Background

Blue Ridge Ki Society is an affiliate of the Midland Ki Federation under Chief Instructor Koichi Kashiwaya Sensei.

Blue Ridge Ki Society (formerly Blue Ridge Ki-Aikido) was founded by Jonathan Doner in 1991. Dr. Doner, a psychologist, currently holds the rank of Yondan (fourth level black belt) in Ki-Aikido and Joden (upper-level black belt) in Shin Shin Toitsu Do. In 1996 he was made an Associate Ki Lecturer by the International Ki Society. He began studying Ki-Aikido in 1985 as part of a Charlottesville Parks and Recreation program directed by Sensei Rich Olson, under the wonderfull and greatly missed tutelage of the late George Simcox Sensei. In 1988 Doner Sensei took over the Charlottesville program, as well as starting Ki-Aikido programs at UVa and in Harrisonburg. In 1991, he and his students established Blue Ridge Ki-Aikido, the first permanent Aikido dojo in Charlottesville. The dojo expanded to its current location on Harris street in January of 2000.

Location

We are located at 750 Harris St. in Charlottesville, not far from Bodo's Bagels on Preston. Ave. Turning onto Harris from Preston, pass Bodo's and then proceed over the hill. The Dojo is at the bottom of the hill on the right.

• Map : A zoomable interactive map from yahoo.com.
• Driving Directions: Driving directions from any address to Blue Ridge Ki Society, also from yahoo.com.

Members

The membership of Blue Ridge Ki Society includes men and women from many walks of life, including students, professionals, professors, and children. There are as many reasons to practice aikido as there are people practicing, as a few of our members explain:

I'd practiced a number of other arts over the years, liking most of them. Most were "harder," though I'd also done Tai Chi for a while. I was looking for something gentler on the body and mind than the hard stuff (I'd broken a number of things practicing other arts) and more structured than Tai Chi. I've found a very nice blend at the dojo: the self-defense side is always there, but in a way that will allow me to practice for years to come. At the same time, ki development has introduced to me to a whole set of concerns and challenges that have become as important to me as the more physical aspects of the art. --Brian Owensby.

I've discovered that martial arts is not just about self defense and fighting. It's really about the much broader idea of handling difficult situations. A fist speeding toward your head is a difficult situation, and in aikido you learn to handle it with alert, relaxed grace, gently guiding the situation without getting hurt and without striking back. Practicing aikido has definitely improved my ability to calmly manage difficult situations in daily life. Plus, the physical work on the mat is just plain fun. --Kirk Martini.