Ki Aikido is a tradition of Aikido that puts the experience of Bodymind Oneness at the center of training. Its formal name is Shinshin Toitsu Aikido (心身統一合氣道), which I translate as "Aikido with Realization of Bodymind Oneness." If you've seen other kinds of Aikido, the techniques may look familiar. What's different is how we learn them, and what we're really practicing while we do.
Where It Comes From
Aikido was founded in Japan by Morihei Ueshiba, often called O-Sensei. One of his most prominent students was Koichi Tohei Sensei, whom O-Sensei awarded 10th dan, the highest rank, in 1969. Tohei Sensei served as Chief Instructor of the Aikikai, the main Aikido organization, and was one of the people who first brought Aikido to the United States.
Tohei Sensei was also deeply influenced by Nakamura Tempu Sensei, a teacher of mind and body practices. Through that study he came to very clear ideas about how Aikido should be taught: start with the principles of how mind and body actually work, and let the techniques grow out of them. In 1971 he founded the Ki no Kenkyukai, known in English as the Ki Society, to teach this approach. More on our lineage here.
Loudoun Valley Ki Aikido is affiliated with the Eastern Ki Federation and Ki Society International, and we follow the teaching methods Tohei Sensei established.
What Makes Ki Aikido Different
The principles come first. Every class is built on four basic principles: keep one point, relax completely, keep weight underside, and extend Ki. These aren't abstract ideas. They're things you can do, feel, and test, and they're the same whether you're doing a throw, sitting in a meeting, or driving in traffic.
Everything is testable. A partner will gently test your posture and balance throughout training. When you're settled and centered, you're remarkably stable. When your mind is scattered or tense, you're easy to move. This feedback is immediate and honest, and it's how we learn.
Ki is trained on its own, not just through technique. Alongside Aikido rank, students take Ki tests that examine calmness and stability directly, in standing, sitting, and moving. Here's how our rank system works.
It's more than one practice. The Ki Society teaches five disciplines that support each other: Aikido, Ki Breathing, Ki Meditation, Sokushin no Gyo (a purification practice we also call misogi), and Kiatsu, a healing practice. You don't have to do them all, but they deepen each other.
It's meant for daily life. The goal isn't just to get good at Aikido. It's to carry the same calm, centered state into everything else: work, family, stress, conflict. Tohei Sensei taught the principle of non-dissension, that the way of the Universe is not conflict. In practice, that means meeting pressure without clashing with it.
There's no competition. We train cooperatively. Your partner wants you to succeed, and the only person you're working to get better than is who you were last week.
What Does "Ki" Mean?
Ki (氣) is often translated as "energy" or "life force," and that can sound mysterious. You don't need to believe anything to practice. Ki shows up in ordinary language: when someone is fully present with you, you can feel it, and when they're distracted, you can feel that too. In training, extending Ki means your attention and intention are moving outward, alive and connected, instead of collapsing inward.
Some of our students are happy with the traditional language. Others prefer to talk about posture, attention, and the nervous system. Either way, the experience on the mat is the same.
Who Teaches Here
I began training in 1999 at the Virginia Ki Society under George Simcox Sensei, and I hold 5th dan in Shinshin Toitsu Aikido and Joden in Ki Development. Our dojo was founded by Bob Gardner Sensei, 7th dan, who has trained for over 40 years. Meet our instructors.
Try It for Yourself
Ki Aikido is much easier to feel than to explain. We train at the Hillsboro Old Stone School in western Loudoun County, and your first class is free.
Matt Doetsch-Kidder, Head Instructor, Loudoun Valley Ki Aikido