Aikido in Auroville

"Aikido is not meant for a country or a person alone. Its unique aim is to accomplish God's work... When I am asked if the principles of my budo are inspired by religion, I say no. The principles of my budo enlighten religions and lead them to their goal... The Path means to be united with God's will and to put it into practice. Aikido is the path which gathers human beings together, leads them to union... It is the path of the world harmonization which makes of humanity one house."

Morihei Ueshiba

A Traditional Martial Art

Aikido is a martial art, which was created in the 1920s by Morihei Ueshiba, a master who had trained in the highest level in the traditional Japanese martial arts. There are no competitions in Aikido; an aggressor's attack may be stopped without harming or injuring him/her. Aikido is a path which aspires for the unity of mankind, the unification of the self with the universe, the union of Spirit and Matter. Seen as such, and in the perspective of the integral development of the being as emphasized by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother, it is no wonder that Aikido has always been greatly valued in Auroville.

The Auroville Aikido School

The art of Aikido has been introduced in Auroville in the very early years. Today Cristo (C. Mabilat), Surya (C. Rimaux) and N. Murugan, long time students of Serge Brelin, are responsible of the Auroville Aikikai (school of Aikido) under the guidance of André Palméri (6th Dan). A student of Tamura Nobuyoshi, Shihan, André Palméri, comes regularly since 2010 for a yearly seminar in Auroville and we, his Aurovilian students are welcome to practice with him and his Uchi Deshi and students in his dojo in Marseille, France. These workshops/ seminars help us not only to enrich our practice, but also to have ours and our students’ progress evaluated. It is a time to connect with the Aikido tradition ‘outside’ Auroville. Presently, a dedicated group of over 50 students including children, teen-agers and adults of all nationalities study Aikido in Auroville. We are happy to say that a good number of our adult students are from the local region, and that among them, Murugan, has taken the lead along with Aurovilians Cristo and Surya to guide the practice. Classes were so far taking place at Pitanga Hall but from August 2015, the “Auroville Budokan” in Dehashakti/ Dana, is our permanent dedicated Aikido Dojo. We welcome visitors (beginners and of all levels) to attend our classes.