Workshops
“I experienced taiko without even striking the drum and discovered my body as a vessel of energy.”
About TaikoPeace Workshops
TaikoPeace workshops led by PJ Hirabayashi are one-of-a-kind intimate experiences designed to take your body, mind, and spirit on a journey of self-empowerment. Taiko drumming, dance and body movement, chanting, singing, haiku, and journaling are among the modalities used by PJ to allow participants to connect with themselves and with each other.
TaikoPeace workshops whether virtual or in-person are nurturing, uplifting, fun, and joyful while building a sense of community in a non-competitive environment. The workshop experience can be tailored to an afternoon or delivered over a sequence of days allowing for lasting relationships and insights to evolve and deepen. Only an open mind and open heart are required to attend.
COVID-19 update: We hope to offer in-person workshops as soon as it is safe to do so under state and local guidelines. For now, we are open to collaborating virtually in order to maintain the health and safety of our community during the pandemic.
We create an altar to hold TaikoPeace energy.
We reflect inwardly with curiosity and see our whole selves.
We create an altar to hold TaikoPeace energy.
We write Haiku with free-flowing word.
We connect with our bodies. We connect with each other.
We drum to ignite our creative birthright. The drum is an extension of our soul.
TaikoPeace Workshop Resources
SIGN THE TAIKOPEACE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION
Become an enabler and activist of TaikoPeace values and peace culture. Learn more >
MAKE A BRIGHT WORD MANDALA
Learn how to turn powerful, healing, inspirational words into a bright word mandala. Learn how >
READ ABOUT PEACE CULTURE
One of the many books on PJ’s bookshelf that talk about developing a more peaceful world is “Cultivating Peace” by James O'Dea. See the book >
WRITE HAIKU
There are many wonderful guides to writing haiku. We landed on this one for its simple instructions. Writing and Enjoying Haiku: A Hands-On Guide by Jane Reichhold (Paperback). See the book >
RING A CRYSTAL BOWL
The special TaikoPeace singing bowl played at TaikoPeace workshops was found in Mt. Shasta, California at The Crystal Room shop. The vibrational and healing tones emanating from the bowl help us connect to our inner worlds while bringing us into the sacredness of the present moment. Visit the Crystal Room >
Curious about TaikoPeace workshops?
Feel free to reach out and connect with us.
Unravellings
A poem for TaikoPeace UK workshop activators.
by Pear Urushima, November 2012
It began with a sound
swirling out of a bowl
singing crystals of light
to awaken their souls.
In unison they stepped
in diagonal stride,
not knowing their fate
would they collide?
With a smile that glistened
and a gentle, kind push,
PJ awakened their bodies
And they learned to gazuut.
You could hear the walls echo
a disquieting drone
soaked in indulgence
time left them alone.
Visions of pegasus
wings pulsing in air
unshackled their arms
with liberating flare.
And then, little by little
the inklings appeared
quiet nudges of insights
that's Abhaya, no fear.
By the end of this journey
they planted the seeds
transformation will come
with focus and simplicity.
Curious and questioning
they wore coats of trust
vulnerable and willing
forge on, they must.
As the cadence descended
bodies succumbed one by one
to the pleasure of patience
there was work to be done.
She called, they responded
as I knew that they would,
with heartfelt ganbatte!
Isn't it GOOD?
Shapes painted by bachi
left not a trace,
but the beauty remaining
defied time and space.
Poetically they spoke
in 5-7-5
Haiku meets taiko
the words made me cry.
Whatever they ventured
good intentions were held
"cradled" in feet
where no-one could tell.
In wonder, they departed
contemplating butoh,
where ripples emerge
TaikoPeace energy flows.