting on your shoes, do no put them on the benches. This protects the wood.