“As we become more comfortable in our skins, and understand or accept the workings of our minds and bodies, we have the chance to let each aspect of ourselves work to its fullest potential. Like the free-moving cogs and parts of a well oiled engine, each has its purpose and attributes. Some parts are made from flexible springs, some are hardened polished steel, others are brittle aluminium. Some parts are susceptible to rust, others are unable to withstand impact, and some are incredibly heavy. For an engine to spin over efficiently, the parts work ‘together’… which at times is purposely against each other.”

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“Aikido no Kokoro: The Heart of Aikido” is now available for purchase on Amazon.com! Here’s the link to the page where you can order your own copy of the DVD, or purchase it as a gift for those special people in your life, and have it shipped in time for the holidays:
Click here to view Amazon.com link.

The price is $24. You can also buy the DVD in person at Aikido of Santa Cruz.

The following website has been selected based on its potential interest to a wide segment of Aikido Journal readers.

“The Japanese word Aikido is written in three characters which roughly translate as, “The Way of Harmony with the Universe.” Aikido is a true budo, or Martial Way; evolved in the historic tradition of Japanese warrior arts. Studied in earnest, Aikido is more than a science of tactics and self-defense; it is a discipline for perfecting the spirit.”

The following link has been selected based on its potential interest to a wide segment of Aikido Journal readers.

“A contemporary of Ueshiba Morihei, Nakamura also had a deep and lasting influence on the aikido
community; this because a number prominent aikido deshi in the 1950s and 60s split their time between Hombu Dojo and the Tempukai. The most famous of these was Tohei Koichi. Many of the warm-up exercises and “ki practices” that Tohei introduced into Aikido—the “unbendable arm” test, for example—came from the Tempukai, and the term “mind-body unification” used by Tohei to describe his brand of aikido when he split from the Aikikai in 1974 is borrowed directly from Tempu’s philosophy.”