Aikido is a Japanese martial art defined as the way to harmonize with the universal force of nature. It was developed by Morihei Ueshiba, a Japanese warrior and master of the arts of jujitsu, kendo (sword arts), and sojitsu (spear arts). O'Sensei ("Great Teacher") Ueshiba, survived great hardships and tragedies in his youth. His determination not to be defeated, or weakened, in life or battle led him to blend his martial training with his burgeoning spirituality. O'Sensei's developing spirituality led him to question the nature of traditional Budo. Though undefeated in battles with masters of other martial arts, O'Sensei questioned the wisdom of meeting force with force. Surely, he believed, someone bigger/stronger/younger could ultimately defeat even a great master of a martial art, thus rendering a lifetime's worth of dedicated work meaningless. O'Sensei understood that life's battles were many, both mundane and serious, and that victory in battle required that the individual be developed, not just the individual's martial skills. It is only through developing the self beyond selfish, petty ambition, he concluded, that the individual is released to realize his/her full potential. O'Sensei believed martial arts training could be a means to fully develop and harness this potential. Sincere and rigorous training in the tactics and techniques of Aikido then serves two purposes: self-defense and individual growth.

The dynamic practice of Aikido requires the practitioner to move in a circular manner, with a strong center. One way to picture this is to consider the hurricane - the eye of the storm is calm, but circling around it are powerful winds. The essence of Aikido is for the practitioner to remain calm and to blend with an attack while adding one's inner power, or "ki", to the spherical motion. Blending with an attack and infusing one's own ki into it, and Aikido's spherical techniques, create a powerful dynamic that can decisively end conflict. In addition to the larger movements, there are also smaller movements that serve to deflect attacks and immobilize attackers. Both the larger and smaller movements of Aikido utilize the laws of physics to end physical conflict. The circular movements create centrifugal and centripetal forces. Others combine inertia, gravity and leverage to achieve the desired result. The Aikido practitioner combines all of these elements - the various forces, movements and techniques - within a framework of personal harmony with the natural world, to end conflict and achieve peace. These same concepts can be applied outside of the dojo, to conquer the non-physical obstacles in one's life.