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The Way of Aikido: Life Lessons from an American Sensei

by George Leonard

Aikido principles for everyday life

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Paperback New English

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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    Praise from Susan Trott

    Susan Trott says the book opens the door to the universe and invites readers toward balance, energy, and presence.

AlbakiReads Editorial

Aikido principles for everyday life

George Leonard presents aikido as a philosophy and practice that reaches beyond physical technique. The book connects its principles with ordinary challenges, using mind-body exercises intended for people who do not practice aikido alongside personal anecdotes and practical advice. Its central thread is how ideas drawn from the martial art can inform responses to conflict, anxiety, and unexpected setbacks. The emphasis falls on applying aikido’s approach to balance and composure in daily life, making this both an introduction to its underlying philosophy and a guide to adapting that perspective beyond the dojo.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Adults curious about aikido beyond its physical techniques
  • Readers interested in applying martial-arts philosophy to everyday challenges
  • Those seeking introductory mind-body exercises without being aikido practitioners

Themes

Aikido philosophyMind-body practiceComposure and balanceResponding to conflict and setbacks

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Book overview

"This book is a warmhearted handshake, a graceful and practical invitation to enter and blend with the ahhh of the world. It is as natural and wise an introduction to the spirit of the martial arts as you can find on paper."--Jack Kornfield, bestselling author of A Path with Heart

In his bestselling Mastery, renowned spiritual and martial arts teacher George Leonard taught hundreds of thousands of people how to use Zen philosophy to reach mastery in any field. Now, he brings together his extraordinary knowledge and experience into a book that translates the principles of aikido directly into our everyday lives.

Aikido is more philosophy and meditation than a technique or a series of purely physical maneuvers. Leonard shares the secrets of this remarkable Eastern philosophy, which is the basis for the most radical and demanding of all martial arts. Through mind-body exercises inspired by aikido yet designed for non-practitioners, he demonstrates the fundamental understanding behind aikido and shows how it can be applied to help set us on the path to composure, self-sufficiency, and spiritual centeredness.

Combining illuminating personal anecdotes with practical advice, this award-winning author describes the ways in which aikido can help turn life's unanticipated blows into gifts and transform discord into harmony, anxiety and pain into vital energy. Exhilarating, enlightening, and filled with unique wisdom, The Way of Aikido is an inspiring lesson in balance, confidence, and power.

"The Way of Aikido does no less than open the door to the universe and invite you through to become one with it, to become balanced, powerful, energetic, alert, and present."--Susan Trott, author of The Holy Man and Crane Spreads Wings

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