Moving with Meaning: A New Approach to Aikido

By -

 

Gemini said



If you’ve been looking for a way to stay active but find high-impact workouts or intense gym sessions a bit daunting, you aren't alone. Many of us reach a point where we want to move our bodies without feeling like we’ve gone through a blender.

Our latest approach to Aikido focuses on restorative flow and mindful coordination. Instead of high-energy falls or taxing physical strain, we are leaning into the "soft" side of the art.

What to Expect

This isn't about speed or strength; it’s about connection. Our sessions prioritize:

  • Relaxed Movement: Learning to move through life with less tension and more ease.

  • Mind-Body Balance: Using simple, intentional motions to improve stability and posture.

  • Gentle Engagement: Developing a sense of "centeredness" that helps with daily stress and physical mobility.

Why It Works

Aikido is unique because it doesn't require you to be a natural athlete. It’s a practice of blending and redirection. By slowing things down, we can focus on the underlying principles of the art: balance, breathing, and harmony, without the wear and tear on our joints.

Whether you are looking to regain some flexibility or simply want a peaceful hour of movement in a supportive environment, there is a place for you on the mat.

Comments

  1. Roppo DojiMarch 12, 2026 at 9:24 PM

    Thank you for sharing your posts and giving some insights and feeling about aikido/budo. Reading the posts had a real feeling of isshi-soden. (Found your blog through a google search for kenjutsu, so you never know where the internet will lead.)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

force

By -
The other day during a class at MCLA we were practising kata tori ikkyo. I had a line of 8 students or so and was doing my usual as nage and black belt, helping them learn the technique. Dora Sensei has those of us with experience throw first in the line, so set the tone. We show how it feels for an uke, but also how we want them to practise, that is gentle.This went fine until my whole line had thrown and I had the chance to throw again. 2 young men decided for whatever their reasons, to "test" my ki when I had gotten them to the walking down to the mat portion of the throw. The first refused to go down and even began a little taunt about how he would not be defeated. I totally fell into the trap. (the one that is internal and had very little to do with him) I applied a bit of pressure on the wrist and used a sudden tenkan to "make" him abruptly hit the mat. He got up, looked at me odd and walked back to the line. The second fellow did the same and as I began to fe...
Read more

training for the long haul

By -
Image
Training for life is quite a commitment. We get to run into ourselves often: injuries, classes where only one or two students show up, ego, rank, whether to stay with a teacher or wander about on our own. We train through times when life is easy and life gets difficult. Long drives, economic worries, issues with other students or teachers... these situations can all seem like reasons to stop...along with having to train with limitatations because of age or a long term injury. Job changes, family commitments, complacency, boredom...people stop training for all sorts of reasons. For me the best way to honor this commitment that I have is to train one class at a time. God willing and the creek don't rise... I will be on the mat on Saturday morning...10:00 A. M sharp...cause I am teaching first.
Read more

a thought brought about by the Latham Aiki Friendship seminar

By -
Image
I have been thinking about what someone said about this moment they had in college where the perfect feeling happened. He looked at the basket and knew the ball was going into the basket. Then this person said they were searching for that feeling again. I think searching for any feeling is a mistake. The now is missed by trying to recreate it. Another feeling might happen but it will be when mind and body are coordinated again. Not when the mind and body are trying or when the mind is longing for something that happened in the past. Paying attention to what is, accepting what is and moving with what is, is the practice. I have those feelings all the time. I never look for the feeling. It emerges out of the now and me paying attention to what is.
Read more