David Weinstock is a
certified International Nonviolent Communication Trainer, a
Somatic Coach, Aikido Instructor (30 yrs.) and originator of
Somatic Consensus. He leads community workshops in schools,
prisons, businesses, intentional communities & organizations
around the world.
David and his family live in an intentional
community in Washington State that they helped found and where
consensus has been practiced for over 20 years. To learn more you
can go to his website.
Representatives of Aiki-Extensions, Inc from California,
Washington State, England and the Center for Building a Culture if
Empathy discuss and demonstrate how principles of Aikido entrain
compassion and embody empathy around the world.
Bringing somatic attunement (embodied presence) to conflicted
situations. Finding ground and center under pressure. Learning to
listen to the different languages of the head, the heart and the
wisdom of the belly.
Nick Walker is a speaker, educator, author, and consultant
on a wide range of topics. He is the founder and senior instructor of
Aikido Shusekai, an aikido dojo in Berkeley, California. He holds a 6th
degree black belt in aikido and has been teaching the art to adults,
teens, and children for over thirty years.
He is coleading an empathy training workshop called
Embodying Empathy. He says, empathy is possibly the most important
social skill you possess, yet it can be very fragile.
It is common to get triggered and lose the capacity to empathize in the
presence of conflict, anger, fear, or anxiety. You may attack or
withdraw, or become unable to think or feel your way to a more useful
response.
The solution: learn to fully embody your empathy so that
it becomes a safe and reliable stance that you can return to in times of
trouble. In this one-day experiential workshop, empathy expert Karla
McLaren and somatic psychologist and aikido teacher Nick Walker will
teach you how to access and strengthen your natural capacity for
empathy. Sub Conference: Aikido & Empathy
Jerry Green is a mediator, and creator of TUNING IN to the
Body, online lessons in embodied compassionate communications, which is
based on his seminars in Emotional Aikido, for transforming pressure, fear
& anger into centered empathy and grounded actions in the home and at
work.
The Martial art of Aikido embodies many of the qualities of empathy, such
as, seeing the common humanity of everyone and holding everyone with care.
In this dialog, we talked about the embodiment of empathy through Aikido,
which makes it easier to feel the somatic essence of empathy in our
bodies. Sub Conference: Aikido & Empathy
Embodying Empathy - An October Workshop In Berkeley!
"Empathy is possibly the most important social skill you
possess, yet it can be very fragile. It is common to get triggered and lose
the capacity to empathize in the presence of conflict, anger, fear, or
anxiety. You may attack or withdraw, or become unable to think or feel your
way to a more useful response.
The solution: learn to fully embody your empathy so that it becomes a safe and
reliable stance that you can return to in times of trouble.
In Embodying Empathy, somatic psychologist and aikido sensei
Nick Walker
and empath Karla McLaren will help you access your empathy tangibly so that
you can work through your triggers and use all of your emotions as the
essential resources they are.
This one-day experiential workshop will help you befriend
and strengthen your natural empathic abilities and access your emotional
awareness with support and ease."
One of the greatest gifts of Aikido training is
empathy. Extending empathy, respect and fairness to people who mean
disrespect or harm is not an easy attribute to come to terms with. It
takes a lot of soul searching to overcome ego-damaging feelings of
anger, retribution, mixed with not wanting to fight and a resulting
sense of inadequacy. I really had to redefine my own concept
bravery...In my opinion, real advancement in the art of Aikido is not
directly related to the number of different techniques learned. It is
marked by the replacement of arrogance by empathy and humility.
Tom
Gambell Gambell Sensei believes strongly in the principles of
aikido training, not only as a means of self-defense, but as a path to
enhance one's spiritual growth. He also expresses the source of aikido -
LOVE - through his commitment to his students and his commitment to his
practice. He has dedicated his life to the teachings of loving-kindness,
compassion and harmony and to passing on O'Sensei's vision of peaceful
reconciliation.
