The Future of Aikido - Peace Practices+content
Where?
Aikido of Berkeley 1352 S 49th St. Richmond, CA
When?
Feb 18, 19, and 20, 2011
What?
When we speak of the future of Aikido, we mean not only the ever-expanding practice of the art by over one million students and teachers in dojos around the world, but also the extension of aiki principles into the Process Arts (group process design and facilitation), which is to say at least into politics, facilitation, somatics, activism, social justice, law enforcement, psychotherapy, and education at all levels, so that peace-building responses to literal, systemic, and even potential violence may be ever-ready.
Themes
- Why aikido works and doesn't work (anatomically speaking) on the mat
- How aiki works and doesn't work (metaphorically speaking) in the dojo, community, and beyond
- Compassion and awareness as a power source
- Investigating the underlying logic (body and mind) from which aikido technique springs into the world in Process Arts.
Who?
Paul Linden Ph.D., 6th dan, is Dojo Cho of Aikido of Columbus and an alum both of UC Berkeley and the Aikido Club begun there in the late 1960's by Senseis Robert Frager and Stan Pranin. Linden Sensei created and teaches a somatic process called "Being in Movement®" mindbody education, which fundamentally is drawn from Aikido. He will take us through many of the exercises he has developed to teach people to approach conflict from an inner state of calm alertness and compassionate power. He is a Board Member of Aiki Extensions, the international organization dedicated to encouraging aiki principles, building bridges of peaceful practice across divisions of martial affiliation, nationality, race, class, and gender, by valuing all forms of difference. More on Paul Sensei's contribution to the seminar may be found here
BODY AWARENESS TRAINING AS A FOUNDATION FOR AIKIDO PRACTICE
An Aikido Workshop with
PAUL LINDEN, 6th Dan
Columbus, Ohio USA
This Aikido workshop will focus on how to use body awareness methods (drawn from Being In Movement® mindbody education) to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Aikido defense techniques and deepen Aikido practice as a meditative process. You will work with breath, posture, and intention to develop Aikido technique which is open, balanced, powerful, loving, and effective. These body awareness methods are equally useful outside of Aikido in helping people in such areas as stress management, conflict resolution, and improvement of daily movement tasks.
“I am astounded at Paul’s ability to read the significance of the smallest body response. When I received mind/body work from him, he guided my attention in a way that resulted in deep insight and healing for me. I would like to strongly recommend Paul's workshop on Aikido and body work to all Aikidoists. I believe that Being In Movement training is insightful, profound, and deeply healing.” Mary Heiny Sensei, 6th Dan Aikido
