Aikido in Daily Life

Written in 1966, this is Tohei Sensei's third book after "Aikido: The Arts of Self Defense" (1960) and "What is Aikido?" (1962). At that time, Koichi Tohei was the Chief Instructor of the Aikikai. Later on because of politics or personal growth, depending on the source, Tohei formed his own organization, and for a while stopped using the term Aikido in favor of the term "Ki" (same as Chinese "Chi"). Although there are some exercises described, this is more of a philosophical book which delves deeply into the spirit and theory behind the art and practice of Aikido. This is the first developed thesis on Tohei's Ki concepts, which are generally free from the superstitions and magical thinking that permeates some other schools of thought. "KI" according to Tohei has more to to with the unity of the mind with the body. Later revised editions of this volume were published as "Ki in Daily Life". I like the harmony of a unified Aikido presented in this earlier version.

At first I rolled my eyes at the cover, and found the writing style and some examples to be overly earnest. I must admit, however, that the essence of the book is strong and had a positive impact in my personal and professional life, encouraging me to re-evaluate my understanding of conflict. I have been studying aikido for four years, and found this book to be a simple and lucid guide to applying the principles I study on the practice mat to verbal and emotional conflicts.

"The 'spirit' of aikido lies in bringing to light man's natural strength and his hidden natural abilities." A detailed explanation of what aikido really means and of how to apply the principles to our daily lives. A very good book for the westerner to help himself to understand Ki and the universal. A must have for everyones library. Anyone can benefit from this book.

You do not need to havean interest in Akido to benefit from reading what he has to say. Heteaches you how to find inner peace, strength and an outlook on life we all should have. The first half of the book deals with Akido and is quite interesting. The last half, for me, was the best part. It is laid out in short sections and each one will teach you a great deal about yourself and the people around you. When you have finished the book you will be surprised how much better you feel. You will be able to handle stress, and daily life, in ways you thought you could not. If you have been looking for a way to reduce stress in your life and at the same time look at things in a more positive way then this is a book worth reading.