What does it mean to have a beginner's mind (shoshin)? Why is it important to ask what’s going on with the body and mind during Aikido practice? What’s the point of having a teacher? Daniel Nishina Sensei from Hibiki Aikido in Portland, Oregon discussed these topics and more in this episode of the Art of Peace. “Asking why can help you become yourself,” Nishina Sensei said during the interview. In this podcast, Nishina Sensei also mentions a time when Seishiro Endo Shihan encouraged students to focus on how to soften one’s fun'iki or vibe when asked about internal practice related to vibration ..read more

In the latest (and long overdue) episode of Art of Peace, your host Jaime Dunkle (4th Kyu) interviews Weldon Mauney Sensei (5th Dan Aikikai) from Aikido and Wing Chun Martial Arts in Pensacola, Florida. Mauney Sensei shares his philosophies on the meditative qualities of aikido practice that ideally result in the awareness of eternal consciousness and compassion toward all beings. Mauney Sensei says the dojo can act as a “micro-universe,” where aikidoists enter as “cocooned humans” who contain the compassionate seeds of the universal self. But what does this mean for daily life? And once  ..read more

In this episode of Art of Peace, Brian Levy Sensei (Dojo Cho and Chief Instructor, NOLA Aikido) and your host Jaime Dunkle (4th Kyu) unpack questions around praise and its effects on learning.  How does praise impact Aikido practice? Research shows that effort-based praise has a positive impact on students in general because it empowers them to put effort into their studies in ways they can control and enact with agency. Whereas ability-based praise tends to neutralize students, rendering them helpless after a misstep. At the NOLA Aikido dojo, Brain Levy Sensei practices what Charles Colt ..read more

Having a growth mindset is the courage to value consistent practice and intentional skill development without succumbing to debilitating self-doubt brought on by the frustrations of learning. This interview with Brian Levy Sensei, the chief instructor at NOLA Aikido, explores the growth mindset and how it applies to Aikido practice. Please note that this episode was unplanned. The recording was originally intended to inform a written article, not a podcast. And playing it back while writing is what sparked the inception of Art of Peace ..read more