A teacher's guide for instructing beginners of Aikido--this book appeals to the new beginner and experienced student alike. Nippon Kan was established in 1980 as a center for Denver residents to experience Japanese culture. The center has since served more than 6,000 studetns wit hits variety of classes, but its core is still Aikido. Thousands of students have benfitted from Gaku Homma's form of dynamic Aikido.
Throughout his extraordinary life, Morihei Ueshiba mastered an array of martial arts and techniques, including jujutsu and kendo, and endlessly devoted himself to the philosophies of Japan's martial schools. This biography details the life of this remarkable man, from his early years as a youth in the turbulent Meiji era to his death in 1969. The history of Japan's martial traditions is replete with many outstanding individuals, but few ever attained the legendary status of Morihei Ueshiba. Throughout his extraordinary life, he mastered an array of martial arts and techniques, including
“This book is a warmhearted handshake, a graceful and practical invitation to enter and blend with the ahhh of the world. It is as natural and wise an introduction to the spirit of the martial arts as you can find on paper.”—Jack Kornfield, bestselling author of A Path with Heart In his bestselling Mastery, renowned spiritual and martial arts teacher George Leonard taught hundreds of thousands of people how to use Zen philosophy to reach mastery in any field. Now, he brings together his extraordinary knowledge and experience into a book that translates the principles of aikido directly into our everyday lives. Aikido is more philosophy and meditation than a technique or a series of purely physical maneuvers. Leonard shares the secrets of this remarkable Eastern philosophy, which is the basis for the most radical and demanding of all martial arts. Through mind-body exercises inspired by aikido yet designed for non-practitioners, he demonstrates the fundamental understanding behind aikido and shows how it can be applied to help set us on the path to composure, self-sufficiency, and spiritual centeredness. Combining illuminating personal anecdotes with practical advice, this award-winning author describes the ways in which aikido can help turn life’s unanticipated blows into gifts and transform discord into harmony, anxiety and pain into vital energy. Exhilarating, enlightening, and filled with unique wisdom, The Way of Aikido is an inspiring lesson in balance, confidence, and power. “The Way of Aikido does no less than open the door to the universe and invite you through to become one with it, to become balanced, powerful, energetic, alert, and present.”—Susan Trott, author of The Holy Man and Crane Spreads Wings
Conflict is an unavoidable aspect of living. The late renowned aikido master Terry Dobson, together with Victor Miller, present aikido as a basis for conflict resolution. "Attack-tics" is a system of conflict resolution based on the principles of aikido, the non-violent martial art Morihei Ueshiba created after World War II. Not all conflicts are contests, say Dobson and Miller, and not all conflicts are equally threatening.
The rapidly changing nature of today's business world requires that people possess strong leadership expertise that will enable them to handle potential problems with efficiency, intelligence, and diplomacy. As managers and employers rethink out-moded business paradigms in order to keep offices running smoothly, production levels high, and morale up, Leadership Aikido presents innovative skills that answer their urgent needs. Author and management consultant John O'Neil shows us how the concepts of aikido can be used as a lifelong business practice. Aikido--the martial arts tradition that stresses victory without harm--employs six master practices that enable us to assess and develop our leadership potential. These practices of aikido are: cultivating self-knowledge; practicing the paradoxical art of planning; speaking the language of mastery; letting values drive our decisions; turning failure into success; and heeding the law of unintended consequences. Using these elements of aikido, we are then able to identify and overcome five inner enemies that impede our progress--failure to grow emotionally; failure to make creative decisions; failure to empathize; failure to manage ego; and failure to overcome alienation and boredom. In his straightforward and thoughtful manner, John O'Neil ensures us that by adopting these practices into our lives, we will benefit both professionally and personally. By embracing the philosophy of aikido and bringing beliefs, perceptions, and actions into harmony, Leadership Aikido will enable us to embark on a path of continual learning, inner personal change, and enlightened leadership that will revolutionize the way we set and achieve our goals.
Journey to the Heart of Aikido presents the teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei, one of the few remaining direct students of Morihei Ueshiba, the legendary founder of Aikido. After a lifetime of practice and teaching in Japan, the United States, and Europe, Anno Sensei conveys through his teachings Aikido's essential spirit of love, harmony, gratitude, and purification with simple authenticity and eloquence. Author and translator Linda Holiday--herself a senior instructor of Aikido--brings to life the intimacy of this communication through translated discourses on the deep practice of Aikido and candid dialogues between Anno sensei and Western students. Journey to the Heart of Aikido includes Linda Holiday's vivid account of her adventure as a young woman studying Aikido in the mystical region of Kumano, Japan, in the 1970s, and a poignant telling of Anno sensei's life and his first-hand experience of training with Aikido's founder. An essential resource for the global Aikido community, Journey to the Heart of Aikido also offers spiritual teachings relevant to all contemporary seekers, touching a wide range of themes such as the meaning of martial arts, the integration of body and spirit, the truth of interconnectedness, and the practice of peace, offering all readers insight into the profound spiritual questions at the heart of life.
The Life-Giving Sword: Kazuo Chiba's Life in Aikido spans modern Japanese history and ranges across the world to tell the story of a man with a mission - to understand and transmit the modern martial art of Aikido. It's a story full of struggle and heartbreak that will leave the reader with a new appreciation of an immigrant's achievements and the transformative power of a unique physical and spiritual practice.
In this first full autobiographical work, the legendary aikido grandmaster Gozo Shioda tells of his exciting life. Born in Tokyo in 1915, Shioda excelled as a student of Morihei Ueshiba, the founder of aikido. He went on to win first place in the All Japan Martial Arts Exhibition in 1954; and later, founded the Yoshinkan school of aikido, considered a "hard" style for its rigorous training techniques and emphasis on correct form. In 1988, Shioda was awarded the title of Aikido Master by the International Martial Arts Federation. Over the course of his distinguisehd career, he also served as the chief instructor for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, the Air Self-defense Force, the Japanese National Railways, and a number of leading Japanese universities. In Aikido: My Spiritual Journey, Shioda relates moving, personal anecdotes about Ueshiba and imparts what he learned from his mentor. He offers a concise overview of the key elements of aikido, including breath power, focused power, and the power of the center line. About 20 rare photos of the author, chronicling his life in aikido, are also included. Yasuhisa Shioda, the author’s son and himself a prominent figure in the aikido world, has contributed the Afterword to this volume.
Aiki is the power of harmony, of all beings, all things working together. Aikido—a modern Japanese martial art unique in its synthesis of classic forms with a well-defined spiritual base—offers a key to the art of living naturally and unselfishly in a complicated world. This book explains it in reference to the founder's philosophy of mind—and action. In addition, the history of aikido's prewar development as a non-competitive new martial art is described, with a consideration of its international role.