Aikido is normally seen as a nonverbal physical practice but Asi Sensei from Jerusalem Dojo describes Aikido as a language, a way of communicating with very limited expressions to represent division and negativity. Asi Sensei sees Aikido as a great opportunity to bridge barriers because we are naturally talking about the good stuff. Continue reading Aikido ABC’s →

I was surprised looking back at Bruce Lee pictures that he didn’t look that mean or nasty even when he was about to knock someone out. Often when I want to show how great Aikido is I ask my uke (partner) to be really mean. This make for a great demonstration, especially when uke is much bigger and stronger but while this is great practice I am realizing that it may be “bad medicine.” Continue reading Are we asking for “Bad Ukes” →

A dojo is ” a place to practice the way.” This is a picture from Aikido of Northampton which is a unique dojo in that it is truly a safe place. Being there is about practicing Aikido beyond the barriers we normally feel in everyday life. Being welcomed only requires that you recognize your role in contributing to having a safe place. Now that sounds like Aikido. Continue reading The Dojo and the Making of a Safe Place →

Wendy Palmer provides unique insight into the practice of Aikido and its benefits to practitioners. She has brought the practices of Aikido into program work to benefit individuals far beyond the dojo. She explains that in moments of conflict the “body always wins,” and that the practice of Aikido is what she uses to transform the body into a positive resource for success. Continue reading Aikido; The practice of Freedom →

Aikido is a world-wide practice that is not restricted by state, culture, class, …….The Aikido community is not perfect but an Aikido practitioner can enter most dojo’s and be received as family; you’ve practice Aikido, well then you are welcome here.

The 2015 Training Across Borders seminar will take place October 7-11, 2015 just outside of Athens, Greece. The seminar will bring together aikidoka from conflict regions around the world to practice aikido and to replace barriers built by years of fear, hatred, and disappointment with foundations for peace, trust, and friendship Continue reading Training Across Borders →

In my high school intro to physics class the teacher asked “How do you move on a frictionless surface?’ All of us kids yelled out the standard answers based on our own struggles with propulsion. Aikido asks what becomes possible without opposition? Continue reading Aikido and the physics of friction →

This is a question raised by Tom Osborn from KNSA. There have been many depictions of O’sensei but the potential that Aikido, the “art of peace” could be a product of Post Traumatic Growth is a compelling point that has not been raised. Continue reading O’sensei, a war veteran with PTSD…??? →

I have used breathing as an exhaust system in which I get rid of my stress, I love to sigh, or maybe it is more accurate to say that I rely on sighing as a way of getting out my funk. Tonglen is a breathing and attention practice preserved in Tibetan Buddhism in which we inhale darkness and exhale light. Bottling up negative energy is the big no no of self-help. Why on earth would I want to do that? Yet I feel better… Continue reading Tonglen and the energy of compassion… →

Click on the image above for a great set of illustrations depicting our common visualizations of “feeling” stressed. The original article is by from Huffington Post by Lindsay Holmes & Alissa Scheller. A second article depicts a set of representations of panic.