Simplicity can mean a characteristic or state of being which is easy to do or understand. To arrive at that state of understanding can require changes to our current way of life or movement. Once we apply some of the methods that seem to “fit” us, we discover that they truly are simpler fit us better than our old ways.

New activities replace old habits. The new activities eventually develop a new way of life. We feel better about ourselves, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically. A simpler way of living causes changes in our behavior, focus, and approach to life itself.

The changes take place over time by implementing methods that “fit” us best to achieve a new way of life. We begin by changing the way we think or trying new activities that challenge our intellect, will, or movement. One method to achieve this goal is Aikido.

Aikido of Maine is a Destination for Healing the body, mind, and spirit. According to their website, www.aikidoofmaine.com, “Aikido offers a way to empower the human spirit by attuning us to the natural rhythms of the universe. Its movement is the movement of the universal energy forces. The motions of Aikido reflect the ebbs, flows, curves, waves, and spirals found in nature.”

The founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969) coined the term Aikido in 1942. It is a form of budo a way of life that seeks to improve oneself through the integration of rigorous physical training and spiritual discipline. In a literal sense budo is “The Martial Way of Life”.

If you wish to learn the way of Aikido, a visit to Aikido of Maine at 226 Anderson Street in Portland will fulfill that desire. Gary and Ania Small established and seek to honor Master Ueshiba and his ways, the way of Aikido through their dojo.

Though Aikido may be viewed as a martial art, Gary and Ania also view Aikido as a “way” to health and healing. According to Gary Small, “There are many ways Aikido can be a way to health. It is a practice that develops a centered feeling both in and out of the dojo (or training hall). There are great benefits like stress reduction and creating a calm spirit.”

“Reducing stress helps our body stay healthy in so many ways; heart and circulatory system health, living in our bodies, and developing joint and muscle health lead to greater energy and vitality. There is also a host of psychological benefits of practice. It is a partner practice, helping us learn new ways of interacting, yielding, and blending with others, and causing us to know ourselves better. We gain a very clear picture of what our fears are and how we deal with challenges.”

Aikido promotes a sense of community, so it’s not just a form of exercise. “Aikido offers a vital and open local and world community. Dojo life opens up a great community both in our own dojo to the entire international aikido world. You can travel and find a dojo anywhere. Stop in, train, and meet new friends.” Ania and Gary have friends all over the country and world that they’ve met in their travels.

The sense of community became tangible for Ania when she came to the United States as in immigrant. She began her Aikido training in Poland and moved to Boston area years later. After her move, she wished to continue training and found an Aikido dojo in the Boston area. She found a sense of belonging through her common bond with the other Aikido members. In fact, Ania and Gary met, as Gary put it, “on the mat in Boston”. So Aikido brought them together. Gary continued, “There are many couples who start and come together through the practice. We have many friends around the country who met their life partners through the practice.”

According to Gary, Aikido is for the whole family. “We have a vital and thriving youth program, I do not mix children and adult training, but we do have some parents of these children as members.”

In keeping with the theme of simplicity, Gary says, “We work to make it easy for people to get started by offering free monthly workshops, so others can get a sense of the dojo and the training. It is a very different way and atmosphere from what most expect and we find these workshops a great way for people to experience this. We accept members always. We do all we can to make the entry into this practice a good experience. We are very fortunate with the membership that is drawn to Aikido and our dojo. I think people are looking for ways to connect.”

Aikido works very well with mixed level training. Experienced students help newer people feel the movement. “It is a true partnership,” according to Gary. When the student trains, they engage and test the mental, physical, and spiritual parts of life. Ania believes “with martial arts there’s some extra element or maybe it’s like a focused energy or that connection with another person that you don’t have with a stationary bicycle.”

Aikido can be many things to many people. According to a classic book on this form, Aikido and the Dynamic Sphere, “Aikido has often been referenced as the gentlemen’s fighting art.” The book also sees Aikido as “a method of self-defense which can be used against any form of attack and—at its highest levels—a Discipline of Coordination, a way of harmonizing all of man’s vital powers. There is no attack in Aikido.”

Some may use its various forms, movements, and training as means to gaining or maintaining physical health. Some may wish to learn the martial art form itself. There are those that seek out the essence of Master Ueshiba’s message, creating harmony out of conflict. Then others wish to learn more about themselves and Aikido becomes the “way” of learning. Gary Small says all these reasons are valid to study this form. One quality of the art might have drawn the student, but as they progress that reason “morphs and changes and it doesn’t mean your original reason has to fade away. Your practice can just keep enriching itself. You came to get in shape, but, all of a sudden, you realize there’s a bigger reason that draws and keeps you there.”

Gary says getting to know yourself and the exercise of self-reflection are important in the practice. “The potential for self-reflection and self-development are what we value most in the training. If you can stay healthy, keep calm, get your stress levels down… these are the best forms of self-defense anyone can do. Learn how to interact with your community in a better way.”

Ania had some further reflections on Aikido. “It’s not a competitive art, so there are no bad feelings. One of the principles is musubi, which means connection in movement.” Musubi shares the basic ultimate goal of Aikido, “to stay centered as a person while maintaining connection with your partner. I think that’s how you can develop strong connections with people. You repeat that same experience over and over when you train.”

Aikido helps to bring the mental, physical, and spiritual characteristics of the person into harmony. Ania feels that “in Aikido, because you’re moving, you’re in a relationship with another person. You’re dealing with whatever reactions you might be having, whether it’s fear or anger or whatever it is and… you’re breathing. You’re really transforming yourself.” Because you engage every facet of your being, you often feel better after training that when you started.

Aikido is even a form of moving meditation according to Ania. “It’s actually called a moving Zen. When you meditate, you focus on your breathing and pay attention to your environment. In Aikido, there’s much more to it because you’re moving, and there’s another person or people involved. You have to be aware of self and the space around you. When you’re working and focusing on your movement, you cannot exclude the energy around you. With the progression of your practice, you include more and more in your sphere.”

As a psychologist, Ania can see how people get stuck in circumstances that life offers. Paralyzed, they cannot see a way out or a way to resolve the situation. They view themselves as powerless. Ania recognizes a person can benefit from “a practice, which allows you to resolve it in a creative way and a way to practice that creative solution. We teach people how to get unstuck.”

Aikido helps one face the everyday situations of life itself. It not only teaches effective techniques for self defense because the same teachings and philosophy can apply to everyday life, helping us learn how to move through and resolve life’s situations, “to get unstuck”.

Through Aikido, Gary and Ania Small train people to overcome the physical and mental obstacles of life while seeking and manifesting harmony in every part of their life. Master Ueshiba, who sought harmony throughout many levels of life, once said, “The original budo is training in the spirit of harmony. Its purpose is to produce real human beings who will improve the world. There are no contests in the Art of Peace. A true warrior is invincible because he or she contests with nothing. Defeat means to defeat the mind of contention that we harbor within.”

For a destination of healing through movement contact Aikido of Maine at (207) 879-9207 or visit them on the web at www.aikidoofmaine.com.

"Aikido is a way to improve the world.”

...Sensei Gary Small