"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer." —F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Welcome!

We are so excited to welcome you to Los Angeles to kick off the summer together!

Summer is a time for growth and new beginnings.

And so it is with our Aikido Summer Seminar, bringing together teachers and students from different backgrounds to experience Aikido and fellowship together.

Looking forward to making new friendships and deepening old ones.

See you there!

About the instructors

Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan

7th dan, Aikikai

Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan is Founder and Chief Instructor of Boulder Aikikai, in Boulder, Colorado.

He travels extensively as a guest instructor, conducting Aikido seminars at dojos around the world.

Ikeda Sensei began studying Aikido in 1968. In 1976, he moved to the United States, becoming an instructor at Sarasota Aikikai and Vice President of the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba organization.

In 1980, he founded Boulder Aikikai, and spent the following 40 years traveling extensively throughout the United States and the world, promoting Aikido’s philosophy of non-violence, peace, and self-development through constant training.

His teaching emphasizes learning and understanding Aikido with the body, specifically the concept of “chushin” or how to maintain one’s own center while breaking another’s balance.

In 2016 he joined the Aikido Shimbokukai organization as Vice President, working very closely with its Director, Lisa Tomoleoni Sensei.

Kayla Feder Sensei

7th dan, Aikikai

Kayla Feder Sensei, is the dojo cho at Aikido of Berkeley. In 1973 at the age of 9 Kayla Sensei fell in love with Aikido and has been dedicated to growing in the art and training continuously for 48 years. For the first 20 years of her practice, she was greatly inspired by training under Morihiro Saito Shihan, who was one of the founder’s closest students. In 1980 Kayla Sensei traveled to Iwama, Japan to train with Saito Shihan as an uchi deshi (live-in apprentice). During subsequent trips to study Aikido in Japan, Sensei trained under a number of other Shihan who were close students to the founder, among many: Kisshomaru Ueshiba (O-Sensei’s son), Seiichi Sugano, Motomichi Anno, and Kazuo Chiba. Since childhood she has also practiced with and been strongly influenced by Frank Doran Shihan, Robert Nadeau Shihan, and Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan.

Kayla Sensei has taught seminars throughout the US, Europe, and Israel. In addition to her Aikido accomplishments she received a Masters degree in Holistic Health Education from JFK University in 1998.

Kayla Sensei recognizes that we all have different bodies, histories, ages and learning styles. She is dedicated to making Aikido accessible for anyone who wants to train at Aikido of Berkeley. Her teaching style supports the individual growth of each student. She has created a warm and welcoming community at Aikido of Berkeley. Sensei also includes yoga and meditation practices as part of the training at Aikido of Berkeley. She views Aikido as a holistic art and has said: “There is no end to the growth and learning we aspire to through our Aikido practice both on and off the mat”. She continues to dedicate herself to the daily process of changing and growing within herself and her practice and teaching of Aikido.

Vince Salvatore Sensei

6th dan, Aikikai

Vince was introduced to aikido by his uncle at a very young age in New Jersey. He started training full time in 1982. In 1987 he moved to Japan to study with Morihiro Saito Sensei. He loved the total immersion of practice and lifestyle. In 2000 he moved back to the states by invitation to run the Reno aikido dojo. Since 2002 he has taught full time at Aikido of Reno.

Having trained with many of O’sensei's original students and many high-ranking American teachers Vince was inspired to offer classes using the principles of aikido to companies and the public to expand the aikido way. Since 2017 he has also run the peace dojo next door to Aikido of Reno. And since the pandemic the peace dojo has been offering short classes to the public to educate and exercise the principles of aikido that he calls: the peace challenges.

Vince is an obsessive journaler and after journaling for more than 10 years of training in Japan he wrote a book on the process of training called: FIGHT FLIGHT FLOW.

Organizationally speaking after moving back to the states he was a member of the AANC, and later the CAA. From 2019 he has been the leader of The Aikido Community, a group of like-minded dojos that focus on helping each other to continue practicing aikido that is fun, and also practicing aikido with the founder's vision applied to the present-day era.

Vince believes that the main training of an Aikidoist takes place at your home Dojo with great relationships and clear intentions on the mat. At seminars it is a magical chance to meet, share, feel, expand, and question the next step, the next level of our training. His approach is to start with a logical progression of form into collaborative flow, and into releasing everything to be in the creative state that is able to improv.

Let's have fun training!

Lia Suzuki Sensei

6th dan, Aikikai

Lia Suzuki Sensei is a senior student of Yoshinobu Takeda Shihan and National Director and Founder of Aikido Kenkyukai International USA. She's also the author of the book, "The Teacher", from the Aiki Dialogues.

She began training Aikido in 1982 with the renowned William Gleason Sensei. Then, for nearly 10 years, she lived and trained intensively under Takeda Shihan in Japan.

Suzuki Sensei's experience in Japan also gave her the opportunity to train with Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba, the late Yamaguchi Sensei, and other notable masters.

She currently is based in Los Angeles, and directly oversees several dojos in her network. Suzuki Sensei travels extensively throughout the world, teaching at dojos outside of her affiliation, as well. She has taught in Berlin, Helsinki, Shanghai, New York City, and other cities around the world.

Suzuki Sensei's classes are active but meditative, and fun but intense. They focus on connection, posture and exploration. She encourages each individual participant to create their own Aikido, suited to their own body and temperament.

Her mission is to foster inclusion in the Aikido world and to increase Aikido’s popularity among youth and those in their 20's and 30's.