NOLA Aikido Dojo was founded in the fall of 2007 in the beautiful historic
Bywater neighborhood of New Orleans.
We are a group of students of this “art of peace” (one translation of
“aikido”), a healing meditative art of awareness and movement which provides practice in much more
than just self-defense. We come to Aikido for a variety of
reasons, but all share a commitment to ongoing personal, spiritual, and societal growth through disciplined and joyful
practice. Some call Aikido a form of “meditation in motion”, and indeed
our dojo is intended to be a place for this. "Dojo" means
“place for practicing a way” (of spiritual and personal growth). Aikido
is one such way.
We who feel inspired by and called to follow this particular path find at NOLA
Aikido Dojo a place for ongoing personal and inter-personal renewal in a city
in the process of renewing and re-inventing itself in the aftermath of the
Storms. We share a commitment to healing and bridging the rifts and
barriers which divide us from each other and ultimately from ourselves.
We will go on working to transcend divisions of race, religion, gender, and
sexual orientation, and creating a dojo representative of this diverse and
magnificent city we live in, with space for anyone and everyone interested in
this particular path of (re-discovering) wholeness.
Our logo contains, among other symbols, a sunrise (rather than a sunset!)
This symbolizes the re-birth and revival of our beloved city as
well as freshness, a new day for our own bodies, minds, and spirits. May
all the work we do here spread out to touch and heal others like rings on a
pond.
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