About Ki-Aikidoschool Torii

Shinshin Toitsu Aikido

At Torii, we practise bringing mind and body together. In the dojo, and in everyday life.

What is Ki-Aikido?

Ki-Aikido is a Japanese movement art in which the mind leads the body. You practise with a partner, without competitions. Posture, breathing and relaxation are central to the training.

Keep one point
Relax completely
Keep weight underside
Extend Ki

More about Ki-Aikido

Ki-aikido is a movement art derived from traditional Japanese martial arts, based on the idea that the mind moves the body. When the art of guiding the mind is mastered, one can resist a strong opponent in a simple way.

Ki-aikido is not self-defense in itself, but the techniques and movements contain elements of philosophy, psychology, and dynamics. Practicing ki-aikido this way trains body and mind, improves health, and increases self-confidence.

Aikido means: the way to learn to live in harmony with the environment. In Ki-aikido training we examine the principles that affect body and mind, study their interaction, and apply them in daily life. The techniques come from traditional martial arts such as jujitsu and kenjitsu.

Ki-aikido is certainly not a combat sport and has no competitions. We need a partner to learn to move together and avoid unnecessary collisions, which improves coordination of body and mind. The principles of ki-aikido work 24 hours a day. The main points are: natural movement, correct posture, proper breathing, and lively relaxation.

Youth classes

In our youth classes, children practise good posture and relaxed movement. These principles also apply beyond the dojo, when concentrating at school or getting along with others.

More about youth classes

Ki-Aikido was developed by the Japanese teacher Koichi Tohei, who was often ill as a child. He tried many things to become strong and healthy. At some point he began training Aikido. He discovered that with good posture you can move someone very relaxed. He found practicing posture and relaxation more important than any technique. Thus he developed Ki-Aikido, where learning techniques goes hand in hand with relaxation and good posture.

Ai - peace, living together
Ki - life force, breath, will
Do - the way, how you do things

Ki-Aikido teaches you to be calm and relaxed when needed, for example to concentrate at school or pay attention during other activities. You will notice you become less unsure about making decisions.

Ki-Aikido teaches you to look at the world positively. It teaches that if you create problems you will not achieve something. If you act positively and in harmony with your environment, it will work. You will more often feel proud of yourself.

Ki-Aikido teaches you to take life more lightly. Constant worrying causes a lot of tension. It is better to live more lightly and relaxed. This relaxed positive attitude will make you less likely to get into conflicts.

Reiki

Reiki focuses on the transmission of ki, or life energy. Our practice also pays attention to the coordination of mind and body of the person giving Reiki.

More about Reiki

Reiki is a natural, simple yet effective way of transmitting ki. Rei stands for the universal, all‑encompassing. Ki stands for life energy. In reiki there is a relationship between the receiver and the giver. The receiver feels the energy flows start again and experiences a beneficial effect. The giver shares that experience. To be a good channel, the giver must function optimally. In practice, little attention is often given to this. Shin shin toitsu do is the path to coordination of body and mind. The giver of reiki learns to be in harmony with the environment.

In shin shin toitsu do we study the principles for coordinating body and mind. These are:

1. Keep one point
2. Relax completely
3. Keep weight underside
4. Send ki out

We examine the principles that body and mind are subject to, study their interrelation, and apply them in daily life.

The reiki lessons are given by Ad Voogels sensei and Willie Voogels (reiki master). They are assisted by Olinda Kersten (reiki master).

Our school

Torii started in Helmond in 1998, affiliated with the Ki Society in Japan. Our dojos are in Helmond and Krefeld.

Helmond

Ki-Aikidoschool Torii started in Helmond in 1998 as the only dojo in the Netherlands affiliated with the Ki Society in Japan. Over the years the offering in Helmond expanded with aikido for youth and Shin shin toitsu do and Reiki. Ki-Aikidoschool Torii also opened a dojo in Krefeld in recent years.

Classes in Helmond are taught by Ad Voogels sensei (Chief instructor for the Netherlands, 7th dan ki-aikido, lecturer, examiner), Toby Voogels sensei (6th dan ki-aikido, lecturer, examiner) and Carlo Verhappen sensei (3rd dan ki-aikido, assistant lecturer, assistant examiner).

Krefeld

Classes in Krefeld are taught by Christel Buchloh sensei (3rd dan ki-aikido, assistant lecturer).

Ki-Aikido is a movement art derived from traditional Japanese martial arts, based on the idea that the mind leads the body. When the art of mental guidance is mastered, one can resist even a strong opponent in a simple way. Ki-Aikido is not a combat sport in itself, but its techniques and movements contain elements of philosophy, psychology, and dynamics. Practiced this way, body and mind are trained, health improves, and self-confidence increases.

The way of Aikido is a path to learn to live in harmony with the environment. In Ki-Aikido training we examine the principles on which body and mind are based.

The techniques in Ki-Aikido come from old traditional martial arts such as Jiu‑Jitsu and Kenjitsu. Ki-Aikido is certainly not a combat sport and has no competitions. We need a training partner to learn to move together and avoid unnecessary collisions. This improves coordination between body and mind.

The principles of Ki-Aikido work far beyond training hours. The key points are: natural movement, correct posture, proper breathing, and lively relaxation.

Explore our dojos and training locations