For a long time we thought about how to move the technical exercises of Aikido out into nature as much as possible. This is no problem with the staff and sword techniques, because then you keep your balance and that of your partner so that you don’t fall to the ground. With the free-hand techniques, this is more of a problem, because an important part of the exercise would be lost, namely losing one’s balance in a controlled manner and immediately getting back up again. In addition, a unique feature of aikido is lost: every technique can be executed to the end, as the partner does not have to be protected from injury. There are no punches, kicks or breaking techniques in the art of peace.

Merely standing on an uneven field with a tarpaulin as a base to protect the clothes from dirt would be too much of an imposition in the long run. We will do that now and then, in special places. There are a lot of places of power here that invite us to do this.

We therefore looked for an easily accessible and not too steeply sloping place on our terrain to set up our big yurt and then lay it out with mats. As you can see from the photos, we found a spot on the edge of the ravine of our border creek that we can level relatively easily with the help of our tractor. It is a magical place for the ritual aikido practice. The nearby babbling of the stream provides a meditative ambience that ideally supports the flow of our AI. In addition, the place down at the edge of the stream meadow is wonderfully grounding. Both in combination ideally strengthen the negative phase of our life force.

At the upper edge of our terrain, on the heights, with their wide opening over the Vallespir towards Spain, we can much better nourish the positive phase of our life force, with lots of light and air. This is ideal for the practice of the Aiki sword, which stands for the spirit in the art of peace.

With this, the most important conditions are determined and we are already looking forward to a regular, inspiring practice with you.

“Heaven ist right where you are standing, and that is the place to train.”

Morihei Ueshiba