Seattle / Washington / United States
History of the Dojo Seattle School of Aikido was founded in 1976 in its current location by Mary Heiny sensei. It is dedicated to the study of Aikido as practiced by Morihei Ueshiba in his later years. The school was incorporated in 1985 as a non-profit educational institution. Seattle School of Aikido now operates as a cooperative, with instructors who have a wide breadth of martial arts experience. The instructors collaboratively create and develop the training program which is designed to continue the traditional teaching of Aikido. Founder of Aikido Morihei Ueshiba ( 1883-1969 ) developed Aikido after mastering many traditional martial arts. Dissatisfied with the prevalence of combativeness in his studies, Ueshiba developed Aikido as a path of personal growth. Experiencing a spiritual awakening, he realized that conflicts with other people could be addressed only after an individual resolved the discord within. O-Sensei ( "great teacher" ) devoted the rest of his life to the study of his Aikido and refined it into a "way of compassionate protection for all beings." "Aikido is, among other things, a way to re-frame experience" ( Terry Dobson ). Through Aikido training the student will learn to use extension and centering techniques to unify his/her mind and body. Aikido practice can stimulate personal growth and offer new options for resolving conflict on many levels.
