We are delighted to share this video on Partnership and Transformation. Aikido is particularly well-suited for relationship skills, because we work with the energy nearby and turn it into rapport and healing. aikiarts.com/video-partne...

SF Bay Area Folks! Classes at my aikido dojo, the Aiki Arts Center in Berkeley, will be free for new students through the whole month of June. Please help us get the word out! #baysky #berkeley #eastbay #sfbayarea #aikido #mindfulness #consciousness #transformation #fitness #bodymind aikiarts.com

We are pleased to share a photo from Elise's promotion today. She advanced to 3rd kyu (second level blue belt). It was a day of resonance, trust, and play. See you at the dojo.

We found this sweet photo of Steve Sensei becoming 1st degree black belt from eleven years ago (at that time, new black belts were already wearing hakama). And now he's 4th degree black belt, making our amazing videos and mentoring new students.

We are open with a regular schedule on Memorial Day. See you at 7:30pm for sticks class.

We are getting ready for a free month of aikido classes in June. It's a chance to learn calm, power, creativity, and play in a supportive group. See you at the dojo.

Here is a sweet photo from 2022, when November became an orange belt. We are pleased to share that they are now second level brown belt. That means the next rank is black belt, where students start to wear a hakama.

Aikido note of the day: Scary things call for deeper levels of relaxation. aikiarts.com

Aikido note of the day: Approach the technical aspects of practice in a spirit of playful experiment.

Aikido note of the day: Ground your feet and move your body like a wave. aikiarts.com

Aikido note of the day: Commit your full presence. aikiarts.com

We are delighted to share that classes are free for new students all month in June. It's a chance to learn calm and grounding, and how to use energy for creative solutions. Thank you for helping share the word. aikiarts.com/classes/

Aikido note of the day: Notice the impulse to contract, and override it.

We are pleased to share an upcoming event at Pegasus Books. As part of the series (Lyrics and Dirges), Hao will be reading from The Old Village Road, along with other local authors. Wednesday, May 27th @ 7pm 2349 Shattuck Avenue

Aikido note of the day: What openings need to be closed, and what pathways need to be opened?

Aikido note of the day: What areas of the body can you bring more life into? aikiarts.com

Aikido note of the day: Infuse the movements with your breath. aikiarts.com

On Wednesday evening, California Institute of Integral Studies hosted an online conversation between Nick Walker Sensei and Alfonso Montuori, on the topic of somatics and creative leadership. www.youtube.com/live/eqbp3Au...

We are pleased to share that Sunday, May 10 is a meal at Picante after class. If you have friends and family that want to join us, they are always welcome. picanteberkeley.com

My presentation tonight on somatics & creative leadership will be livestreaming here: www.youtube.com/live/eqbp3Au... #leadership #creativity #somatics #psychology #transformation #consciousness

Thank you so much for supporting Ronn in moving up to 1st kyu. It was a joyful day.

We are pleased to share that Hao is giving a reading at Nomadic Bookshop in Oakland on Sunday, June 14 from 5pm - 6:30pm. It's a chance to deepen our ties in the community and hear beautiful stories. Hope you can make it.

What are five topics you can talk about unprepared for five minutes? 1) Standards for rank promotion. 2) What makes a joyful group. 3) How to put on the gi and hakama. 4) What makes a skillful teacher. 5) The delight of spontaneous creativity.

We are pleased to share a new book (Spoon Knife 10 - Polarities) with poems by Elise Youssoufian and Zoe Jung. It's published by Autonomous Press, that Nick Sensei and Azzia Sensei co-own with a group of friends. autpress.com @autonomouspress.bsky.social

New Release: Spoon Knife 10 (Polarities) is available for e-book & paperback, shipping in the United States to start. In this volume, 19 authors representing a wide range of genres (and often gleefully crossing conventional genre boundaries) explore the strange alchemy of opposites. autpress.com

We have two special events on Sunday, April 26. Ronn is promoting to 1st kyu (second level brown belt) during class, so please show up at 12:30pm as usual. Then we are heading to a dojo member's home for a party afterwards. See you there.

We are delighted to share that classes are free for new students all month in June. And anyone that trains in six or more classes gets a free uniform when they register for membership. If you have friends and family that want to start practice, this is a great time. @aikiartscenter.bsky.social

My next public online event will be a dialogue on SOMATICS & CREATIVE LEADERSHIP with my esteemed colleague @amontuori.bsky.social, presented by California Institute of Integral Studies. Wednesday, April 29, 7pm Pacific. #somatics #leadership #psychology #creativity www.ciis.edu/events/somat...

We held a fun photo shoot two years ago, grouping the shirts by color. Here is blue.

Thank you so much for supporting November in promoting to 1st kyu. It was a truly joyful day, with warmth and play for all of us.

And here is a video from the Cherry Blossom Festival. It's Azzia Sensei as nage, Hao and Encian as uke, showing Jo Kata 2.

Thank you so much to the Cherry Blossom Festival for hosting our demonstration today. We had a wonderful time and met new friends.

"I am beginning to work on a full-length novel based on the life of my mother and told from her perspective. Although it is focused on one person, the story can be about many Vietnamese women of her time." Hao C. Tran, author of The Old Village Road autpress.com/2026/03/old-...

We are delighted to share that classes are free for new students all month in June. It's a chance to learn calm and grounding, and how to use energy for creative solutions. Anyone that trains in six or more classes gets a complimentary uniform upon registration afterwards. aikiarts.com/classes/

We have two new yellow belt students in the youth class and that means it's time to plan the stripes for their next level. As the next full color is purple, the stripes for yellow will also be purple. It's a system with pull through.

We are delighted to share that Hao has published a new memoir through Autonomous Press, The Old Village Road. It's available for paperback and e-book, and you can read about his creative process on the press blog. autpress.com autpress.com/2026/03/old-... @autonomouspress.bsky.social

We are looking forward to Hao's new memoir. He writes with a great deal of heart.

We are open with a regular schedule on Easter Sunday, April 5. See you at 12:30pm for open hand class. And if you want to plan ahead, we post holiday notes on the events page. aikiarts.com/upcoming-doj...

We are delighted to share that classes are free for new students all month in June. And anyone that trains in six or more classes gets a free uniform when they register for membership. If you have friends and family that want to start practice, this is a great time.

We are pleased to share that Sunday, April 12 and Sunday, April 26 are promotion days for November and Ronn. They are moving up to the second level of brown belt, also known as 1st kyu.

We are hosting a family day on Tuesday, April 7. On family days, parents and siblings age seven and up can join the class and get a sense of what your kids are learning. It's an opportunity for the students to be the experts and show the games and movements that are the foundation of our practice.

"You are here for no other purpose than to realize your inner divinity and manifest your inner enlightenment. Foster peace in your own life and then apply the Art to all that you encounter." O Sensei

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like." - Lao Tzu

We are promoting two students to yellow belt in the youth class on Tuesday. If you are an adult student coming to support them, please show up between 4pm - 4:20pm. The families tend to arrive about 4:30pm and class runs for an hour. See you there.

It's so helpful to be together in community. We have a Picante meal on Sunday, March 22 and then a party at a dojo member's home on Sunday, April 26. See you there.

We are pleased to share a new video, made for the parents of our youth students, though useful for everyone. It shows the basic exercises that we practice as our foundation, along with new material. We are learning to be present in the body, calm and grounded, and to move with purpose.

The beginner series is rolling along at Aiki Arts Center. We have two more Fridays (show up at 6pm) with these techniques and ki exercises. katate tori - tenkan katate tori - sayu nage gyakute tori - irimi nage ryo kata tori - kokyu nage tenkan shomen uchi - kaiten nage yokomen uchi - omote nage

We are pleased to share that the dojo has been selected to give a demonstration at the Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco next month. If you are free on Saturday, April 11, come by 1840 Sutter Street and look for the main stage. Our time slot is 2:30pm - 3pm though you may want to aim early.

We are delighted to share three more promotions this spring. They happen during the regular Sunday class (12:30pm - 2:30pm). Hope you can join us. Sunday, April 12 November - 1st kyu Sunday, April 26 Ronn - 1st kyu Sunday, May 17 Elise - 3rd kyu