Aikido is a way of personal development through a traditional Japanese martial art. Aikido is often translated as the Art of Peace, and described as the Meditation in Motion. The purpose of this art is to bring balance to one's mind and body, and by extension to promote peace and harmony in the world. Aikido is so vast and deep that everyone will experience it differently. But everyone will benefit by developing their awareness and mindfulness, becoming more confident and open to the world, and reducing their daily stress.
Mark your calendar to join Vancouver West Aikikai via Zoom on Saturday, June 19, at 11 am to commemorate the ten-year death anniversary of our honorary Dojo-Cho, Kawahara Shihan. This will be a free one-hour event with speakers and video. After the event, breakout rooms will be available for story-telling and socializing. Details to follow.
We are resuming our outdoor (weapons) classes. For now, we'll have one outdoor class per week, on Saturdays, 10:30 am, near the Jericho dojo. If the weather is bad on a particular Saturday, the class will be held on Zoom instead. (We will continue with online Zoom classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, as usual.)
Congratulations to Megan Sekiya and Andrew Dyadin on passing their shodan tests! Great job, Megan and Andrew!
Congratulations to Jim Callaghan and Francisco Diaz on passing their 3rd kyu tests! Well done, Jim and Francisco!
We have Aikido classes online and outdoors. Please see the schedule for the times and locations. Our classes focus on the solo practice: body movements (tai sabaki) with and without weapons (bokken and jo). Starting July 28, our outdoor classes will also have a limited weapon-to-weapon contact component (a face mask will be required). Here are some photos of our outdoor practices!
For our Zoom classes, we're adding a "bubble contact practice" component: if you want to practice in the same space with a partner (someone in your "bubble" who is also an Aikidoka with CAF membership) during our Zoom classes so that you can perform Aikido techniques with contact, you are welcome to do so! This is one of the changes that we'll be implementing to help interested dojo members to get a better experience during our online classes.
Beginners are welcome to attend our outdoor classes for their introduction to Aikido! Our outdoor classes are for all levels. New members must complete and sign the membership form and waiver , and email it to us before coming to the class.
Note that before attending any of our outdoor Aikido classes, you must perform this COVID-19 self-assessment first, and attend the class only if you have answered "no" to all the questions there.
See you at our virtual & outdoor dojo!
| day | times | location | instructor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 18:30–19:45 | online | Ishiyama Sensei |
| Wed | 18:30–19:45 | online | Ishiyama Sensei |
| Sat | 10:30–12:00 | near VWA Jericho , or online | Ishiyama Sensei (or Valentine Kabanets Sensei) |
We are holding our classes online as well as outdoors while the COVID-19 restrictions are in place. Our outdoor classes are weather permitting.
| program | period | amount |
|---|---|---|
| adults | monthly | $80 |
| Jan–Mar | $210 | |
| Apr–Jun | $210 | |
| Jul–Aug | $140 | |
| Sep–Dec | $280 |
Note: The actual fees are currently 50% of the ones posted above, while VWA has no access to our indoor locations at Jericho and Cambie.
Beginners and visitors are welcome. Drop-in visitors will be required to sign a waiver at the dojo before practising. Please observe proper etiquette and adhere to the dojo Code of Conduct .
All dojo members are required to pay Canadian Aikido Federation and BC Aikido Federation annual dues.
New members must complete and sign a membership form and waiver . This may be done on arrival at the dojo, or you may save time by completing the form online and either printing it or emailing it to us.
The children's classes use a different membership form and waiver , which must be completed by parents before their children join the classes.
Exceptions to these policies will be considered on an individual basis (see Sensei before the class).
cash or cheque at the dojo
e-transfer (preferred) to [email protected], with Sensei's last name as the answer to your (arbitrary) security question
VWA spring seminar 2018
