Welcome to South Austin Aikido

Every time I step into an Aikido dojo everything seems to halt. What we call the “Real World” just seems to stay on the other side of the door. All my worries and troubles wonder away from my mind because I know that, for however long I train, I’m equal to everyone around me. There’s no one “Cooler, better, worse, etc.” Everyone is the same as everyone else. I don’t have to worry about being made fun of because I can’t do something someone else can do. Instead those people that can do whatever it is you’re trying to do will help you to expand your understanding about it.

All the pressures of the world just go away when I walk through that door. My mind is clearer and I’m able to concentrate on what’s going on in front of me, instead of thinking about what I have to do after class or what I have to do in a week or more. The weight of the world just lifts off of my shoulders, and nothing else matters more than what’s going on in front of me.

I see a dojo as its own little world where no matter what you have someone there to help you with anything you need help on. A world where the only worry is not being able to do a move and being told to relax when you swear to yourself that you are relaxed to only be proved wrong. A world where the only trouble is accidentally hitting someone and feeling really bad about it, while the person that got hit is saying that they’re fine. That’s why Aikido is away from the “real world”. We practice theories and pretend to do things to make moves easier.