What is Ki-Aikido?
Aikido is a Japanese martial art that focuses on matching your movements with that of the attacker. Instead of stopping the attacker's energy with blocks, we match and harmonize with their energy, using the dynamics of our combined momentum to throw or pin our opponents.
Ki-Aikido is a style of Aikido that focuses on the calmness and relaxation that is necessary to match your attacker. When we perform mundane tasks, our body is relaxed and we move very efficiently. Our mind and our body are in balance. Our senses are available to receive inputs from the environment. We describe this state of being as having our mind and body unified.
However, when we are stressed, as we are when being attacked, we introduce tension in our body. Our movements become rigid. Our mind and our body are no longer in sync. We are not open to the sensory inputs. We can no longer match the attacker's movements well.
We train to remove this tension through the exploration of Mind and Body Unification and Ki-Aikido. Our training explores how we can maintain the naturally relaxed state while being under stressful conditions, both during class and in our daily life.