"My son was quite new to Aikido then, so merely took a hanmi stance (a triangular, balanced stance with which we begin many of our movements), hands at his side, looked the boy in the eye and waited. The boy looked at him, seemed a bit confused and then just walked away. There haven’t been any more problems with this, or another boy, in his class. Nobody was hurt, nobody was shamed and the situation was neutralized. My son had found enthusiasm at a very early stage of his training. And I have the confidence that my son will be able to handle conflicts at school."

Here are some thoughts from a female member of Aikido'Ka:

"I am 63 and a cancer survivor. I find Aikido training to be perfect for me.  Because Aikido means 'harmonizing with the flow of energy in the universe in a peaceful way', I get to practice and learn movements that keep my body nimble, flexible and strong, my brain exercised, my emotions calm and my soul happy.  I love the kindness, respect and skill that the instructors have with all of us in our different levels and capacities. Training with a wide range of ages and skill makes my time on the mat always interesting, full of learning, a lot of fun, challenging, humbling, exciting and rewarding.  I am so supported at every level at Aikido'Ka."

Here's a story from a male student:

"Aikido saved my life. Like most people, I have never been extremely aware of what is going on around me. Fortunately for me, two skills we train at Aikido'Ka are awareness and shortening our reaction times. No more than 3 months after I started training, I was driving on Highway 20. I was in the fast lane passing a car traveling much more slowly than me. As I passed the car, the driver suddenly veered into my lane! I had no warning at all that this was going to happen. The thing is that I noticed her start to move right away. And I was able to maneuver to avoid her and the oncoming cars. I couldn't believe that I noticed and responded to her so quickly. No way could I have done that before training at Aikido'Ka. There would have been a horrible mutli-car accident. And, by the way, I also lost about 30 pounds in that same 3 months of training!"

And from the Executive Director of the Food Bank after we did an emergency Food Drive on one day in Nevada City:

"The Food Bank of Nevada County is so appreciative of the can drive you held on our behalf. Did you know we received almost $2,500 in cash and over 1,600 pounds of non-perishable food donations thanks to your efforts? This was a big boost to us in a time when we were in dire distress.

Not only is your organization training peaceful warriors, but you are also contributing in immeasurable ways to the betterment of our community. Your gift helps us help the hungry, most of whom are working poor, unable to exist on minimum wage jobs.

It is with heartfelt thanks that we let you know how much your kindness resonates not only with us, but with the less fortunate as well.

We are blessed to live in a community where people such as you exist."

By the way, have you heard about Aikido'Ka Many Acts of Kindess Journals? The Journals are yet another way in which we are impacting our community -- by inspiring and documenting thousands of acts of kindness.

Contact us to receive your family’s free 30-day Basic Membership. Get started today!