Welcome to Senshin Center
Everyone can practice Aikido as a Way. Senshin Center has classes for both adults and children. We welcome all at our training hall. All that is required is dedication, patience, and an enduring spirit. Beginning training will involve body art, short staff, sword, knife, and Zen meditation. The awareness of detail and the embodiment of detail will be the governing factor of every training session.
Senshin Center is a dojo in the Goleta/Santa Barbara area and is dedicated to three tenets: The accurate transmission of Aikido; the overall physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness of its members; and the continuing betterment of our local community.
We are an independent training center seeking to honor the teachings of Budo and Osensei. Our dojo strives to be a memorial to the embodiment of Wisdom and Compassion that was Nobuo Iseri Shihan – Master Teacher.
What is Aikido
In Japanese, “Aikido” means “The Way of union with the forces and principles of the Universe.” Aikido is a derivative of Japanese “Budo” which translates as, “The Way of Martial Arts.” As such, Aikido is a path for self-cultivation wherein the keen edge of martial arts training is used as a means for personal development. Superficially, joint manipulations, strikes, pins, and throws mark Aikido. Tactically, the art emphasizes destabilizing your adversary, clearing the line of attack, and entering into the attacker’s “blind spot.” Physically, Aikido is an art that will bring strength and conditioning to your entire body. Mentally, Aikido trains the individual towards possessing balance and harmony in the face of extreme situations. Ethically, Aikido seeks social harmony through self-responsibility and communal awareness. Spiritually, Aikido works to purify the self and to develop coordination between mind, body, and spirit. This is how we understand Aikido at Senshin Center: A place for traditional martial arts in Santa Barbara.