with Linda Holiday • Tesfaye Tekelu • Nico Secunda
October 24-25, 2020
About the Retreat
This weekend retreat is an opportunity to explore the movement of Aikido as a way to create harmony, both within yourself and in the world. As humanity faces unprecedented change, many of us are striving to maintain our personal balance amidst the chaos and challenges that surround us. The practice of Aikido gives us tools and techniques to strengthen the spirit of harmony, while building respect and a deep sense of connection with other people.
Let’s move in harmony together! Join the Autumn Aikido Retreat.
Join us and put peace into practice as we share the natural movement of Aiki (Harmony + Energy). Classes throughout the retreat will have an emphasis on movement as a method for personal renewal and building community . Experience the way in which the positive energy of Aikido can uplift our spirits and “build the World Family.”
6 Aikido Classes
Misogi & Meditation
Time for personal and group reflection
Instructor panel discussion with Q&A
Special Movement & Dance Session
Enjoy community connections with Aikido friends around the world!
October 24-25, 2020 • 2 Days of Online Classes
Saturday 8:00 am – 12:30 pm PDT
Sunday 8:00 am – 12:30 pm PDT
US West Coast Timezone displayed. Scroll down the page for additional timezones.
Instructors
Linda Holiday • 7th Dan – Santa Cruz, California
Tesfaye Tekelu • 3rd Dan – Ethiopia + California
Nico Secunda • 3rd Dan – Santa Cruz, California
“There is no form and no style in Aikido. The movement of Aikido is the movement of Nature, whose secret is profound and infinite.”
— Morihei Ueshiba • O-Sensei
Our Instructors
Linda Holiday • 7th Dan
Santa Cruz, California
Linda Holiday is the chief instructor of Aikido of Santa Cruz. For over 40 years, she has devoted herself to teaching and developing Aikido in Santa Cruz. She is a senior teacher of Aikido in the West, and the author of the book Journey to the Heart of Aikido: The Teachings of Motomichi Anno Sensei.
In 1970, in the early years of Aikido in America, Linda began her study of Aikido as a first-year student at the University of California, Santa Cruz. In 1973, she moved to Japan to receive instruction from the generation of Japanese Aikido teachers who had studied directly with the founder of Aikido, Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei. She was one of the first Westerners to live in the remote Kumano area of Japan, the birthplace of O-Sensei, and undertake rigorous physical and spiritual practice there. She trained in Japan for several years, studying Aikido and Japanese language, culture, and traditional practices. Those early years of shugyo (intensive training) in Japan inspired Linda Sensei to dedicate her life to the martial art, spiritual discipline, and profound path of peace that is Aikido.
Tesfaye Tekelu • 3rd Dan
Ethiopia + California
Tesfaye Tekelu is the Founder of Aikido Ethiopia and Awassa Youth Campus nonprofit organizations in Ethiopia. Tesfaye serves as the board chairman for the Institute for Social Advancement and has led a number of youth leadership organizations for the past two decades in Africa and the US. Underscoring this work is a deep belief in and commitment to the power of youth and the arts to catalyze social change.
Tesfaye serves as a Somatic and Leadership coach at Strozzi Institute in Oakland, California, where he teaches embodied leadership and somatic coaching for adults. He is also Martial Arts Director at Destiny Arts Center, where he teaches Aikido and other forms of martial arts, as well as gymnastics and dance, to youth.
Tesfaye was awarded a Certificate of Recognition by the California Senate for his work in Aikido and youth development.
Nico Secunda • 3rd Dan
Santa Cruz, California
Nico Secunda began his study of Aikido at a young age in Santa Cruz and continues as a student of Linda Holiday Sensei. For over 26 years he has dedicated himself to the teachings of Aikido and to embodying the spirit of nature through his movement.
As a close student of Motomichi Anno Shihan (8th Dan), Nico has journeyed to Japan many times to deepen his practice and connection with the roots of Aikido.
The son of renowned shaman and spiritual teacher Brant Secunda, Nico completed an intensive shamanic apprenticeship with his father at twenty-one years of age and is the Managing Director of the Dance of the Deer Foundation – Center for Shamanic Studies. Nico is also the Co-Founder of the Huichol Foundation, which provides economic and cultural support to the indigenous Huichol people of Mexico.
Nico is a regular instructor at Aikido of Santa Cruz and has also been an assistant instructor in the Dojo youth program for over a decade. He is a member of the Aikido for Tomorrow initiative, striving to support the future generations of Aikido practitioners around the globe.
unique online experience
Unprecedented times call for a unique retreat experience. To help protect our community amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we are holding this retreat entirely online.
Retreat Schedule
All times are displayed in Pacific Daylight Time (PDT)
Saturday
October 24, 2020
8:00 am – 12:30 pm
Pacific Time (United States West Coast)
11:00 am – 3:30 pm
Eastern Time (United States East Coast)
17:00 – 21:30
Central Europe
18:00 – 22:30
East Africa
Sunday
October 25, 2020
8:00 am – 12:30 pm
Pacific Time (United States West Coast)
11:00 am – 3:30 pm
Eastern Time (United States East Coast)
16:00 – 20:30
Central Europe
18:00 – 22:30
East Africa
A Conversation on the Aikido Path
with the Autumn Retreat Instructors
Saturday, October 10th • 9:00–10:00 am PDT (California)
Join this free, online, interactive conversation with our three Autumn Retreat instructors – Linda Holiday, Tesfaye Tekelu, and Nico Secunda – as they explore the themes of the upcoming Autumn Retreat and share their personal experiences and insights on the path of Aikido. Bringing together rich, diverse cultural perspectives from East Africa, Japan, Mexico, and California, all three instructors are dedicated to the aim of Aikido’s Founder to “build the World Family”. Join the conversation!
Join the Retreat
Join us for an immersive experience of Aikido
with a community from around the globe.