zenshodo - Group Lessons

"You Can Write Your Name in Japanese Calligraphy":
A Workshop

Recommended for Grades 1-6

Students will learn how to write their names in the art form of Japanese Calligraphy and develop awareness of how using Ki energy can bring positive gifts to their daily lives. They will also learn the history, structure, and meaning of Japanese symbols and letters as well as the correct order of writing and reading. Students will develop respect for materials by learning proper use. Learning proper Japanese greetings will help students to develop more respect and appreciation towards each other.

I am writing to recommend “Solana” Yuko Halada's Japanese Calligraphy program for your school. Ms. Halada's program offers students a chance to better themselves through learning the technical aspects of Japanese Calligraphy and the spiritual components of Zen. Her methodology is geared toward those who may not be familiar with Japanese cultural elements.

Through various exercises, Ms. Halada helps students gain happiness, inner peace, and self-confidence. These traits help students gain a more positive and peaceful outlook on life. Furthermore, the experiences students have in Ms. Halada's program help them become more thankful, compassionate, respectful, and positive.

As an art teacher at Navajo Elementary School, I noticed a positive change in the attitude and overall behavior of students involved in Ms. Halada's program. Other teachers were also amazed and appreciative of the positive turnaround students experienced as a result of Ms. Halada’s program.

Beyond the spiritual outcomes of Ms. Halada's program is the beautiful and artful Japanese Calligraphy that her students create. However, the impact of this art reaches far deeper than an image on a piece of paper. Evidence of her program's success is abundant in her students' own records of their spiritual progress.

Ms. Halada's program offers a higher level of consciousness and a better quality of life for all of those who participate. I highly recommend her program for your school.

Using traditional Japanese brushes and artistic meditation builds self-esteem and guides students to discover their true selves and harmonize with the universal positive energy. We release our ego through calligraphic writing and embark on the journey of discovering that all things in life are gifts. This realization brings one to deeper gratitude beyond the old habit of judgment. This understanding could bring out natural healing, releasing one from old attitudes and taking one to a new stage of life that has greater potential for happiness and being alive.