Weekly Classes
Our core activity is two public classes a week at the Dokkodo dojo, 332 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland — Wednesday 7:30–9:30 PM and Friday 6:00–8:00 PM. They run year-round, including public holidays. Both are mixed-level: beginners train alongside experienced students rather than being held in a separate stream until they are “ready”.
A class opens with mind-body coordination work — relaxation, posture, breathing — and then moves into Aikido practice, where the task is to keep that coordinated state while someone is moving at you. Nobody is required to have any fitness, flexibility, or martial arts background to begin. Those are outcomes of the practice, not entry requirements for it.
The first class is free, with no sign-up and no obligation to come back. Anyone can book a place directly, or read the etiquette guide first if walking into an unfamiliar dojo feels daunting.
What We Teach
Ki Aikido as developed by Master Koichi Tohei has four strands. We teach all four, in their complete form, without adapting or shortening them:
Ki Development
The foundation everything else rests on. Relaxation, posture, breathing, and the coordination of mind and body — studied first on its own, then carried into everything that follows. We work on the movements of ordinary life here: how you stand, how you sit, how you pick something up.
Ki Aikido
Aikido technique used as a test. The point is not the throw — it is whether the coordinated state survives contact with another person moving at you. Non-competitive throughout: there is no sparring, no ranking against other students, no winning.
Ki Breathing
A breathing practice, taught as a method rather than a metaphor. Long, quiet breathing that settles the nervous system, practised in class and intended to be continued at home, where most of its value shows up.
Ki Meditation
Sitting practice aimed at one thing: staying present when the day is not calm. It is deliberately plain, with nothing to believe in and nothing to join.
Open Sessions and Demonstrations
Alongside the weekly classes we hold open sessions, seminars, and public demonstrations. These are free to attend and open to anyone — including people who have no intention of ever training, and who simply want to see what this is.
Where a community group, school, or workplace would like a demonstration or an introductory session, we will come and run one. Everything currently scheduled is listed on the events page.
Instruction Published Openly
Not everyone who benefits from this material can get to Grey Lynn on a Wednesday night. So we write it down and publish it where anyone can read it, free, with no account, no paywall, and no newsletter required first.
Our written articles cover the questions people actually ask before they start, and the etiquette guide explains dojo conduct in full, so that a first visit is not a test you can fail.
Removing the Barriers
Most people who would benefit from this practice never try it, and the reasons are consistent. Each of these is something we have deliberately designed around:
- “I can't afford it.” We reduce fees on the basis of need, and nobody is turned away for lack of means. Ask us privately — the conversation stays between us, and there is no form, no proof of income, and no committee.
- “I'm too old.” There is no upper age limit and no competitive bracket to age out of. Progress is measured against your own potential, never against another student.
- “I'm not fit enough.” Fitness is not a prerequisite. The class adjusts its pace and intensity to the people actually in it.
- “It's a fighting art, and that's not me.” Ki Aikido is non-violent and non-competitive. There is no sparring, no striking practice, and no opponent.
- “It's not for people like me.” We welcome every community in Aotearoa, and extend a particular invitation to Māori and Pacific peoples and to anyone who has never considered a martial art before.
- “I have no gear.” You need none to start. Loose clothing and bare feet are enough for as long as you want them to be.
Younger Practitioners
Our scheduled classes are adult classes, with a minimum age of 15. We do not currently run a separate children's class on a fixed timetable — when we do, it will be taught separately, because children and adults need genuinely different things from a class.
In the meantime, families with younger practitioners are welcome to write to us at [email protected] and we will talk through the right option for the age and experience involved.
Where We Are, and Where We're Going
The trust was founded in 2025 and currently operates one dojo, in Grey Lynn. That is the honest scale of it today, and we would rather say so than imply a network that does not exist yet.
Our aim is to establish dojo communities in other parts of New Zealand — Wellington, Christchurch, and any town where enough people want to practise. If that describes where you live, write to us. Helping a new community start is part of the purpose, not a favour.
Our Work So Far
The dojo opened on 18 February 2026 with the first Ki Aikido class held in New Zealand. Since then the two weekly classes have run every week. Alongside them, the trust has held these free public sessions, open to anyone:
- Introduction to Ki Aikido — Free Open Class — Wednesday, 22 July 2026
- Ki Aikido — May Beginners Class — Wednesday, 27 May 2026
- Introduction to Ki Aikido — Open Day — Wednesday, 29 April 2026
Each one is recorded on the events page, together with the next sessions as soon as their dates are set.
How This Is Paid For
Member contributions cover the running costs of the weekly classes — hall hire, mats, insurance. The trust has no owners and no shareholders and distributes no profit; anything received beyond those costs goes back into fee reductions, free community sessions, and reaching parts of the country that have no dojo.
Our governance, mission, and story are set out on the about page, and the registration is public on the Charities Register. If you would like the work above to reach further than it currently does, you can make a voluntary donation.